Read about cryotherapy ice rolling but not sure if it's for you? A few months ago, I was in the same boat. And now, I never skip a morning doing it.
If you're anything like me, you wake up groggy, puffy, and in need of something to shock you into feeling awake. I've tried lots of different methods over the years, from Mel Robbins' morning routine to submerging my face in a bowl of ice water or starting the day with a homemade ginger and turmeric shot. Sometimes I do all of the above, at the same time.
For many years, I've owned the CRYOpress ice-massage roller from 001 London. It's sat in my freezer, and I'll sporadically realise I have it on heatwave days, but to my detriment, I've never included it in any sort of daily routine. Until recently. And now, it's the most staple part of my morning.
Ice roller benefits
My approach to wellness is one deconstructed from beauty pressures (as much as that is possible in the world we live in) and patriarchal standards, where I try to focus on how things make me feel. I've always enjoyed cold water - swimming, plunges, as part of my skincare - it invigorates me, makes me feel alive.
So, while there are a lot of claims about what cryotherapy can achieve aesthetically, I'm more interested in whether it can help my energy levels or make me feel more at home in my own skin. Here are some reported benefits…
Beauty brands and experts claim that ice rolling on your face can give an instant glow, as the ice stimulates circulation across your face, bringing oxygen to the surface.
If you have acne or a skin flare-up, cold therapy can help to ease the pain and inflammation. This is backed up by science, with many studies showing how cold therapy can be used to ease pain symptoms like arthritis, tendinitis, or back pain. This is nothing new: In ancient Greece, for example, snow, ice-and-water mixtures, and cold water were used to treat a wide range of diseases.
As I said, I often wake up a bit puffy, especially if I've been out the night before. This can be caused by a few things: fluid retention, dehydration, too much salty food the night before, menstruation, and allergies. Ice rolling can help calm down some of the appearance of puffiness.
What to use for cryotherapy ice rolling
There are a lot different cryotherapy ice rolling tools at a whole range of budgets. You can literally just use ice from your freezer, spherical glass balls , metal globes, a beaded mask you freeze or rollers for around the eyes.
My results after cryotherapy ice rolling for a month
After reading about all the various benefits of cryotherapy, and because I suffer from inflammation and early-morning puffiness, I decided to commit to the practice every morning for a month.
Most mornings, when I wake up around 7.30am, the first thing I do is trudge upstairs to my kitchen and get my morning coffee made. Luckily for me, my freezer is below my coffee machine, so reaching for my CRYOpress is very easy. Which is good because one thing I know about myself is that any sort of complex task first thing is not something I can sustain.
So, I grab my ice roller and start to move it around my face in intentional, almost Gua Sha–like movements. I start with my neck, moving it vertically, up and down. Then, I roll it across my jaw, following the natural line, back and forth about six times. Then I work around my cheekbones, my forehead, gently around my eyes, and then I close my eyes and press it lightly on my eyelids (I find this helps, as it's where I'm the most puffy).
The mornings I'm at home, this has become a non-negotiable. It shocks me awake, but in a nice way. I find it relaxing, the monotonous task, and it only takes a few minutes. However, when I'm travelling I can't transport the CRYOpress very easily (often hotels won't have a freezer in the room), so I recreate the practice using ice cubes instead (often ordered on the side with breakfast). It's not quite the same, but after just four weeks, I'm now dedicated to icing my face every morning.
Can knocking back a shot of ginger really be life changing?
Cryotherapy ice rolling: the verdict
Whilst I don't believe in any magic wellness fixes, ice rolling has been something that has improved my days in a small way.
And that, in itself, is quite a big deal: it's important to steal small joys where we can, and it's rare to have a pocket of time where you focus on one thing that makes you feel better. Personally, I cherish that.
Bella Hadid seems to think so.
