Here’s How To Ice Roll Your Face To Reap Chilly Benefits

From the group of frosty cousins of rollers, here comes the new addition: an ice roller for your face. Another one? We hear you. All facial rollers may sound the same, so why add another one to the list? Hear us out. All facial rollers are magical, even so, the chilling benefits of an ice roller significantly outweigh the benefits of others. In that case, knowing how to ice roll your face is the key to wheeling out the gains to your advantage. Right?

Icing Your Skin: The Hot Trend In Skincare Routine

We have all kinds of facial massage techniques factoring into our skincare routines at some point or the other. To be precise, whenever a slick new trend hits the mainstream. Now we have yet another popular morning and evening ritual hitting the mainstream: icing your skin. And we totally recommend it. 

What can we say, after hours of staring at your computer or mobile screen, a cold compressing rolling is just what our eyes need. All you have to do is imagine a soothingly cool feel across your eyelids. Yes, it is that simple and easy.

Many skin specialists believe that ice can do wonders when added to your daily skincare routine. Ice globes for the face provide an alternative to the ice roller, delivering a cooling and refreshing skincare experience. Ice rolling your face is not some rocket science that only skincare beauties get the hang of. Despite how complicated some skincare tools look —making us feel old and so out of touch, they are surprisingly quite effortless to use. In the case of facial ice rollers, all you have to do is learn how to ice roll your face with them. Before we get into the how’s, let’s talk more about an ice roller.

What Is An Ice Roller?

Are you familiar with cryotherapy(1) and CoolSculting? If not, they are some ideal skin treatments confined to professional clinics, stamped with unreasonably steep price labels. So, what do we folks who cannot afford them do? Wisely opt for at-home versions of such high-tech procedures. You can consider ice rollers as the much more affordable, next-best version of overpriced cold therapy.

As the name indicates, an ice roller is a simple, hand-held tool with a cylindrical piece filled with both water and gel. It basically looks more like a fancy, much smaller paint roller. The easy-to-use tool’s cool roller, when stored in the freezer, massages the face, giving your puffed or inflamed skin all that it needs to heal from within.

If concerned about how quickly the cooling effect lasts, here is the one factor that differentiates the ice roller from an ice cube. Since inside the roller is a mixture of water and gel, it stays cold for up to a good 15-minute break. Plus, it takes far longer to melt when compared to ice, hence, there is more time to reap its benefits.

On a side note, skin icing is a common skin treatment (2) used in spas for several years and for a number of reasons. Not to mention, a highly recommended regular practice in Korean women’s skincare routine. Similar to skin icing, cold therapy is the practice of using cyro chambers and cold showers, exposing skin to extremely cold temperatures. All of these offer mindblowing results. However, not all of us are interested in dunking our bodies for cold plunges, right? Hence we are left with options like ice rollers. Now, on to how to ice roll your face.

How To Use An Ice Roller?

As mentioned, knowing how to ice roll face is not rocket science nor is there any wrong way of doing it. But of course, some sort of guidance, especially for beginners, is not bad. Follow these steps and tips on how to properly ice roll your face.

1. Pick Your Ice Roller

There are thousands of options online. But of course, you must buy the best ice roller or at least a good one to work. To consider, you have a couple of factors, such as material, durability, and size. The best pick would be a high-quality material, say stainless steel, or plastic —medical grade ones. You might as well choose one with a comfortable grip. If you don’t know how to ice roll face, using one with appropriate for your face and neck would be wise. It should also be easy to clean as well as store.

2. Place In The Freezer Or Fridge

After you buy an ice roller, some recommend storing it in the freezer or fridge. And some say, keeping it for an hour or two would suffice. Either way, the ice roller must get enough time to cool. Meaning, it must be cold enough to provide the utmost rewards to the skin. We recommend at least four or five hours.

3. Cleanse Your Skin

Before using an ice roller, always keep in mind to clean your face and neck with a gentle cleanser. Removing oil, dirt, debris, or makeup ensures clean skin and that your skin is free of any impurities that might clog your pores.

4. Start Rolling

After cleansing your skin, take out the ice roller from the freezer and wait for a minute or two before beginning to roll. Then, start from the center of your face and use upward, outward strokes to roll the tool along the skin. Make sure to apply gentle pressure while you roll, not too much to avoid skin irritation or bruising.

Go on in a zigzag pattern up and down your forehead, from left to right, then move down to beside your nose. Following down to the lower cheek, outwards on the sides of your mouth, then down under the chin, and finish with your neck. You can concentrate on particular regions, such as the area under your eyes and around your lips as they are prone to aging.

And done! These are the steps on how to ice roll face and neck. 

What Are The Benefits Of Ice Rollers?

