How To Do A Facial Massage
Today, we’ll go step by step and learn how to do a facial massage.
Facial massage treatments have three main objectives.
- Relaxation of the mind and spirit, but mainly of the muscular tissues of the Face.
- Exfoliation
- Encourage Circulation
Let’s just look at those ideas a little more before we get into how to do a facial massage, because it will help you understand how your headlands are supposed to move.
A good way to do the work is to do every section three times. Each time you do it, have a different objective in your mind.
This time, I am working the muscles below the skin
This time, I am brushing across the surface of the skin to try to remove cells
Finally, I am moving fluids beneath the skin
These are subtle differences, however you’ll be amazed at how different they feel when you are mindful of them.
How to do a Facial Massage To Relax The Muscles
They are some of the busiest in the body, yet we do nothing to rest them. Over time, neglect can lead to headaches, jaw ache and perhaps worst, trigeminal neuralgia.Muscles are made up of bands of fibers. It can be helpful to see how these lie, when you are picturing where you need to be working. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1106_Front_and_Side_Views_of_the_Muscles_of_Facial_Expressions_numbered.jpg)
The best way to loosen muscles tends to be long fluid movements, where you push the muscle gently away from its point of insertion. Ideally, we want them to stretch if we can. Also though, simply applying pressure onto tender points in the muscle bandings can be very helpful.
Applying pressure to acupressure points as we go, improves energy flow especially to the sinuses. This is particularly helpful if you suffer from acne which can be exacerbated by sinus congestion and infection.
How to do a Facial Massage to Exfoliate the Skin
For this, we want to create some friction with the hands. Still be gentle, but be aware of trying to strip the skin a little.
Surface skin cells are dead. These accumulate and give the complexion a dull and lifeless appearance. Regularly sloughing away old cells encourages faster cellular turnover. As new cells come to the surface, the complexion looks younger and fresher. When you use exfoliating oils, you may start to feel a kind of granular feeling under your fingertips as the skin cells come away.
Again, we are going to do long fluid movements.
Sometimes, if my skin looks very dull, or I have had a cold and so everything looks dry and flaky, I make a very gentle scrub with wheat germ and rose petals before I do the main facial massage.
How to Do a Facial Massage to Encourage Circulation
We want to encourage blood circulation to make cellular turnover better, and to give us a more flushed and youthful glow. More though, we want to move. Sluggish lymphatic circulation makes our faces look puffy, especially around the eyes.
Facial lymphatics face empty at the subclavian. This is the salt cellar hollow in your collar bone. There are two portals, one on the left hand side of the clavicle for the left, and the right hand has its own portal on the right.
The aim is to push all fluids down into the portal. The fluid is free flowing beneath the skin, however, it backflowes, so don’t release pressure before you have drained it.
(Graphics, please can you change supra clavicular lymph nodes and mark it as “Subclavian. Please remove all other labels. Thanks )
True Aromatherapy massage is very gentle and is really just long slow strokes to get the oils into the system. However, this treatment uses some additional techniques to encourage lymphatic drainage around the eyes.
Sequence of Treatments
- Cleanse
- Steam Cleanse
- Scrub (if necessary)
- Facial Massage
- Masque
- Moisturizer
- Nourishing Cream
Creating Facial Massage Blends
The beauty of making your own treatment blends is your choices of oils can be dynamic. I like to assess what oils my face needs each time I make a blend, rather than sticking solidly to the same ones.
It’s worth remembering that the skin has an inbuilt moisture sensor and it gauges how oily the skin is. If you put too much oil onto the skin, then it switches sebum production down. What happens then is your skin makes less natural oil. The skin dries out.
Only do facial massage treatments once a week, or you will dry your skin.
Carrier Oils
I like to add in a little hazelnut carrier oil to every blend. To my mind, it is the most exfoliating oil. Although Vinevida doesn’t stock it, you will be able to find it easily at large supermarkets or delicatessens.
Jojoba is a great choice if you have greasy skin or are prone to acne since it will not clog the pores. For younger skins, Argan is gorgeous, and I don’t think you can improve on Avocado and Apricot Kernel Oils for more mature skins.
If I am feeling really fancy, I’ll go Rosehip and Raspberry Seed Oils and I always add some vitamin E oil into the blend. You can buy vitamin E from drug store, however I like to get mine from Watermelon Seed or Wheat Germ Oils.
