This is a subject that you have been asking so many questions about. And after filming 2 x DIY videos (here and here) I wanted to break it all down on the blog.
Fascia facial massage is something I can’t live without. This and mouth tape has changed my life, and my face more than I can ever express. Since I was 21, I’ve been into facial massage but getting the fascia involved just brings it up a notch. It is the ultimate way to manipulate the structure of your face without needles. When we talk about fascia, we are talking about the connective tissue that wraps around everything—your muscles bones and even your nerves. It’s like a biological web.
My friend Kaita is who first introduced me to fascia and flossing, and since then I’ve taken her method of flossing my body and applied it with 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 jawline looked sharper almost immediately. It’s not just about skin deep beauty; it’s about the health of the tissue underneath.
Fascia Facial Massage: Benefits, Techniques, and How to Do It Yourself
What is Fascia?
Here is exactly 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’s so pervasive that if you removed all of your additional parts—your bones, organs, muscles, etc. and just left your fascia, you’d be left with a ghost-like but still recognizable you! As you formed in the womb, the fascia provided scaffolding for your cells to organize and fill in. It is made up of mostly collagen, which means that it is a conductor.
My teachers have theorized that fascia is actually the way that qi travels throughout your body. When it is accumulated, it can be super strong—like your IT bands. When it is it thin, it can be quite elastic and pliable. It assumes different forms for different purposes throughout your body. I like to look at an orange as an example of fascia. The thick peel is accumulated fascia, but is the same substance as the pith—the connective tissue of the orange. When looking at an orange you can see how the white pith organizes the fruit into sections, and within the sections there are smaller sections. You can also see the variety of purposes for the substance: as a protective outer layer, to create segments, and to seal the inner sections so they stay juicy. Our fascia is quite similar to this in many ways!”
The Benefits of Stretching Facial Fascia:
+ Encourages blood flow
+ Relieves tension
+ Improves skin’s elasticity
+ Improves facial mobility
+ Reduces stress
+ Prevents stiffness and pain, especially in the jaw
+ Drains the lymph and depuffs the face
+ Stimulates lymphatic drainage to remove metabolic waste
+ Smooths out “adhesions” that cause deep wrinkles
How To Prepare For Massage
Before you even think about touching your face, you need to set the stage. You cannot perform a 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 get into the tissue without causing surface irritation.
+ Hydrate from the inside out. Drink a large glass of lemon water or electrolytes before you start. Fascia is highly water-dependent, and the massage will be much more effective if your tissues are hydrated.
+ Warm up the tissue. I like to use a warm compress or do my massage right after a warm shower. Heat relaxes the fibers and makes the fascia easier to manipulate.
+ Deep breathing. Take three deep belly breaths. This switches your nervous system from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest,” which allows your facial muscles to actually let go of the tension they are holding.
+ Cleanse and prep. Ensure your hands and face are spotless. Any dirt or bacteria will be pushed deeper into the pores during the massage process.
Face Fascia Massage Tools
While your hands are your best tools, sometimes you need a little extra help to “grip” the fascia or reach specific trigger points in the jaw and brow. I have a curated kit of tools that I rotate through depending on how much puffiness I’m dealing with that morning.
+ Gua Sha Stone (Stainless Steel or Jade). I prefer stainless steel because it’s naturally cold and easier to sanitize. It’s perfect for long, sweeping strokes that encourage lymphatic drainage.
+ Face Massager. TSC’s perfectly grips the face, contours the jawline and nose too. It will help stimulate circulation, plumping the face.
+ Face Roller. This provides a gentle, consistent pressure that helps move fluid without you having to press too hard with your own wrists.
+ Silicone Cupping Set. Facial cupping uses suction to pull the fascia away from the bone, creating space for blood flow and fresh nutrients to rush into the skin.
DIY: Fascia Facial Massage
Prep the skin.
For me, this means ice rolling, using the Lightstim wand (so good for wrinkles, more here) while I have some supplements (usually Cymbiotika Glutathione and Vitamin C (use code SKINNY).
Sometimes I put on this face strap for 15 minutes to get the lymph flowing while I do other things like make the bed, open the shades, make Beauty Salt etc.
Prep the lymphatic system.
