How to Do Facial Massage at Home for Glowing Skin?

If you’ve ever admired your skin after a treatment and thought, “That glow, though!” we’re about to let you in on a little secret. One of the keys to a glowing, ageless complexion is a well-executed facial massage. Did you know that our face consists of a total of 42 facial muscles? A face massage is an exercise for those muscles. Using effective facial massage techniques not only relieves tension but also boosts circulation, gives your skin an instant lift and even helps your products absorb better. 

Read on to learn about the benefits of facial massage techniques and how to give yourself one at home.

What Is Facial Massage? & Why Is Facial Massage Important?

Facial massage is a technique that involves the use of hands or a tool to gently massage the facial skin. It helps in increasing blood circulation, relaxes facial muscles, decreases puffiness and offers a healthy glow. Skin care experts recommend a facial massage 2-3 times a week for glowing skin.

What Does Massaging Do To Your Face?

Besides being a feel good procedure, a facial massage exercises the face muscles and gets the blood moving to create an even tone. It clears out pores and allows your skin care products to penetrate better.  Facial massage also helps drain the stagnant fluid that causes puffiness in your face.

Types Of Face Massage

1. Lymphatic Drainage Facial Massage

Lymph is a fluid in your body that carries the toxins away and eliminates waste. It is made of water, proteins and salts. Accumulated lymph can be drained by a massage. This is a great technique if you are looking to rejuvenate your skin by deep cleansing.

2. Finger-Pressure Facial Massage

This type of facial uses acupressure applied to certain points in the face called the energy channels. People who practice this Chinese technique use special devices, their fingers or palms to tone muscles and reduce the appearance of wrinkles on the face.

3. Classic Facial Massage

This is the most common one used by beauticians across the world. It involves movements like stroking, tapping, kneading and pinching. It promotes collagen production and leaves your skin feeling relaxed.

4. Kobido Facial Massage

Kobido means ‘ancient way of beauty’. This is the oldest type of facial massage. It uses 47 techniques to massage 16 facial muscles. It is a deep relaxation facial massage that also helps in relieving pains. 

How To Do A Facial Massage At Home – Step By Step Guide

Facial massages are extremely rejuvenating. You can easily give yourself a facial massage at home if you know the right techniques. Don’t worry. Here, we have a step-by-step guide to help you out!

A facial massage stimulates the different pressure points to work out the facial muscles. It helps promote lymphatic drainage , reduce puffiness, minimize signs of aging, and keep the skin firm. You may use lotions, oils to provide the required slip and use facial rollers, gua sha tools, or just your fingers to follow the movements across your face.

Before you start, do the following:

• Clean your face with a mild cleanser. Your skin should be clean before you start massaging.
• Choose a good facial oil, including soothing oils that cater to specific skin types. For dry skin, pick almond, marula, or argon oil. For oily skin, pick jojoba or grapeseed oil. For acne-prone skin, pick rosehip seed oil. For sensitive skin, pick aloe vera or moringa oil.
• If you do not want to use oil, you may go for a good quality moisturizer/cream for face massage.
• Make sure to wash your hands properly.

If you do not wish to use your fingers, you can also use a face roller (or jade roller) for massaging your face.

Once you have applied the facial oil or cream, follow these steps.

Step 1: Massage Your Forehead

• Place your knuckles on your forehead, right between your eyebrows.
• Gently move them up, towards the hairline, and then sideways towards your temples. Do this in a scraping motion.
• Repeat this movement five times.

Step 2: Massage The Eye Area

• Place the tips of your middle and index fingers on your temples.
• Glide the fingers under your eye area, towards the nose bridge.
• Continue gliding it over the eyebrows and then come back again under the eye area, following an oval path.
• Repeat this five times.

Step 3: Massage The Cheeks

• Place your knuckles on your cheeks, near the nose bridge.
• Swipe it gently across your cheeks, towards the ears.
• Repeat the movement five times.

Step 4: Massage The Mouth Area

• Make a “V” sign with your index and middle fingers (both hands).
• Place the fingers on your mouth area in a way that the index finger is above the upper lip and the middle finger is below the lower lip.
• Gently press and pull the fingers towards your ears.
• Repeat five times.

Step 5: Massage The Chin Area

• Place your knuckles on your chin in a way that the jawline rests between the knuckles.
• Gently pull the knuckles upward, along the jawline, toward your ears.
• Repeat this five times.

Step 6: Massage The Neck

• Place the knuckles right under the chin.
• Pull them downwards gently towards the collarbone.
• Keep repeating the movements by moving the knuckles along the jawline and pulling them down to the collarbone..
• Do this five times.

Step 7: Massage The Entire Outline Of Your Face

• Place the knuckles between your eyebrows.
• Move it upward, along the hairline, towards the temples.
• Bring it down the side of your face, including your jawline.

Once you are done with these steps, place your palms on your face and gently press while taking a deep breath. This will help you relax.

This is a very basic yet effective facial massage technique. These steps are easy to follow. Facial massage has numerous other benefits as well.

Special thanks to Glamrs for the informative video.

Top 6 Benefits Of A Face Massage

Face massage can be easily done with minimum equipment or products at home, but if you wish, you can also choose to get a professional facial massage once or twice a month.
Here are some fantastic benefits that you can’t miss out on.

1) Improved Blood Circulation 

Improved blood circulation is vital for our skin as it circulates nutrients and helps in detoxification. With facial massage, you improve circulation and allow the drainage of lymphatic nodes present on your face & neck regions that trap impurities.

