Facial Massage for a Beautiful Complexion and Skin Rejuvenation

Everyone knows that treating yourself to a massage is a wonderful way to relax, soothe sore muscles, and feel rejuvenated –if not even younger.

But, did you know that facial massage, the type you can do at home, offers many of the same benefits and even some extras? Facial massage is a time-honored technique that combines skincare and self-care and spending just a few minutes a day can be absolutely wonderful for your skin. 

Facial massage is a variety of techniques that are used to massage and stimulate various points across the face and down into the neck and sometimes shoulder area.  Facial massage involves applying gentle pressure and can be done with your fingertips or a number of facial massaging tools.

Unlike a back massage, facial massage is something that you can do on your own, in the comfort of your home. The fact that you don’t need to see a professional facial masseuse makes it possible to work this soothing and beneficial self-care treatment into your regular skincare routine.

To receive the maximum benefit from facial massage, there are certain techniques that work best. We’ll get to those in a minute, but first, let’s dive into all of the wonderful beauty and health benefits that facial massage offers.

One of the most important and most noticeable benefits of facial massage is that it increases blood flow to the area. This one aspect alone is extremely beneficial for your skin. Increased blood flow helps to encourage cellular turnover, it gives you a wonderful, healthy glow, and it can even help your skin heal from acne, rosacea, and other facial skin health concerns.  

Lymphatic massage is a wonderful way to improve lymphatic drainage, ease the stress on the lymph nodes, and improve the immune system. The face and neck area contains many lymph nodes, and gently massaging those areas with gentle pressure can move lymphatic liquid and toxins away from the area. 

There are nearly twenty facial muscles that work to do everything from help you chew to help you smile. Much like the other muscles in the body, keeping facial muscles toned can help the overall appearance of your face to appear smoother, more toned, and more youthful looking. 

Stimulating facial tissue through massage has been shown to increase dermal proteins. This was demonstrated in a study that implemented the use of a facial massaging device rather than just using fingertips. The increase in dermal proteins resulted in the skin that was visibly smoother, with improvements in skin texture, wrinkles, and elasticity. 

Taking a few minutes to enjoy a light facial massage can help all of your other skincare products work more effectively. By increasing blood flow and oxygen to the area and also reducing excess swelling, you’re helping to prep the skin for your favorite skincare products and give them the prime setting to work most effectively. 

The sinuses are located right below the surface of the under-eye area, along the sides of the nose, and above the eyebrows. Sinus pressure can be extremely uncomfortable, and it can also cause the under-eye area of the face to swell and appear puffy. A gentle massage along the sinus area can relieve pressure and move swelling away from the area. 

Massage is a wonderful way to relieve tension, and even a short two to three-minute facial massage is enough to make you feel more relaxed and at ease. Not only is this good for your mental health, but tension and stress are easily visible on your face, so simply relaxing can give you a more rested, rejuvenated appearance. 

There’s a lot to be anxious about in today's world, and anything you can do to help reduce stress and anxiety is beneficial for your overall mental and physical health. Sometimes, it’s the little things that make the biggest difference, and spending just a few minutes gently massaging the face, especially under the eyes and around the temples, can help lessen the feeling of anxiety and stress and also relieve tension. 

What’s absolutely wonderful about facial massage is that anyone can do it, and you don’t need to make an appointment to have it done professionally. Facial massage is one of the easiest and most economical ways of treating yourself to healthy, glowing skin.

There are a couple of different techniques for massaging the face. The first is a simple but relaxing facial massage that requires nothing but your fingertips and a little oil. The oil is important because it will help your fingers glide smoothly along the skin rather than tugging, which can damage the underlying supporting structures of the skin.

Gentle, nourishing skin oil is perfect for this, but always make sure that you choose one that's compatible with your skin type. If you have a skin oil that you already use, that is ideal. If you have something like SIBU organic sea buckthorn seed oil, that tends to work well with all skin types but stay away from other oils purchased at the grocery store since many of these have impurities that you don't want to be spreading over your skin.

The simplest and most effective facial massage goes something like this:

1. Start by washing your face with a gentle cleanser. You don’t want to rub dirt and impurities into your skin.
   
   
2. Begin at the jawline, with your fingers in a "V" formation. You can use either one or two fingers on each side of the V, but many find that two fingers (index and middle finger on one side, ring finger and pinkie on the other) work best.
   
   
3. With one or two fingers below the jaw, and the other one or two fingers above it, gently massage up along the jaw, toward the ear, using a gentle opening and closing motion of your fingers.
   
   
4. Once you get to the ear, gently stroke down the neck area, this will help to remove fluids and toxins away from the face.
   
   
5. Next, use your thumb or the pads of two fingers to massage along the entire jawline on both sides.
   
   
6. After the jaw, stroke the lower part of the face (below the nose) with gentle, upward-sweeping strokes. Never drag or pull the skin downward.
   
   
7. Don’t neglect the lip area. Gently massage both the lips and the area around them. Apply a little extra pressure at the corners of the mouth and just above the lips. You can give these areas a few taps of pressure or even a light pinch if you want to plump them up a little.
   
   
8. If you have sinus swelling, gently stroke the area below the eye in an outward and upward motion. Keep your attention on the more fleshly part of the very upper cheek, and avoid massaging the skin directly below the eyes, where the skin is most delicate.
   
   
9. If your undereye area is puffy, try just applying light pressure with your fingers. Do not rub this area.
   
   
10. Next, move upward to the forehead area, and starting at the area between the brows, make upward and outward sweeping motions.
    
    
11. Then using either the pads of your fingers or your knuckles, massage the entire forehead upward and outward using small, gentle circular motions.
    
    

Other than using your fingertips, there are tools that you can use for facial massage. The jade roller is hands down the most popular and feels absolutely wonderful against the skin. There’s also the jade scraper tool, which is called a gua sha tool. These work beautifully, but if you're going to use them, you should first study the technique and also don't forget a light facial oil or serum to help the tools glide more efficiently.

There are also battery or electric facial massagers that pulse, vibrate, massage, and some even apply a bit of heat. Always read the instructions thoroughly before using these types of devices on your face.

To maximize the effects of regular facial massage, it’s helpful to combine the massage with facial exercises to help tone the underlying muscles. Even more important, don’t forget to use a high-quality, gentle facial oils such as SIBU Luxe Oil or SIBU Seed Oil, which nourishes and restores your skin each and every time you use it with 100% USDA organic botanical beauty oils.