Open the lymph with your dry brush: lightly brush down your neck, outward on your clavicle and into your armpit.
Do the exact same thing again with only your hands and finish by pressing gently, or massaging behind and below your ears.
Apply your products of choice.
Keep it minimal because you’ll be rubbing it around. I like to start with Barefaced Toning Pads (use code SKINNY). They are some kind of magic, let me tell you. They are smoothing and have helped my hyperpigmentation more than anything else. Use the pad for about one minute then apply your favorite oil or balm. Depuffing oil is a great option because it’s filled with antioxidants and is non-greasy (so it’s not a big deal if it gets in your hair).
Start your fascia facial.
EYES
Pull your brow taut and keep running your fingers along the skin, upwards to your temple/hairline.
For the under eyes, it’s one of the places where you can go inward. So gently take your ring finger (it automatically makes you use lighter pressure) and run it under your eyes and light press the inner corner of your eye. Do this a few times to drain the under eye.
HOT TIP: Don’t pull the skin, pull the fascia. Think of it as working the muscle under the skin and creating a lift.
New tip: Use your knuckles to very gently “pin” the muscle at the inner brow and wiggle it to release the heavy “11” lines.
FOREHEAD
Using the length of your fingers, run them horizontally up your forehead to your hairline.
Obviously if you get Botox, don’t do this right away, because you don’t want to move it around. I’ve been getting Botox much less since doing this. Focus on the “scalp pull.” Grab your hair at the roots and gently tug upward. Since fascia is a continuous sheet, releasing your scalp actually lifts your forehead.
CHEEKBONES
Use your index finger and middle finger tips to contour the cheekbones. Glide your fingertips in an outward motion to your hairline a few times. Try “hooking” your cheekbone from underneath and gently vibrating your fingers to loosen the deep tissue.
JAW
Use your index finger and middle finger tips again to contour your jawline. Be sure to glide your fingers outward. Alternatively, you can also use the knuckles of the fingers to sculpt your jaw. If you grind your teeth, spend extra time here. Use your knuckles to make small circles right where your upper and lower jaw meet.
DRAIN
Drain all the fluid you’ve just moved from your face by running your hands or fingers down the sides of your neck. This is the most important step for lymphatic drainage. If you don’t drain the fluid down the neck, it just sits there and settles back into your face.
NOSE
Use the tip of your thumb and index finger to pinch your nose and move your fingers up and down. Personally, I prefer to use the facial massager for my nose, because it perfectly snatches and drains your nose. You can feel it happening. There is so much fluid held 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 gently pull. Create some resistance by closing your eyes and almost imagine pushing your face forward.
Look up, stick out your chin, stretch your neck, pucker your lips and move your mouth side to 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 so I don’t get oil on my pajamas, while I get my morning sunlight. The combination of sunlight and massage helps regulate my cortisol and sets my circadian rhythm for the day.
Once I’m done my massage, I like to go one step further and quickly use the facial massager on my cheekbones and jawline. Then I’ll usually spray a little plumping mist, put on some Brow Peptide, Caffeinated SPF and a lip mask, get my workout clothes on and head to the gym within the hour. I’ve found that doing this before a workout is a game-changer because the increased body heat and circulation from the gym further flushes the toxins I’ve just loosened up.
After you do one side of your face, take a step back and look at the difference. Even take a selfie. You’ll see that the results are instant.
You work out your body, so why not work out your face. It’s so important when it comes to anti-aging and I honestly think that if everyone did this a few times a week there would be a lot less plastic surgery happening. 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 stay lifted and smooth.
This whole beauty ritual takes about 8 to 10 minutes. You can shorten it so it works for you. This has become such an important self-care part of my morning, but what I love most is that it works. It’s so effective and let’s you start your day soft, romanticizing something that’s beneficial. It also helps you get in tune with your own anatomy—you start to feel where you hold stress and can melt it away before it turns into a permanent frown line.
What kind of face workout do you do? Is there a particular exercise or practice that’s helped you avoid surgery or changed the shape of your face? Let me know below.
If you’d rather follow a tutorial and are more visual (I am) then be sure to watch the videos so you can see exactly how to do it (here and here).
x, Lauryn
+ Face workouts are the new Botox.
++ The benefits of taping your mouth at night.