How Facial Massaging Could Level Up Your Skincare
Does it feel like your credit card bills always revert to those lavish spa weekends and bi-weekly LED treatments? Is your beauty cabinet worth more than your wardrobe? More bucks don’t necessarily mean more results. Sometimes, we need to look back to ancient beauty rituals, where methods came above magic potions.
Enter facial massage. Dating back centuries, the facial massage has roots in China, Mexico, Sweden, and France and is just as popular today.
From pinching to tapping, flicking to rolling, there are numerous facial massaging techniques. And you don’t need to be an expert to master them.
Here’s what you need to know about facial massaging and its effects on your skin.
A FACIAL MASSAGE CAN…
Increase Circulation
Increased blood and oxygen flow to the face equals more nutrients, which can kickstart your fibroblasts to produce more collagen.
“The primary target in facial massage is the lymph nodes underneath the ears and on the neck,” explains facialist Sarah Chapman. “It really helps to drain the toxins which can otherwise lead to skin that looks flat and grey.”
Start upward, massaging the neck and décolletage area before working toward the forehead. Be gentle as you tend to the pressure points along your face, and be especially careful on the delicate skin around your eyes. No heavy pressure there, please!
Stimulate Muscles
Facial massaging offers powerful anti-aging effects.
By stimulating the face muscles with massage, you bring oxygen and blood flow to the area, increasing collagen production to reveal a healthy glow and, in time, a more youthful-looking complexion.
Regular face massaging sessions (and by regular, we mean daily!), you’ll soon start seeing some incredible results, like glowing skin and less prominent lines.
If you’d specifically like to target wrinkles, apply an anti-aging facial oil like Truly’s Vegan Collagen Serum all over a clean face. Then use your middle finger to apply pressure to your forehead for three seconds and repeat for three sets.
According to Beverly Hills esthetician Sonya Dakar, “This technique can help smooth frown lines across your forehead. As a bonus, it can also help you get rid of stress and headaches, which stops you from frowning.”
To enhance the effects of this technique, move your finger down until you reach the area between your eyebrows.
Relieve Tension
Everything from squinting at small screens to clenching your jaws in stress could be causing the muscles on your face to tense up. The more they do that, the more likely they’ll harbor wrinkles. Prevent that from happening by massaging that tension out regularly.
Techniques like soft tapping and pinching motions can be really helpful in working away those knots and tensions.
Start from the inside of the face and work your way out using circular motions. Always move against gravity so that the skin goes up (not down!).
Boost Product Absorption
Aside from giving sculpting your skin and loosening out tension, face massages can increase the effectiveness of your facial treatments.
The stimulation will help the product absorb more easily and deeply into the skin, maximizing your products’ effects.
“Massaging or brushing product into the skin, rather than just slapping it on, will maximise the benefits for your skin tone and texture,” says Inge Theron, founder of FaceGym.
For best results, do it in the evening after cleansing your skin. Apply your serum and creams with gentle sweeping and tapping motions to level up your skincare routine.
Nurture Your Mental Health
While we tend to focus on the superficial sides of skincare, let’s not forget the internal benefits, too.
According to celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas, “Your skin responds to any type of self-care, and taking an extra five minutes to de-stress and think good things about yourself during a face massage will absolutely pay off and help you feel better during this stressful and strange time.”
So grab yourself some of Truly’s Moon Bath Essentials, set the tone for relaxation in your bathroom, and massage your skin with Truly’s Blueberry Hemp Kush Facial Oil for a relaxing self-care moment.
HOW TO DO A FACIAL MASSAGE AT HOME
The good news is, you don’t need to book a costly appointment with your dermatologist or esthetician to enjoy the results of a facial massage. You can do it from the comfort of your home. First things first, which one wins: your hands or massage tools?
“When it comes to massage, there is no better tool than your own two hands,” says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner. “But there are a variety of devices on the market that do more than just massage the skin. Tools like gua sha are designed specifically to help remove excess fluid, and rollers give the cooling effect of the stone against the skin to constrict blood vessels.” It’s all down to your own preference really.
You only need five to ten minutes a day to start seeing results, but you will need to be consistent if you want to see visible benefits.
Medical aesthetican Candace Marino recommends jaw sculpting and pinching in regards to the best face massage techniques. Jaw sculpting involves using your pointer and middle fingers on either side of your jaw bone to apply firm pressure, moving in an upward motion from your chin to behind your ear.
To make things easier, massage using a face oil like Truly’s Purple Rain Facial Oil to help your fingers glide effortlessly across your face.
“Pinching techniques are great to enhance circulation and bring life to the skin—you’ll literally glow,” says Marino. Pinch your skin with firm pressure to give your skin an instant glow.
Facial Massaging – Fad or Forever?
Fad? No way! Facial Massaging …. Here to stay!
There’s too much evidence pointing to the positives of face massages to deem them a flash in the pan.
Etched in history, facial massages have stuck around for a reason. Besides soothing muscles, they also have the power to smooth out creases, glow-ify your complexion, and make skincare products work harder.
And the best part? They’re completely free! All you need are your hands.
