Melissa Facial Steam: Safer Ways to Enjoy the Scent

A bowl of steam and a drop of lemony melissa is a lovely picture, and facial steam is among the ways we list for enjoying the oil. It is also the use where we would hold back the most, because the hot water is a bigger consideration than the oil. If you do try it, a gentler version is below, and so is an easier way to get the same fragrance.

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Start with the water

Medical News Today's Benefits of steaming face: Lemon, salt water, green tea, and more points out that whatever method you use, there is a risk of steam burns. It also notes that water heated in a closed container in the microwave can reach 200 F quickly, so it advises waiting a minute or two to let it cool before opening. Practical rules follow: a stable bowl on a table, never a kettle or pot on your lap, no moving children or pets in the room, and no steam for young children at all. A paediatrician is the right person to ask about children.

Who should skip it

The same article says people with rosacea, eczema or inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis should avoid steaming their faces, because heat dilates the blood vessels and can increase redness. If either applies to you, a dermatologist will give you better advice than any recipe, and fragrance of any kind is worth raising with them.

People with asthma or COPD have a second reason to pause. The American Lung Association's Essential Oils: More Harmful Than Helpful? says essential oils are concentrated, that breathing them in directly can irritate the airways, and that adding anything to the air you breathe is not recommended. Ask your physician. For pregnancy, ask your obstetrician or midwife, and ask a veterinarian before putting any oil into the air around pets.

What steam does for skin

Here is the part that surprises people. Medical News Today reports that researchers have not studied the benefits of face steaming, and that most of the information comes from anecdote. Its article finds no scientific evidence for claims about pores, and no evidence that ingredients carry usefully from water into steam. So we describe facial steam as a spa-style ritual and a pleasant scent experience, and we do not claim it does anything for skin. The FDA's Aromatherapy page explains why the wording matters: how a product is regulated depends mainly on its intended use.

Where the oil fits in

Melissa is a potent oil, and the usual limits were written for products, not steam bowls. IFRA's standard for melissa oil manages dermal sensitization and sets 0.15% for body lotion and face moisturizer and 0.032% for body spray. IFRA's guidance document lists bath products, sprays and candles but no facial-steam product type, so no limit was built for this use. Our general skin guidance is 0.5% to 2% in a carrier, starting at the low end, which describes oil on skin and not oil in a bowl.

The arithmetic shows why we do not lean on averages. One drop is about 44 mg at the 0.888 relative density on the Certificate of Analysis we publish for one batch. Spread through a litre of water, that would be around 0.004% by weight. But melissa oil is lighter than water, so it floats as a film on the surface, exactly where your face is. The bowl's average tells you little about what reaches your skin, eyes and nose. We also recommend keeping the oil away from eyes, and a face over a bowl makes that hard.

If you steam anyway

  1. Ask whether you need the oil at all. A plain warm-water steam has nothing for a sensitive nose to react to.
  2. Patch test the diluted oil on your skin first. Our skin guide has the steps.
  3. If you add oil, use no more than one drop, on water that has cooled for a minute or two, with your eyes closed and your face well back from the surface.
  4. Keep it short, and stop at any stinging, coughing or dizziness. Rinse with water and ask a clinician if it persists.
  5. Skip it on broken skin, during a flare, or near a child's face.

If you set up a steaming session

A little preparation makes the whole thing safer and more pleasant. Tie your hair back, lay out a clean towel and set a timer before you start, so you do not drift on past what you meant to do. Put the bowl on a stable table at a height where you can sit comfortably, not leaning at an awkward angle. Keep your eyes closed, and keep your face well back from the surface at first, bringing it closer only if the warmth feels comfortable, not hot.

Afterwards, pat your face with the towel, rinse any oily residue with plain water, and open a window if the room feels steamy. It is a short, simple ritual, and it does not need the oil to feel like a treat.

An easier route to the same scent

If it is the fragrance you want, there are gentler ways to get it. A diffuser run in short sessions puts a light veil of lemon-herb scent in a room (see our diffuser guide), and our bath oil and salts guide explains how to disperse the oil in a tub. Our full list of at-home uses is in how to use melissa oil at home.

A warm cloth, a quiet corner and a diffuser may be the nicest way to spend ten minutes with this oil.

Melissa Essential Oil bottle

Melissa Essential Oil

Melissa Essential Oil from our own shop, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.

From $23.99

Shop Now →

Sources & Further Reading