2) Reduction Of Wrinkles

Facial massage helps delay the aging of your skin in multiple ways. It increases collagen production, which improves the elasticity of your skin, giving you a wrinkle-free look. Not many people are aware of this, but constant stress also leads to wrinkling of the skin. Facial massage helps with this by relaxing the facial muscles.

3) Tones Your Face

Aging can eventually make your face appear saggy as you lose the tightness of your skin. When facial muscles are not being stimulated, they lose firmness. Facial massage helps boost your facial muscles, give you firm jaw muscles, and enhance your face’s tone and shape. Facial massage also helps reduce puffiness by draining the stagnant fluid trapped inside.

4) Facilitates Skin Repair

Collagen is generally required for skin growth and helps with skin elasticity & repair skin tissues. Collagen is synthesized in our body with the help of Vitamin C. However, to enhance its production for the skin, facial massage is helpful. The collagen will naturally help with restoring any damage in the skin.

5) Minimizes Pores and Acne

With proper facial hygiene and regular facial massage with suitable essential oils, some types of acne can be prevented. Large pores are the second most popular facial problems after acne. And some chronic acne can leave large pores on the skin even after the acne is gone. These large pores can be managed through enhanced collagen production, which occurs during face massage.

6) Relieves Discomforts Due To Sinus

Massaging specific acupressure points & certain regions around your nose can help with the mucus build-up release and give relief from the sinuses. Tapping particular pressure points on your face, for instance, at the center of your eyebrow (eyepoint), ends near the bridge of your nose, and your upper eyelids’ inner side helps in relieving sinuses. You can eventually start to feel some sensation indicating the release of tension or mucus in that specific area with slight continuous gentle pressure.

 Read – How to Naturally Remove Dark Spots at Home

How Often Should You Massage Your Face?

You can massage your face for five minutes everyday. But go for a professional facial once every 3-4 weeks. This is your skin renewal cycle and a facial massage once every 28 days ensures smooth and even skin. 

Which Oil Should You Use For A Face Massage?

Now let’s talk about some oils, and you can choose based on your skin type. Choosing the right kind of face massage oil or serum can be a game-changer. Not all oils are suitable for a face massage. Depending upon your skin type dry, acne-prone, oily, it is necessary to choose the most appropriate oil to avoid breakouts, unwanted acne, or allergic skin reaction.

Here are our top recommendations for face massage oils :

1) Almond oil
If your skin type is dry, Almond oil is suitable for your skin as it helps to retain moisture of your skin. It is rich in vitamin E, which can help to repair skin damage. It also has good antibacterial and antifungal properties. The antibacterial property of almond oil can be used to treat acne and its antifungal property to help treat fungal skin issues.

It’s also used for treating acute skin infections like eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis. It can help with reducing & lightening the dark under-eye patches. Not only this, its skin lightening effects can be effective for tan removal.

2) Moringa oil

Moringa oil is obtained from Moringa Oleifera, commonly known as the drumstick plant. For sensitive skin, Moringa oil can be used for face massage. It’s highly used in various cosmetics & skincare products as it has incredible beneficial properties for the skin. 

It also has Zeatin, which promotes anti-aging by delaying aging and sagging of the skin. Zeatin helps in the growth of skin tissues at the cellular level. It also has properties like antimicrobial and is also rich in vitamin C that can boost collagen production.

3) Coconut oil 

Coconut oil is a versatile natural moisturizer, abundant in vitamin E, lauric acid, and other beneficial compounds. Its antifungal and antibacterial properties make it a popular choice for addressing skin conditions like eczema. 

For those with normal skin, coconut oil can be a boon. It hydrates, evens out skin texture, and can even alleviate skin damage and inflammation. However, its comedogenic nature means it can clog pores, especially in those with oily or acne-prone skin.

4. Kumkumadi Oil

Kumkumadi Thailam or Kumkumadi Oil complete Ayurvedic age-defying face oil, powered with Saffron for youthful & radiant skin. Enriched with Saffron, Indian Madder, Lotus and other natural-origin ingredient, this luscious fine oil is ideal for a face massage for youthful glowing skin. Apart from Kumkumadi Facial Oil, you can also use Amarrupa Facial Oil (firms skin) and Urjasara Facial Oil (strengthens skin barrier). 

Disadvantages Of Facial Massage

There are no disadvantages of a facial massage as such. But when done incorrectly, you are likely to develop sagging skin sooner. Deep and rough massaging can sometimes cause bruising and muscle soreness that may last for several days. It can cause nerve damage in some cases. Lack of skill and too much stretching while doing a facial massage can leave your skin with unwanted results.

Is Daily Face Massage Good For Skin?

Skin care experts advise on a facial massage at home 2-3 times a week. However, gentle massaging everyday for 5-10 minutes does no harm to your skin. It helps in promoting blood circulation and fading fine lines over time.

Conclusion:

Incorporating a facial massage into your skincare routine can be a transformative experience, bringing both relaxation and rejuvenation to your skin. With just a few simple techniques and the right oils, you can unlock the secret to a glowing complexion from the comfort of your home. Regularly practicing facial massage not only enhances circulation and promotes lymphatic drainage but also helps reduce puffiness, improve skin tone, and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. So why wait? Treat yourself to this delightful ritual a few times a week, and watch as your skin transforms into a radiant canvas. Your skin will thank you, and you’ll enjoy a moment of calm amidst your busy day!

Now you know how to get a salon style facial massage at home without burning a hole in your pocket. All you need is an essential oil and your hands. Get started today. Your skin will thank you later.

FAQs About Face Massage Steps