You drink a ton of water. You use your skin care products day and night but, for some reason you are missing a plump healthy glow to your skin. With so many tools and products to primp your face, the most effective accessary is right in front of you. Your hands! You can tap, glide, and friction your way to bright, glowing, contoured skin. Grab your favorite facial oil, put your palms together and press away the day. I like to use the lunar detox oil to further enhance the benefits of this stimulating facial massage.
Sinuses
With allergy season here greeting us all with stuffy noses and puffy eyes, the best place to start is the sinuses. Place your thumbs right below your brow bone or in the inner corner of your eye. Press in for 10 to 15 seconds, and press up moving all the pressure towards the forehead. Sweep your thumbs outwards towards the temples. Continue to drain the blood and lymph down to your jaw line.
Skin Tip! Add a drop or two of peppermint oil to your facial oil to break up sinus pressure. WARNING: Do not place this particular essential oil directly on your skin.
Brows
Staying at the forehead, take your pointer fingers and drag your fingertips upwards starting from just above your brows and up. Next create circular “C” like motions with the pads of your pointer fingers from the middle of your forehead out. This is a great technique for breaking up those pesky lines between your brows. With your pointer fingers above your brows and your thumbs below create a clamping like motion and smooth outwards. We tend to hold a lot of tension here as many of us are very expressive with our brows. Press all your fingers above and below your brow bone for a tension release treat.
Skin Tip! When using a brow balm or brow enhancing product try the clamping massage technique to stimulate the hair follicles.
Eyes
Next let’s move down to the delicate eye area. First shall we start with the no no’s for this area? We shall! No tugging, pulling down, or hash pressure on this area. Deal? Deal. The ring finger is going to be your favorite phalanx for the eye area. It gives out the lightest and most controlled pressure to swipe left or right. Starting with the left eye, I like to take my right ring finger and hold taught pressure on my nose. With the left ring finger gently glide from your nose up to the outer corner of your eye. Next make circles around your brow bone. Start again from the outer corner of your eye. Follow the natural contour and glide upwards above your brow bone and back down when you reach the end of your brow.
Skin Tip! Puffy eyes? Use tapping like motions or spirit fingers gently to naturally depuff your eyes.
Cheeks
Let’s get cheeky. Create a natural contour with these simple muscle toning moves. Make the “OK” symbol by taking your thumb and pointer finger together. Squish it down so the pads of your fingers are flat. Follow the natural contour of your cheek bones with upward strokes stopping just above your ear lobe. Next, press your finger pads right below your cheek bones and press the muscles upwards. Create a gentle lifting and toning motion to restore elasticity. Lastly take your left hand and cup your fingers on the right side of you face where your smile naturally starts. Gently bend your fingers and pull to the left side of your face making your skin taught. Use your right pointer finger and starting at your jaw glide your finger from your jaw to your ear. Continue this process until you have made it up to the inner corner of your nose and the highest part of your cheek bone.
Skin Tip! Always use upwards or side to side motions on the face to support the structure of your muscle makeup.
Jawline
The jaw is home to hormonal breakouts, oily skin, and TMJ. To release a tight jaw, open your mouth and place your thumbs where your masseter muscles lies. You can feel it expand and contract when you make a chewing motion. Place pressure with your thumbs to this area and release tension by massaging with circular motions. For over oil production use the clamping method with your thumb and pointer finger with both hands and move from chin to the end of your jaw line. You can use this method in several different ways! With the left hand hold your chin taught to the left and glide your thumb and pointer finger up to your ear lobe. With this technique, think of the shape of a crescent moon and reach for the stars! Next is petrissage on the jaw, which is a skin rolling like movement. With both hands bring your thumbs and pointer fingers together. Start at the chin and, once again and glide the skin back and forth between both sets on fingers. Use this massage technique in upwards motions only. Lastly use the same fingers thumbs and pointer fingers and squeeze your jaw line to release any excess oil production.
Neck & Decollete
The neck and décolleté are delicate areas that need light sweeping upwards motions. Use your palms and sweep up from your clavicle to your chin. For the décolleté take your left hand to your right shoulder and glide your hand to the opposite shoulder. Repeat with the opposite side. To end the massage, place your pointer and middle finger right below your clavicle. Where your middle finger rests, press in with your thumb. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Let your shoulders rise, and naturally fall. One more nice deep breath in, and out through the mouth.
Set aside 5 to 10 minutes a couple times a night practice these massage moves and watch your face transform. Not only are you soothing your muscles, you are moving blood and lymph to nourish your cells and supporting your facial makeup in a whole new may. Included with this article is a how to video for all my visual learners. Be sure to check back on our Instagram for a tutorial on all the massage techniques listed!
Love and Light,
Gabrielle
Gabrielle Barry is a licensed holistic massage therapist and esthetician - she's also the founder of Interpret Beauty
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Argan Republic cannot be held responsible for any actions made, implied or expressed by anyone as a result of this guidance.
The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. They are in no way intended to heal, prevent or treat any illness. Please consult your doctor if you are seeking medical advice.
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