I added an ice roller into my skincare routine for a week, anticipating an improved facial texture and less eye puffiness, and I walked away with the boost my complexion was looking for.
I definitely do a lot of beauty stalking online (hey, don’t judge me!) when I’m not cranking out tons of lifestyle content, and of course, one of my favorite places to haunt is Instagram. With that said, of course I’ve seen all those beauty influencers use those pretty jade and rose quartz rollers, but what has really gotten my attention lately was the use of ice rollers, something I never really knew existed before until well, now.
I once tried icing (with a whole bowl of ice to be exact) my face a la Joan Crawford for a beauty experiment years ago, but never had I seen ice rollers before, which of course, makes the process a whole lot easier. These rollers tend to be pretty inexpensive (I got mine for under $20 on Amazon) and are said to tighten sagging skin, decrease eye puffiness, and can be super handy in relieving migraines. The trick to getting your roller cold is to put it in the freezer for a good few hours, that way you can roll (and cool down) your face whenever you’d like.
But why ice your face? According to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Debra Jaliman, ice rollers definitely have their share of benefits, as she says regular use can help reduce scarring, stretch marks, and can improve the texture of your skin. Even celebrity makeup artists like Kyriaki Savrani say that this tool can be great for those who are trying to cut back on wearing tons of makeup in the summer months, as facial massage through this tool helps boost lymphatic drainage which helps deliver a natural glow to the face.
With all these benefits in mind, I was definitely eager to give ice rolling a try. To show you just how this roller easy became my favorite beauty buy as of late, I added it into my complexion for a week to showcase all it’s glorious benefits. Here’s why you should probably try one too.
Day 1
Although you can practically ice roll at any time you’d like, I usually like using my roller first in the morning to help me jumpstart my day. Now, there really isn’t a correct way to roll your face, but I like to roll it away from my face (I use it on my forehead, cheeks, and my neck) for ten minutes in order to give my sagging skin the workout it deserves. Of course, you aren’t going to notice a dazzling glow or a tighter jawline the very first time you use it, but the cooling sensation it provides your face definitely shrinks your pores, and allows makeup products like primer and foundation go on a lot more smoothly.
Day 2
On day two, it’s safe to say that your skin may feel a little more smooth after using your ice roller, but it’s not going to tighten up fine lines and wrinkles dramatically overnight. The trick to using your roller is to use it daily for best results. Although I usually start off using it for ten minutes a day, I hope to increase the time to help give my face the workout it deserves. Perhaps that’s when the real glow benefits will show up.
Day 3
Even after a good 20 minutes, I can’t say that my facial roller is dramatically transforming my face altogether. However, as a frequent migraine sufferer, this tool is an absolute godsend, as it treats my aching forehead to a nice cooling sensation that’s just as good as some peppermint oil. However, I am still proud to report that my creams, serums, oils, and makeup products still go on very smoothly after using my roller. I swear it also makes my foundation last a little longer too.
Day 4
Increasing my ice roller usage time to 20 minutes has definitely reaped some positive effects, as I feel like it really primes my skin for just about anything. Whether I do or don’t wear makeup, my face feels really amazing after using my roller, as any lingering redness (works great after a long, ugly cry) I may have on my face instantly goes down whenever I use it. Again, I don’t notice miraculous anti-aging benefits, but I’m guessing this is something that will gradually ease down those frown lines with years worth of use.
Day 5
On the fifth day of my experiment, I decided to test a theory I’ve had in my head ever since I purchased my ice roller. I’ve seen lots of beauty influencers use their crystal rollers on top of their sheet masks in order to help up the massage factor (which is key to lymphatic drainage). So I tested this out. After a good 20 minutes, I am proud to report that my skin is glowing and super smooth. Of course, this could be the result of using a brightening vitamin C mask, but I think the massaging factor from roller definitely took the glow factor up a notch. Of course, I’d be crazy not to do this again in the near future. Tomorrow, I may use a serum or facial oil to see if it had a similar effect.
Day 6
Although I planned on pairing my ice roller with a serum and or facial oil, sadly I had to step back on my product use today due to some redness caused by a new resurfacing mask I used for the first time. Thankfully my ice roller did indeed come to the rescue, as after rolling for a good 20 minutes, my beet red face definitely was less inflamed than before. With this in mind, I will be sure to do this in the future, especially when I try out new skin care products I am not very sure of.
Day 7
After going product-free for a good 24 hours, I paired my ice roller with a hydrating marula facial oil today, especially since I wanted to see how the massaging action would boost up my product. Much like my sheet mask, this definitely proved to be a success, especially since my roller evenly distributed my oil across my face, leaving my complexion looking dewy and refreshed. Even at night, when I used a facial night serum with my roller, my skin definitely looked I already slept a full eight hours even before I went to bed for the night.
Final Thoughts
Although I have become quite fond of how my facial roller feels on my face, sadly you can see no real major difference before and after I used it. Yes, I feel better for giving my face a daily workout that’s probably better than relying on fillers or cosmetic procedures, but perhaps this is something that is supposed to work over time instead of seeing immediate results.
I definitely will keep using it, as it’s a total lifesaver for migraine sufferers, and for those who experience redness on occasion. However, Dr. Jaliman says you may want to be careful about ice rolling if you are prone to skin conditions such as acne and rosacea, especially since they may irritate your skin and cause additional redness you probably won’t want to deal with.
