This is a topic you’ve been asking a lot of questions about. And after filming 2 x DIY videos (Here And Here) I wanted to tell all this on the blog.
Fascia facial massage is something I can’t live without. this and tape on mouth Has changed my life and my face more than I can ever express. I’ve been doing facial massages since I was 21, but incorporating fascia takes it up a notch. It’s the ultimate way to manipulate your facial structure without needles. When we talk about fascia, we’re talking about the connective tissue that wraps everything – your muscles bones and even your nerves. It is like a biological trap.
my friend kata She is the one who first introduced me to facials and flossing and since then I have taken her method of flossing my body and applied it with a facial massage to create this draining, slimming, depuffing cocktail. The difference in my face is amazing. I noticed that my cheekbones looked higher and my jaw line looked sharper almost immediately. It’s not just about skin deep beauty; It’s about the health of the tissues underneath.
Fascia Facial Massage: Benefits, Techniques, and How to Do It Yourself
What is Fascia?
Here’s how Kaita defines it:
“In my own understanding of fascia, one of the most useful things to understand is that it is a ubiquitous substance in your body that provides interconnected, dynamic structure. It is so pervasive that if you removed all of your extra parts – your bones, organs, muscles, etc. – and left just your fascia, you would be left like a ghost but you would still be recognizable! As soon as you were formed in the womb, fascia organized and filled your cells. Provides scaffolding. It is composed mostly of collagen, which means it is a conductor.
My teachers theorized that fascia is actually the way that Qi travels throughout your body. When it accumulates, it can become extremely tight, like your IT band. When it is thin, it can be quite elastic and flexible. It takes different forms throughout your body for different purposes. I like to look at the orange as an example of fascia. The thick peel is accumulated fascia, but contains the same substance as the pith – the connective tissue of the orange. When looking at an orange you can see how the white pulp organizes the fruit into segments, and within the segments are smaller segments. You can also see the different purposes of the substance: as a protective outer layer, to create segments, and to seal the inner segments so they stay juicy. Our fascia is very similar to it in many ways!”
Benefits of Stretching Facial Fascia:
+ Encourages blood flow
+ provides relief from stress
+ Improves skin elasticity
+ Improves facial mobility
+ reduces stress
+ Prevents stiffness and pain, especially in the jaw
+ Drains lymph and makes the face dry
+ Stimulates lymphatic drainage to remove metabolic waste
+ Smoothes “adhesions” that cause deep wrinkles
How to prepare for a massage
Before you even think about touching your face, you need to set the stage. You cannot perform deep fascia massage on dry, “stuck” skin. Think of your fascia like a sponge; If it’s bone-dry, it’s brittle and hard to move. If it’s hydrated and warm, it’s pliable and ready to be reshaped. My routine is all about creating that internal and external “slip” so that I can really penetrate the tissue without causing irritation on the surface.
+ Hydrate from the inside out. drink a large glass of lemon water or Electrolytes before you start. Fascia is highly water dependent, and massage will be more effective if your tissues are hydrated.
+ Warm the tissue. I like to use a warm compress or massage it immediately after a hot bath. The heat relaxes the fibers and makes the fascia easier to manipulate.
+ Take deep breaths. Take three deep abdominal breaths. This switches your nervous system from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest,” which allows your facial muscles to actually release the tension they’ve been holding.
+ Clean and prep. Make sure your hands and face are spotless. Any dirt or bacteria will be driven deeper into the pores during the massage process.
Facial Fascia Massage Tool
While your hands are your best tools, sometimes you need a little extra help to “grab” the fascia or reach specific trigger points in the jaw and brow. I have a curated kit of tools that I turn to depending on how much inflammation I’m dealing with that morning.
+ Gua Sha Stone (Stainless Steel or Jade). I prefer stainless steel because it’s naturally cool and easy to clean. It’s perfect for long, sweeping strokes that encourage lymphatic drainage.
+ facial massager. The TSC perfectly holds the face, also shaping the jaw and nose. This will help stimulate circulation, plumping the face.
+ face roller. It provides a light, consistent pressure that helps you transfer fluid without applying too much pressure to your wrists.
+ silicone cupping set. Fascial cupping uses suction to pull the fascia away from the bone, allowing space for blood flow and fresh nutrients to enter the skin.
DIY: Fascia Facial Massage
Prepare the skin.
For me, that means rolling snow, using lightstim stick (Great for wrinkles, more here) while I have some supplements (usually Symbiotica glutathione And vitamin C (Use code SKINNY).
sometimes i wear this face strap to get lymph flowing for 15 minutes while I do other things like making the bed, unpacking the shed, making beauty salt etc.
