Japanese Mint Facial Steam & Salt Scrub

I've been meaning to have a steam bath. The last time I did it, I placed Eucalyptus essential oil from Body Shop. And boy, was that steam bath intense! My face sweated profusely and because I accidentally dropped too much Eucalyptus oil (Please don't make the same mistake), it was a little too hard on my nostrils. 

So this time I was a little determined to make it more enjoyable. I asked my mom for some mint leaves and she introduced me to one of her new toys. Meet Japanese Mint. The leaves pretty much look the same as the other mint family but the taste is definitely milder. I used mint for this facial steam because according to some websites it's good for acne and perfect for oily skin. 

So you'll be needing 2 tablespoons of leaves. Just eyeball it. To me, it's this much. Wash it with water. 

Boil about a cup of water in a sauce pan. Turn off fire, and add leaves. Steep for 10 minutes. 

This is how it will look like. 

Put sauce pan in a table. Put a towel over your head above the sauce pan. You'll be chilling out for 8-10 minutes (for oily skin) or 3 minutes (dry skin). 

After the facial steam, your pores are open. It's the perfect time to exfoliate! I use salt-coconut oil scrub to match the detoxifying effects of facial steam. Just eye ball the mixture or use 1/2 tsp. and enough coconut oil to cover the salt. Here's what mine looks like. 

Facial steams have plenty of benefits. It improves blood circulation that leaves a rosy glow, helps exfoliation and it's detoxifying. It also helps in nasal congestion and headaches caused by colds. But be wary that not everyone can benefit from facial steams. Check out the article Benefits of Face Steaming for more information. 

Get your Peppermint at Php60/seedling. 

Visit https://herbalandherbs.wordpress.com/ for more details. 

As for me, I enjoyed doing my own facial steam. It was mild unlike my first attempt. The salt scrub is also wonderful. I kind of wish I had organic sea salt though. It left my skin is smooth and soft after and moisturized because of the coconut oil too so it's like exfoliation and moisturizing in one. I'm certainly doing this again! I can't wait to do my own makeshift sauna/body steam next!