My awesome friend Lauryn, host of The Skinny Confidential, is guest posting today! She’s the person I go to for all things skin care and lately she’s introduced me to the benefits of regular lymphatic facial massage. She’s such a pro, so thank you Lauryn for sharing your tips!
Hello Wellness Mama community!
I couldn’t be more excited to announce that Katie & I are doing a blog swap today. For those of you who are new to The Skinny Confidential, I’m Lauryn Evarts, a podcaster, author & entrepreneur.
Today I’m here to share some tips, tricks & techniques for my favorite subject: FACIAL MASSAGE!!
We’ll go over all the benefits of facial massage, 4 ways that you can do facial massage & Megan Markle’s favorite way to keep her face looking tight: ‘the buccal massage.’
After you’re done reading all about how to look contoured like a Kardashian, head over to The Skinny Confidential to read a Q&A with Katie. She’s talking all about her favorite wellness habits, how systems help her run a business & family smoothly, & her morning routine.
With that, let’s get into all things facial massage.
First, let’s get into the benefits & why you NEED to get on board.
The Crazy Amazing Advantages of Facial Massage
- INCREASES CIRCULATION
- YOU GET A NATURAL FACELIFT
- ALL SKIN CARE PRODUCTS WILL ABSORB BETTER
- PREVENTS FINE LINES & WRINKLES
- IT WILL MAKE SKIN APPEAR MORE YOUTHFUL/YOUNGER!!!!
Plus, it just feels good. You can easily do facial massage at home, for free (!!), or you can go see a professional to do one for you.
Let’s get into all the ways you can do it at home, and what to ask for from your esthetician.
4 Ways to Give Yourself a Facial Massage
I swear by facial massage- I can’t even put makeup on without doing it now. My husband knows to give me an extra 10 minutes, at least, to do my everyday facial massage. It’s a thing now. It’s so easy & FREE!!
Let’s start with the easiest (and cheapest) and work our way up!
1. Your Hands
This one needs to begin with a huge shout out to my makeup artist & friend, Jules Wick. Jules told me to watch this YouTube video when I was feeling EXTRA swollen in NYC. No joke, I spent 20 minutes doing the whole video & FELT 239,743,247 times better!
Warning: after you do this once, you will never go back to putting makeup on a bloated face. What happens here is it kind of drains the lymph system while rubbing out fine lines & wrinkles. I work A LOT around the eye area. A lot of people with dark circles or puffy eyes want filler… I’m telling you, you don’t even need it if you become a regular facial massager!
2. Electric Facial Massager
This is something I’ve been experimenting with long enough to confidently say: IT WORKS. I’ve said it once & I’ll say it again… like Katie, I really don’t like recommending anything until I’ve tried it a lot. The integrity of The Skinny Confidential is important to me so I don’t want to recommend something that isn’t worth it.
This little vibrating machine is worth it! It’s not cheap, but I love it. Some girls like their Louboutins, I like my facial massager. I’d rather have a tight, wrinkle-free face than cute shoes. But that’s just me.
If you’re out there wondering how to get this device, ask for one for Christmas. By the way, this is not sponsored — just sincerely all about this massager. You go in little circles all over your face. I like to apply an organic, cold-pressed oil before massaging. Always use it before you apply makeup & really concentrate around the eyes so you don’t have those puffy under circles. I go as far as to do my neck because it really helps drain the lymphatic system.
I even use it on my chest sometimes. I’ll apply vitamin C serum & use it on my chest at night. Regardless, it wakes you up & gets the circulation going. You will feel dewier, tighter, and younger.
To go further here, the device is described as: “a micro-firming massage device that smooths the look of fine lines and wrinkles, boosts the absorption of your daily skin care products, and with 27,000 micro-firming massages per use, delivers a pleasurable ‘spa-like experience.”
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS. This is something that anyone who is into skin will DIE OVER.
Here is a video further showing & explaining how to do this at home.