Now that you know how to ice roll face, you might as well know the host of very legitimate benefits an ice roller offers. Some are more obvious than others. Here are the obvious and not-so-obvious benefits of ice rolling:

When ice rolls outwards, it reduces the puffiness of the skin by increasing the blood flow and draining fluid. This helps in improving the skin’s appearance. Plus, it helps you rejuvenate your skin, making it effective for under-eye bags. This means you get to fake a good night’s sleep! Besides the reduced puffiness, ice rolling minimizes and soothes inflamed or tired skin. No more worries over signs of irritation or redness on your skin!

Although its advocates claim that ice rolling helps with lymphatic drainage, which in turn slows the effects of aging, no evidence proves that. However, ice rolling does tighten your skin and sculpt your face. This could help with fine lines and wrinkles. One hack for better skin absorption is ice rolling after you apply your skincare products and waiting until they fully settle. Last but not least, if you know how to ice roll face properly, it can certainly help you with headaches by massaging the tension away. There is nothing some cold compress cannot solve, right?

Now that you know the benefits, let’s get on with some frequently asked questions.

Should I Use An Ice Roller Before Or After Skincare?

Normally icing is recommended after cleansing your face. This does not mean you should incorporate an ice roller before or after your skincare routine. If you ice roll your face after washing, follow up with your serums, moisturizers, and SPF as well.

Though icing before skincare helps in depuffing and waking up your skin, you can reach for an ice roller after the last step of your skincare routine as well. This certainly helps in spreading products to all areas of your face. Plus, ice rolling may increase the absorption of topical products.

How Long To Ice Roll Your Face?

Experts recommend at least 5 to 15 minutes of ice rolling for maximum benefits. If you are using it for the first time, start with a few minutes, gradually increasing the time as your skin adapts to it. For sensitive skin or if your skin gets red easily, use an ice roller for a shorter period or less frequently. Otherwise, you can use it as often as you like, but it is recommended to use it only once a day.

When Not To Use An Ice Roller?

Yes, there are a few exceptions of when not to use ice roller. If you have open wounds or even acne, skip ice rolling over them until they are healed. Another big no is when you have gotten BOTOX or any injections. To lower the chance of pushing the filler into areas not desired, skip rolling for 2-4 weeks. Another concern is whether using an ice roller during pregnancy is safe or not. Yes, it is safe.

Which Is Better: An Ice Roller Or A Jade Roller?

Both have their own benefits. But because an ice roller massages your face with ice, the benefits stand out.

Do Ice Rollers Really Work Though?

Forget long-term results. Ice rollers really work and guarantee benefits for a limited period of time. And the benefits are wonders while they last. As long as you don’t linger too long on one spot —because it gets cold, you are good to go.

Best Ice Rollers To Soothe Your Skin

With thousands of ice rollers in the market, you never know whether you end up with a good one or merely a subpar one by mistake. Read on to find out the best ice rollers to help your skin relax and depuff.

StackedSkincare Ice Roller

Known as the most durable ice roller, this one glides under your eyes and jawline easily for a relaxing luxe feel.

Price: $85

With stainless steel, it is an egg-shaped roller, and its ergonomic handle promises no damage. It also comes with a silicone cover to store in the freezer. The only con is that its roller head is difficult to clean, according to its users.

Esarora Ice Roller

Besides the obvious affordable price tag, this bestseller is clearly a perfect pick.

Price: $13

It has two roller-head options: a silicone head for a less chilly option for sensitive skin and a metal head that gets super chilly in the freezer. You also get to pick any color from the brand’s nine different colors.

Skin Gym IceCoolie

A stainless steel roller with a wide roller head makes it apt for wider sections of your face. This one also guarantees the roller stays cold for up to 15 minutes.

Price: $30

Although some complain of a little squeaking while rolling, it gets its job done smoothly and wonderfully.

Finishing Touch Flawless Ice Roller

A compact ice roller featuring a quick-freeze gel that stays cold for 30 minutes tops.

Price: $8

Even with constant rolling, you get to depuff and soothe your skin right after you wake up by ice rolling Finishing Touch’s easy-to-use roller. And look at that affordable price tag!

Kitsch Ice Roller

With a top-rated surgical stainless steel roller head, Kitsch’s roller is lightweight with an ergonomic handle for comfortable hold and use. Don’t get discouraged by the size as many of its reviewers recommend this one for glowing results.

Price: $18

Final Take

Ice rollers are on all of our Instagram feeds feeding our tired skin. They are simple yet genius tools with a no-mess and no-hassle promise and work within minutes! With several benefits to bag, this one is not a bad addition to your skincare routine. If you like the feeling of cold on your face, it is wise to save some space in your freezer for an ice roller to depuff your skin and make it glow. By now, you must know how to ice roll your face, an instant solution to your search for a quick fix.