Going to the spa for a professional facial treatment leaves you feeling and looking like a million bucks. Which is a good thing because sometimes they cost a million bucks! But what if you could get that same glowing feeling without spending lots of cash at the spa?
Luckily, there is a way! You can do your own at-home facial massage. Facial massage isn’t new, but it’s becoming increasingly popular lately because of all the benefits it provides. So if you’re looking for a way to revive your skin that’s easy and affordable, facial massage might be your thing.
In this post, we’ll talk about the fabulous benefits of massaging your face. Then we’ll go over some useful tools that you can use for different types of facial massage. And then we’ll tell you how to do it for the best results.
What are the benefits of facial massage?
Many of the benefits of facial massage come from the increased blood flow created by putting pressure on the muscles in your face. But it also helps in other ways.
Here’s a list of the benefits of facial massage:
1. Reduce puffiness
Our faces can become puffy when we retain water. This can happen for many reasons, but some more common ones are eating too much salt, not getting good sleep, a reaction to a product, menstruation, or drinking alcohol. Facial massage can help by getting blood to circulate better through your face.
2. Detoxify your pores
Another major benefit of facial massage is that it encourages a better flow of lymph fluid in your face. As our skin is exposed to so many pollutants and toxins every day, our skin starts to look dull and tired. To minimize the damage, we rely on lymph fluid to carry the toxins away to where they're eliminated from our bodies so our skin can be bright and healthy.
3. Increase nutrients
Skin cells function best when they have all the nutrients they need to do their job. With better blood flow, oxygen, vitamins, minerals, fats, amino acids and antioxidants are delivered to the cells faster. These nutrients keep skin cells healthy and allow them to do things like maintain moisture, repair damage, generate new cells, and so much more.
4. Reduce wrinkles
Facial massage is also an effective way to slow down the signs of aging, like wrinkles and fine lines. How? The massaging action can boost your skin’s own production of collagen. Collagen gives your skin its structure and keeps it firm, so more collagen equals fewer wrinkles and fine lines.
5. Tones and firms
Over time, our skin tends to lose its overall tone and firmness, and the shape of our face changes partly because of this. Facial massage can help improve our skin's tautness, giving us a more radiant and youthful look. This tightening effect is due mainly to enhanced collagen production, but massage also improves the tone of the muscles underneath the skin.
6. Boost skin repair
As facial massage improves nutrient delivery, our skin will be much more prepared to heal and repair itself. Vitamins, fats and minerals are more available to fix damage to the skin’s moisture barrier, and antioxidants are more abundant to prevent and fight damage caused by free radicals. Free radical damage happens all the time from exposure to harsh elements and our own metabolism of food, so any help we can get is welcome. Better ability to repair also means facial massage can help reduce scars due to acne.
7. Relaxation
A good massage of any kind triggers our bodies and minds to let go of tension and relax. Incorporating facial massage that you can easily do at home will lower stress levels, which also helps your skin function well. This is because higher cortisol levels can cause inflammation, leading to acne and skin irritations. Plus, it’s always good to discover new ways to help reduce stress and lift our mood!
What tools can I use for facial massage?
A few tools are popular choices to facilitate facial massage. Remember, however, that you don’t need to buy an instrument. Instead, you can just use your fingers if you prefer.
Rollers
Face rollers are usually made from some type of crystal, like jade or rose quartz. They're elliptical in shape and have a handle, so they glide effortlessly over your skin. You’ll want to roll in a specific pattern to get the best effects. They’re also cool to the touch for a soothing experience.
Gua Sha
Gua sha is an ancient practice with roots in traditional Chinese medicine. The gua sha method involves a curvy-edged tool made out of smooth jade stone that you use to glide over your face and stimulate “chi” or energy channels. This also requires a specific technique (see below).
Electric Devices
You can also use electric devices to uplevel your face massage. They can be a bit more expensive, though, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll work better.
Ice Globes
Ice globes are round face massage tools made of glass or metal that are filled with water or gel and are meant to be used frozen or cold. They’re said to help reduce inflammation and puffiness by constricting blood vessels. They can also help with sinus problems by cooling them down as you roll over them.
How do you perform your own facial massage?
Here are a few different types of facial massage and tips on performing them to get the most skin benefits. Always start with clean hands and a clean tool, no matter which technique you’re using. Also, always begin with cleansing your face.
You’ll also want to use a serum or face oil to facilitate the massaging motion across your skin. And don’t forget to be gentle!
Gua Sha
1. Hold the gua sha tool at a 30 to 45-degree angle. Use the curved side of the tool.
2. Massage using upward motions for the best lymph flow on your face, but use downward strokes on your neck.
3. Start with your neck, then move to your jawline, chin and around the mouth.
4. Use 3-5 short strokes in each area, only going in one direction (upward and outward). Don’t massage back and forth.
5. Next, move to the cheeks and then underneath the eye area with upward and outward strokes, starting from the nose. Be extra gentle under the eyes.
6. Glide the tool over your forehead, starting at the midline and gliding outwards.
7. Perform gua sha 2-3 times each week, either in the morning or at night.
Face rollers and other devices
1. Keep your roller or globe in the fridge or the freezer for a cooling effect.
2. Roll upwards and outwards from the midline of your face.
3. Start with your neck, then move up to each area of your face, just like with gua sha.
4. Perform for about 5 minutes total.
Your hands
1. Clean and warm up your hands, and use gentle or moderate pressure on your skin.
2. Apply a little oil or serum to your fingertips for easy gliding.
3. You can use circular motions with your fingertips on your jawline and temples.
4. Try gently pinching your eyebrows between your index finger and thumb. Then, glide your fingers outward along your brows.
5. Form a heart shape using both your index fingers. Now, take your bent fingers and lay the sides of them flat on your jawline. Then slide your fingers outward toward your ears. You can use this same technique above your eyebrows.
Facial massage is a simple method you can incorporate into your skin routine to boost your skin’s overall health. Better blood and lymph flow will help get rid of toxins and allow more nutrients to be delivered to your skin cells. Your face will look and feel more radiant, youthful and healthier than ever before!