3. Gua Sha
If you haven’t heard of gua sha yet, let me fill you in. From Fashionista.com:
Facial gua sha is a massage technique designed to relieve tension in the muscles of the face, boost blood circulation and encourage lymphatic drainage to banish bloat. It helps break up fascia — the connective tissue that hugs muscles but can sometimes interfere with optimal circulation — and can even help to make your face look slimmer ( albeit temporarily). Devotees swear by its ability to ward off headaches and jaw pain and brighten skin (due to the boost in circulation). Some even consider it a Botox alternative for its ability to unkink settled-in muscle folds.
It’s so rejuvenating & repairs all your cells while fighting inflammation — which we always want. It’s an ancient Chinese practice & it just WORKS!
Personally, the rose quartz tools are my favorite because I heard that Cleopatra was a big fan of rose quartz crystals. She used to soak in a bath full of them, so yes, there is something beautifying & healing about the rose quartz tools.
WARNING: if you Google gua sha, don’t get scared! Facial gua sha is different than BODY gua sha. Watch the video and you’ll get it.
You can watch Mo (my facialist) do gua sha on my face in this video & check out some more of her techniques here.
4. Professional Lymphatic Drainage Facial
Ask for one next time you get off a flight & you just won’t believe the results. They’re so fabulous. Have the facialist go down your neck too.
Full transparency: sometimes this requires a little explanation. You need to tell them you want a lymphatic drainage facial that helps fight bloat because you’ve been traveling. Also let them know you’re dehydrated because after a lot of travel you most likely are dried out.
And lastly, tell them you’d love it if they also focused on your neck/chest. You should never neglect your neck, chest & hands. Paying attention to the face is great, but aging happens everywhere so PREVENTION IS KEY.
WHAT TO ASK FOR WHEN YOU GO FOR A LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE FACIAL:
- I really like to emphasize facial massage to whoever is doing my lymphatic drainage. You really need to drive this point because sometimes you can say it and they’ll only do the face for 5 minutes. I need 75% of the time to be focused on my face. Sometimes I’ll throw a little scalp massage in there too, if my hair hasn’t been freshly washed.
- Tons of facial massage is the way to go — up the face and down the neck ( it’s really important to go down the neck because you want to drain all the fluid they’re moving from your face).
- Brightening & tightening products
- Gua sha tools, a jade roller, or cups for facial cupping are always welcome
- I ask them to use anything that’s cold too. Ice globes, an ice roller, or a cryotherapy facial really gets me going.
- I also love it when they heat my face up and cool it down at the end, but MOSTLY I ask them to just focus on lymphatic drainage — that means under the eyes and all around the face to rid me of puffiness.
- There is no one facialist who is the absolute best. You just need to find someone with the energy & vibe that you love.
Before we go there, you should know about another type of facial massage that I’ve been doing recently. Buccal massage! Ya ya ya, it sounds weird, really weird if I’m being honest. Like the weirdest of weird. But bear with me because this is a hot tip you don’t want to miss out on.
Ok, so what is buccal massage?
It’s a facial that includes a rub down inside your mouth. The jaw-dropping part of the pampering involves a massage therapist or aesthetician kneading your inner cheek & jaw muscles.
AKA your new best friend if you get puffy easily.
It also happens to be Meghan Markle’s best-kept beauty secret. That’s right. Plus, it’s so easy. It’s even something you can do for free. It totally contours your mouth, jaw & cheekbones & really increases the production of collagen. How do I know this? Because I’ve done it 100 times with my favorite facialist in San Diego, Mo.
Typically, Mo will do a 30 minute facial massage, then 15 minutes massaging the mouth, & then ends with applying product. She gets super deep into the cheekbone area & drains the lymphatic system in the best way possible.
Meghan likes to have her treatment done by London-based facialist, Nichola Joss. Meghan says:
I do facial exercises from one of my favorite aestheticians, Nichola Joss, who basically has you sculpt your face from the inside out. I swear it works, as silly as you may feel. On the days I do it, my cheekbones & jawline are waaaay more sculpted.
Yakov Gershkovich as a leader in the buccal massage & facial massage movement. Yakov has even worked on me before. He’s so amazing & trained Mo too. You can watch my whole video with Yakov here.
