This At-Home Facial is Loved By Hailey And Bella—And It's Basically Free
There I was, mentally floating away at Jess Bowers's facial studio, a private, speakeasy-like slice of West Village heaven. After my coveted hour with the aesthetician—which was nothing short of dreamy—I gabbed with Bowers about the products and treatments she's loving at the moment. Her answer? A gentle exfoliating jelly (which I added to my cart immediately) and a simple at-home technique, one that doesn't require any fancy tools.
"Honestly, ice bath facials will completely transform your skin," she told me. "Try it for two weeks, and you won't even believe the results." It's as if she unlocked some sort of synchronicity because I kept seeing these at-home ice bath facials everywhere. They were featured in Hailey Bieber's Met Gala prep, present in Bella Hadid's on-set beauty routine, and popping up all over my TikTok feed, so I decided to finally give Bowers's two-week experiment a whirl. True to her word, I'm blown away by my skin's response. Scroll ahead to see the magic, plus every celeb-endorsed detail to know.
What Is an Ice Bath Facial?
An ice bath facial is exactly what it sounds like: dunking your face in ice water. Think of it as a cold plunge for just your face. Rather than throwing on a swimsuit and finding a tub to submerge your whole body, you're simply dipping your face into a large bowl for a few seconds at a time. It's quick and relatively easy and boasts similar skin benefits to a full-on cold plunge. (More on that later!)
To be clear, in no way am I saying that Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber invented the ice water facial. Aestheticians and makeup artists have been championing the practice for years, praising its ability to reduce puffiness and inflammation and tighten the skin. Psychologists have even cited it as a quick DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) technique, as it naturally slows down your heart rate and has a calming effect on the body. Not to mention, cold water immersion is an ancient practice with roots in many cultures.
No, dunking your face in ice water is certainly not a "new" or "trendy" habit, but it has recently been on my TikTok feed more than ever as a form of skin prep and has been made even buzzier with each celebrity endorsement. Essentially, I've known about ice bath facials for ages, but Hadid and Bieber (plus Bowers) inspired me to finally try it for myself.
Benefits for Skin
First and foremost, ice water reduces inflammation, redness and puffiness. It does so by activating a process called vasoconstriction—constricting your blood vessels to result in less blood flow and, thus, swelling. It's the same logic of placing ice on an injury: Limiting blood flow to the area generally reduces inflammation and pain. Even if your face isn't experiencing acute inflammation, the icy temperature dials down any sort of puffiness lingering underneath the surface. "This can vary depending on your diet," noted Bowers. "Say you eat a lot of salty foods or consume alcohol—you may see a faster result of de-puffing the skin."
According to Bowers, the ice bath also tightens pores and actually brightens the skin as your blood circulation starts warming back up. "It wakes you up," she added. There's nothing like an ice-cold dunk to shake away any trace of grogginess!
