Busy women (so, everyone here) are no strangers to the fact nowadays, me-time is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. And whether we like it or not, when life gets pretty full on, that can show up on our faces, the good and the bad and …well, you know the rest. Many of you don’t think twice about getting a neck, shoulder or back massage to alleviate those stubborn knots but what about the stiffened and often stress-worn 40+ muscles in your face? Here’s a quick guide to 5 of the big benefits of facial massage.
De-stressing and pro-zzzzsss
Do you find yourself clenching your jaw, grinding your teeth, tackling tension headaches or challenged to see out of your furrowed brow? A facial massage is designed – through a combination of acupressure, lymphatic drainage, Indian and Oriental facial massage techniques – to melt away those signs of stress, to reduce cortisol levels, heart rate and activate parasympathetic nervous system activity (i.e thoroughly allowing you to chill your beans.) Following treatments, clients have told me they feel an instant relief and skin plumpness, a dissolving of tightness and facial tension and a rapid improvement in freedom of facial movement not to mention primed for some quality zzzzs.
Detoxing and limbering up that lymph
The Lymphatic system – part of our immune system – acts as a major filter to detox unwanted bodily waste. A facial massage gently stimulates the muscles and lymphatic system to drain the toxic buildup. In fact, every area of the body responds to facial massage. We have over 40+ facial muscles, 300 facial pressure points as well as facial meridian lines all relating to the rest of the body. That means that when you have a good face massage it impacts every organ to reduce blockages and increase energetic balance throughout the body.
Curtailing Congestion
All massage boosts circulation and a boosted circulation means your organs and body’s natural detox systems will work more effectively and counteract that stress that was prohibiting circulation from being at its best. A good facial massage that includes manipulation of the relevant acupressure points goes a long way to unclog and decongest- whether that’s a blocked nose, sinus problems or even symptoms of allergies.
Skin suppleness
The skin is our largest organ but it’s often the last to get moving and motivated, so if you let it laze about, it will! And let’s face it, at this time of year, what with too much salt (think bloated, puffy, dull skin) and too much sugar (think red, crêpey, thin and weakened skin) from all those Christmas party booze and salty snacks it’s even harder to keep skin looking great. A facial massage will relax, soften and free up those connective tissues to makes the face perkier, glowing with all that oxygenated blood flow and the reboot in circulation means your skin will be able to deal more quickly with skin repairs as and when it needs to.
Cultivating communication
Our face engages different facial muscles to produce our expressions and they, in turn, give us a glimpse of a person’s emotions. Behaviour is contagious, and just like our verbal behaviours, our facial behaviours can also carry. A warm, genuine smile is infectious and evokes a similar facial and emotional response. Even if you’re trying your hardest to cover up or fake an expression, it’s still possible to catch tiny microexpressions and certainly, any degree of stress will manifest itself, no matter the swanky serum or miracle make-up. Working on understanding and removing facial tensions (coupled, of course, with what you say and how) will enhance your communication.
Next steps …
As with most things, small, iterative, consistent steps are very effective and productive. Whilst having a regular professional facial massage will offer the best and most cumulative effects, it’s possible to make great strides on your own, even if you’ve a matter of minutes daily.
I recommend using a beautiful organic facial oil such as Skinirvana , which I use in my treatments and sell directly to clients who come to The Nourish Shed spa space and online here.
With clean hands and a cleansed face take a little oil the size of a 10p piece and warm in your hands. Simply spend another five minutes or more in front of the mirror morning or evening ensuring your movements are precise and deliberate. Work in sections starting with the forehead, cheeks, jaw – circling with your fingertips and applying light pressure taking care never to drag or pull downwards. Move to the cheekbones and then to the jaw with the heel of your hands. Finish by sweeping movements upwards of the neck and chin.
More info on facial massage techniques will be available on the site soon!
To ask a question or to book please email el@thenourishshed.com, call/ text on 07862 701 571 or use the contact form here.
WOMEN ONLY
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