Facial massage is a huge part of my routine & if you really want to target certain areas, like the buccal area, you’ll see even more results. It’s going to give you that model look that pulls the face in. It’s incredibly preventative, not just corrective, which I’m all about. It’s really the best natural treatment to tighten the face.
Facial massage really should be thought of like going to the gym. You go to the gym to train your body, so why not work out your face?
You also want to do this to drain your lymph nodes. The last time I went in to see Mo she said my buccal area was super full. Sometimes the day after, it can leave you a little sore, but the process isn’t painful at all, in fact it feels so good.
My facialist, Mo, AKA Heal Thy Goddess was kind enough to share her tips when looking for/getting buccal massage. Mo has been doing my facials for years & there’s something about her energy that just vibes with mine.
Anyways, here are Mo’s tips.
Tips When Looking for a Professional Buccal Massage:
- Google & Yelp are your best friends. It’s hard to find estheticians that offer this so try finding someone who is dual licensed — meaning both an esthetician & massage therapist! These types of estheticians have extensive massage training. Alternatively, you may also find a massage therapist or chiropractor that offers this type of specialty massage.
- Communicate. Communicate openly with your practitioner beforehand. Express your concerns & explain what you want to work on (AKA micromanage the situation ). Explain if you have TMJ, or if you want to focus on lymph drainage, etc.
- Tell them what you want. Let them know if it feels like too much (or not enough) pressure, or if you want to focus more time on this dedicated area. Any good practitioner will want you to feel comfortable during the massage & ultimately satisfied with your experience.
Tips for Doing Buccal Massage at Home:
- Use clean hands or even a glove to do the massage.
- Using one hand at a time, use your left hand for the right side of your mouth, & your right hand for the left side. Enter the mouth with the thumb!
- Proceed to massage using thumbs on the inside of the mouth & your four fingers externally. Massage starting at the corner of your mouth & moving towards the corner of your jaw (circular motions feel best). TIP: If you suffer from TMJ, chronic clenching etc., long strokes downwards on the masseter ( the big muscle that moves the jaw up & down) will help to release excess tension.
- Be gentle & slow! Take your time, & start off lightly. If you apply too much pressure, you may feel sore the following day. So start off easy & be mindful. A lot of stress & emotions are harbored in the jaw, so take it easy to start.
- If you really want to optimize lymphatic drainage, make sure to massage down the sides of the neck afterwards. This way any excess fluids/toxins/lymph that move, have somewhere to drain & flow down through the neck (instead of staying stuck & giving you hamster cheeks!).
Doing intra-oral buccal massage is amazing for draining excess lymph, moving toxins, de-puffing the cheeks, & also for TMJ relief.
There you have it. Those are all my tips & tricks for facial massage, whether it’s at home or seeing a pro.
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES. BE PROACTIVE. Don’t wait until you’re 50… prevent the wrinkles from happening.
If you can’t tell, SKIN IS IN. My skin is a priority. You should take care of it every single day. Wash your makeup off, wear SPF everywhere, do your facial massage, invest in good products that work for you & use your oils.
Thank you to Katie & The Wellness Mama community for having me! Hopefully we’ll be doing another blog swap soon, but in the meantime be sure to check out Katie’s post on TSC for her tips on all things wellness, as well as her podcast episode where she talks all things wellness, how to optimize your life, parenting & how to build an online platform.
Do you guys have any beauty hacks to share that I absolutely have to try?!
x, lauryn
Lauryn Evarts Bosstick has turned her passion for beauty, wellness, and no-censor advice into one of the most distinctive blogs online today, The Skinny Confidential. Along with the blog Lauryn released her own book, The Skinny Confidential Lifestyle Guide and a BODY GUIDE, which is a monthly subscription service that includes new workouts and meal plans.
In partnership with her husband, Michael Bosstick, Lauryn hosts the cheeky entrepreneurial podcast, The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER, which just hit 55 million downloads. Lauryn works with the top tier brands while continuing to connect with her community on a daily basis.
The Skinny Confidential has been featured in SHAPE, Women’s Health Magazine, SELF Magazine, The Gary Vee Show, People Magazine, and Who What Wear. You can find her reading, writing, practicing Pilates, or cuddling her new baby Zaza.
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