Foolproof Facial Massaging

Facial massage is a beauty ritual that has been going on around the world for centuries, and its many anti-aging benefits including improving skin circulation, relieving muscle tension, naturally lifting the face, allowing beauty products to seep into the skin better and overall giving the face a rejuvenated, more youthful appearance. Although going to the spa to get a facial massage can definitely be rewarding, it can get expensive if done regularly. Instead, you can give yourself an at-home facial massage using a few tools and your own hands!

Tools:

Facial cleanser

Massage oil/moisturizer

Your hands

Cucumber slices (optional)

      1)     Make sure your face is dry and cleansed before you start massaging your face. Cleanse with your facial cleanser, then gently pat dry with a facial towel.

      2)     Apply a light layer of massage oil all over your face so that your hands don’t stick as you rub them across your skin. Different oils suit different skin types—for very dry skin, choose argan or almond oil. For medium to oily skin, choose jojoba or a blend of jojoba and castor oil. Massaging your face without oil can lead to pulling of the skin, which can cause sagging and stretching.

      3)     Massage gently in an upward circular motion from the lymph area of the neck right under the ears up to the facial area. Do the cheeks and mouth area before the forehead area to firm the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

      4)     To massage your forehead, massage both sides of your forehead at the same time with both hands. Start outwards near your temples and move gradually inwards toward the centre of your forehead, then back out to the sides. Do this for one minute. If you have fine lines, massage into them against their direction (e.g. if you have prominent horizontal forehead lines, you want to massage against them in a vertical motion).

      5)     An important area to concentrate on are the eyes. Massaging the eyes can help depuff puffy eyes (read my article Pulverize That Eye Puffiness! for more information on how to massage the eyes!) and reduce the appearance of crows’ feet and fine lines and helps ease the pain of eye strain. Use extra massage oil if your eye area is particularly delicate to avoid stretching the fine skin.

      6)     Massaging the nose helps relieve sinus tension and redness. Gently pinch the area at the top of your nose. Slide your fingers down to your nostrils. Do this for one minute or until the redness lessens.

      7)     To reduce stress and combat a headache, concentrate on releasing the tension from your temples and forehead. Use a corkscrew motion to massage both temples at the same time, moving in again towards the centre of the forehead and back out to the sides. Do this for one minute or until the pain subsides.

      8)     Follow the massage with moisturizer or a product such as Acymer Brightening Massage Cream, which serves to nourish and brighten the skin complexion after it has been massaged. Massaging the skin always allows products to penetrate the skin barrier faster, allowing more product nutrients to be absorbed.

      9)     For further pampering, lie down for about 15 minutes with cucumber slices over closed eyelids after you massage yourself. The cucumber slices help depuff the eyes, reduce the appearance of dark circles and soothe the massaged skin.