Cold weather tends to cause havoc on the skin: the winter months can mean dryness, chapped lips and rashes, and skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis can flare up. So why are people dunking their heads into ice water and rubbing ice cubes on their skin in the name of beauty?
“Using ice carefully and methodically can help to reduce inflammation, irritation and puffiness in the skin by constricting blood vessels,” celebrity facialist Melanie Grant tells Tatler. “It’s a great way to energise your complexion in the mornings, post-flight or during that time of the month [menstruation] by gently boosting circulation, flushing stagnant fluid and leaving you with a rosy glow.”
Grant is a big advocate of ice plunging—the practice of immersing your face in cold water for a few seconds at a time to stimulate lymphatic circulation and blood flow—as are some of her famous clients, including Victoria Beckham, who, in an interview with Refinery29, publicly swore by Grant’s tip of using ice cubes to depuff her face following a long-haul flight or after a couple of glasses of wine.