In all cases, it makes sense to make your main base carrier oil something cheaper, like Grapeseed, then add a few drops of the richer, more expensive oils. Really you only need a maximum of around 5% of the richer oils.
Essential Oils
The best bit, surely.
One of the main reasons I don’t tend to pre-blend these is because of possible deterioration of oils high in limonene and linalool. When these begin to deteriorate, it can lead to skin sensitization, so it is advised you add a preservative like tocopherol if you pre-prepare these.
Oily Skin
Look for astringent essential oils like Conifers or Citruses. (All of these would need preservatives. Also, with citruses, it makes sense to only use these in the evening to avoid issues with phytotoxicity.)
Great choices are Pine, Fir, Grapefruit, Bergamot and Lavender. Vetiver, Petitgrain or Clary Sage are really great if you don’t want anything quite so invigorating.
Normal and Combination Skins
If you have a bit of a greasy T Zone, Ylang Ylang is wonderful. It balances the skin bringing it back to “normal”.
Without doubt the best oil for normal skins is Rose. The absolute is richer than the essential oil, but both are marvelous. If your budget won’t quite stretch to that, then Rose Geranium or Patchouli are almost as good. Oddly, since vetiver is so good for oily skins, it is also wonderful for dry skins too.
Neroli is gorgeous and refreshing, and probably suits more mature complexions. One of my favorite combos is Neroli and Carrot Seed. Gorgeous.
Dry Skin
Your most nourishing choices will be Helichrysum or Frankincense Essential Oils.
How To Do A Facial Massage
Begin by covering the palms of your hands with your chosen oils.
Always work from the top of the head down to the chin. Likewise get into the habit of doing the left hand side before the right. That way you will always know where you are in the treatment .
Gently cover the entire face with oil. Work softly and firmly. Try to drag the muscles a little as you go.
Forehead
Using your index fingers on both hands start at the top of the forehead, in the middle, working outwards.
Make tiny circles, gradually working outwards across the forehead.
Work in layers, until you finally reach the eyebrows.
Eyebrows
The skin between the hairs is very neglected, and residue make up often collects there.
Give it a good rub, then we’ll start emptying the acupressure points.
There are sinus points just above the brows and below then With your index finger, put gentle pressure on. You’ll find some may be sensitive. If so, just leave the pressure on for around fifteen seconds, to allow the energy to move through them.
Nose
Use your middle finger to rub up and down the skin at the side of the nose. Same over the drudge of the nose. Pay attention to the fleshy end of the nose, and to the space between the eyebrows.
Cheeks
Use the whole of the and to gently move the skin up and down. Try to “listen with your finger tips”. Notice where there is resistance, and focus on softening and loosening the muscles as well as you can.
There are more acupressure points for the sinuses under the cheekbones. Lay your fingers flat against the underside of the cheekbones, so it’s like you are hooking them. Gently apply pressure all along.
Jaw
You’ll be shocked how much tension is stored here. Open your mouth and trace along the find where the top jaw joins the bottom. Close your mouth and then just leave your fingers sitting in the muscles for a while.
Now, using your index finger, trace under the chin, along the jaw bone. Don’t be surprised if it hurts again. These are areas you don’t normally touch, so they can hold huge amounts of tension.
Once you have emptied the points. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch the chin and jaw flesh. Release the tension off, but also create enough friction to exfoliate the skin.
Really get into the chin.
Head back up to the forehead, and smooth more oil over the face.
Massage the temples
Lymph Drainage
Work one eye at a time, pushing with your finger, but always slotting your other hand behind it, to stop back flow.
Place your index fingers flat under your eyes, and gently draw the fluid along under your eye. Push it towards the side of your face. Down the face and neck, then across to the subclavian by your collar bone.
Neck and Shoulders
Not strictly part of a facial massage treatment, but nobody ever complained their neck wasn’t tight enough.
I find the best way to do it is to grab the oily flesh and allow it to seep ooze out of your grip.
Use your thumb and index finger to loosen right under the back of the skull.
If you’re washing your hair, it also makes sense to massage your scalp while you are pampering yourself, however, I cannot stress enough, don’t do it if you’re not going to wash your hair.
So there we have it. How to do a facial massage. Let us know how you go on with the treatment and whether you’d like to see more techniques like this in the newsletter.
