FACIAL ROLLING for RADIANT SKIN
Effective skincare goes beyond simply paying attention to the products we use. Of course, the integrity & purity of ingredients are important but so is our approach to their application.
Take a close look your current skincare routine. How do you think about your skin? How do you connect with it? Do you rush through your regimen or spend countless, tiresome hours layering product after product in hopes to heal it? Both of these examples can illustrate how our thoughts and how we approach skincare can actually affect our skin, not just the products we are picking.
When we’re mindless about our skincare, we can see less of a positive reaction from it. We might see dullness, dryness, or even breakouts from lack of care. Yet, when we’re too preoccupied with it, we can see similar negative reactions. By overloading our skin, we approach our skin as something to be fixed, as never enough, as something to fight against with a million harsh products. Instead, we can use beauty and skincare rituals to befriend our skin and not be at war with it. We can help it activate its own procedure of healing. Facial rolling/massage is just one of those ways we can not only help our skin but can increase our self-care and healing overall!
Benefits of Facial Massage
Using a Facial Roller is such a kind and gentle way to treat your skin to and help the lymphatic system do its job properly. Our lymphatic system is like the trash collectors of our body that transports toxins through the body and out of the system. However, it does not have a pump to aid this process like the cardiovascular system does with the heart, so it can get stagnant. Doing a daily lymphatic facial massage allows for an active flow of this system and flushing of toxins out. This can relieve skin issues such as breakouts or fluid retention in the face, which can cause puffiness around the eyes or lack of facial definition. Increased blood flow also activates increased collagen production, making facial massage a non-invasive anti-aging antidote.
The How-To
- First, choose a facial oil that and apply a few drops to clean skin to create a smooth surface.
- To begin, take your Jade or Rose Quartz roller and start from the inner cheeks. Move outwards towards the ears with gentle strokes (1 min or more)
- Then follow down to the chin and move outwards the same way for a minute. (1 min or more)
- Lastly, move to the forehead, using gentle upwards strokes from the eyebrows to the hairline. (1 min or more)
Once you have massaged your face, it’s time to move the circulation down the lymphs.
- Criss-cross your hands and locate the end of your jawline on each side then use gentle downward strokes towards the mid-collarbones. Make sure to not massage the carotid artery or pulse point as you can lower your pulse and pass out on the bathroom floor, which neither of us want!
- Finish it all by doing pianotage by gently tapping all over your face as if you’re playing the piano!
During this time, take intentional time to connect with your skin in a loving way. Caress your skin as if it’s silk or the loving touch you would have towards a newborn baby.
Even if you feel bumps or discomfort on your skin, be compassionate. Tension and energy builds up on parts of our face, which correlates to different organs in Chinese Medicine. For example, hormonal issues manifest around the chin while digestive upset is reflected around the forehead. Pay attention to what your face is telling you about your health and pay extra care to areas that are troubled. Many of us understandably have a tendency to be angry hen our body is out of balance and it manifests as a breakout, but see it instead as how wise your body is and as an opportunity to listen to it compassionately.
You can find even more skincare tips in my upcoming book or on my website. Feel free to reach out with any questions!
Blog post written by Almila Kakinc of The Thirlby
