Just when you thought you’d seen people put everything on their face, along comes the sparkling water beauty treatment. It definitely ranks up there in the weird factor, but it’s supposed to have all sorts of benefits for the skin, like firming and purifying.
As a basic background, it’s a beauty fad that originated in Japan and came to us via Korea. Spas in Korea, Japan and Europe have been using carbonated mineral water as a skin treatment. Soaking the face in mineral water or dabbing a mineral water-soaked cotton ball on the face is an added post-cleanse step. But the benefits of sparkling water are numerous.
Sparkling water benefits
The main belief behind sparkling mineral water as a beauty treatment is that it helps keep the cells between the collagen fibers strong. That makes the skin more firm, which can slow or reduce wrinkles. It’s also believed that the bubbles in the water wash out the pores better. Another idea is that the carbonation could reduce the pH of the skin and help with exfoliation.
A key with this method, however, is to go for mineral sparkling water. The minerals in mineral water, like silica, may help support healthy, strong skin. Typically, mineral water is combined in equal parts to sparkling water to reduce some of the fizz so it’s less harsh.
How to use sparkling water for beauty
To start, combine your equal parts sparkling water and mineral water. Look for a mineral water with high silica levels. Though some people do just use filtered water instead of mineral, since it can be cheaper and more convenient.
Then, after cleansing, dunk your face in the bowl. You can do this once or twice per week, as overdoing it can lead to some skin irritation.
Hold your face in the water for however long you can hold your breath. If that length of time feels too harsh for your skin, reduce the amount of time you are soaking for. People who have done this say the water feels warm and their skin feels a bit tingly as the bubbles hit the face.
If you don’t want to risk getting bubbles up your nose, you can also just dunk a cotton pad in the mixture and wipe that on your face before your moisturizer.
Yet another option is Korean sparkling powders, which you add to water and mix until dissolved. These are made to include some of the minerals that are good for skin. Examples include [MIZON] Vita Lemon Sparkling Powder and [Innisfree] Jeju Sparkling Mineral Powder.
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