Prepare the lymphatic system.
open lymph with yourself dry brush: Lightly brush down your neck, outward over your collarbones and into your armpits.
Do the exact same thing again only with your hands and finish by gently pressing, or massaging behind and below your ears.
Apply the product of your choice.
Keep it to a minimum since you will be rubbing it around. i like to start over Bare Face Toning Pads (Use code SKINNY). They’re some kind of magic, let me tell you. They are doing fine and have helped my hyperpigmentation more than anything else. Use the pad for about a minute and then apply your favorite oil or balm. oil pulling This is a great option because it’s rich in antioxidants and isn’t sticky (so it’s no big deal if it gets in your hair).
Start your fascia facial.
eyes
Keep your eyebrows raised and move your fingers upward over the skin to the temples/hairline.
For under the eyes, this is one of the places where you can go inward. So gently take your ring finger (this automatically forces you to use light pressure) and run it under your eyes and lightly press the inner corner of your eye. Do this a few times to remove water from under the eyes.
Hot Tip: Don’t pull the skin, pull the fascia. Think of it as working the muscles beneath the skin and creating lift.
New Tip: Use your knuckles to very gently “pin” the muscles on the inner side of the brow and shake it to release heavy “11” lines.
Forehead
Using the length of your fingers, run them horizontally from your forehead to the hairline.
Obviously if you get botox, don’t do it right away, because you don’t want to carry it around. I’m getting much less botox since doing this. Note the “scalp pull”. Grab your hair by the roots and gently pull upward. Since the fascia is a continuous sheet, freeing your scalp actually lifts your forehead.
cheekbones
Use your index and middle fingers to shape the cheekbones. Slide your fingers outward along your hairline a few times. Try to “hook” your cheekbones below and gently move your fingers to loosen the deeper tissue.
jaw
Use your index and middle fingers again to shape your jaw line. Make sure to slide your fingers out. Alternatively, you can also use the knuckles to sculpt your jaw. If you grind your teeth, spend extra time here. Use your knuckles to make small circles where your upper and lower jaw meet.
Drain
Run your hands or fingers down the sides of your neck to remove all the fluid that just came off your face. This is the most important step for lymphatic drainage. If you don’t drain the fluid down the neck, it sits there and pools back up on your face.
nose
Use the tip of your thumb and forefinger to press your nose and move your fingers up and down. Personally, I prefer to use facial massager For my nose, because it completely strips and drains your nose. You can feel this happening. A lot of fluid has accumulated in the nose. More than you think and this method is very slimming.
face yoga
I like to finish with some face yoga. Place the palms of your hands on either side of your face and pull gently. Create some resistance by closing your eyes and almost imagine pushing your face forward.
Look up, stick your chin out, stretch your neck, purse your lips and move your mouth to the side.
finishing touches.
This will look different for everyone depending on your day. For me, I do this massage first thing in the morning, hopefully on my patio, with a Barefoot Dreams Blanket That’s why I don’t feel oily my pajamasWhile I get the morning sun. The combination of sunlight and massage helps regulate my cortisol and set my circadian rhythm for the day.
Once I’m done with my massage, I like to go one step further and quickly use the facial massager on my cheekbones and jawline. Then I usually spray a little rising fogput something on brow peptide, caffeinated spf and a lip masktake mine workout clothes Get to the gym and go within an hour. I’ve found that doing this before a workout is a game-changer because the increased body heat and circulation from the gym flushes out even more of the toxins I’ve just let loose.
After doing one side of your face, take a step back and see the difference. Even take a selfie. You will see that the results are immediate.
You exercise your body, so why not exercise your face. This is very important when it comes to anti-aging and I honestly think if everyone did this a few times a week there would be a lot less plastic surgery. Since I last posted, I’ve realized that consistency is better than intensity. Five minutes every day is better than thirty minutes once a week. Your fascia has a memory, and you want to “remind” it daily to keep it up and running smoothly.
This entire beauty ritual takes about 8 to 10 minutes. You can shorten it so that it works for you. It’s become an important self-care part of my morning, but what I love most is that it works. It is very effective and lets you start your day in a soft, romantic way with something that is beneficial. It also helps you get in tune with your anatomy – you start to realize where you hold tension and can melt it away before it turns into permanent frown lines.
What kind of face workouts do you do? Are there any particular exercises or practices that have helped you avoid surgery or changed the shape of your face? Let me know below.
If you want to follow a tutorial and are more visual (I am) be sure to watch the video so you can see how to do it (Here And Here).
X, Lauryn
+ Face workouts are the new botox.
++ Benefits of taping your mouth at night.
