How To Give Yourself An Anti-Aging Face Massage
As amazing as a professional facial is, very few of us (read: anyone who isn't a trazillionaire or Beyoncé) have the ability to have an aesthetician on call 24/7 for that fresh facial feel. The next best thing is to master the art of the at-home facial, or, to be more precise, the facial massage.
Celebrity aesthetician and author (and a dear friend of Jess') Joomee Song is an absolute master of the facial massage, using a method she calls KAIKA on the famous faces of her clients to sculpt, lift, and reawaken their radiance. "KAIKA realeases tension in the facial muscles and creates more blood flow, which means more oxygen and nutrients are being delivered to the [targeted] area," says Joomee. "This makes the face look more supple, chiseled, brighter, and tigheter with less redness. You would not believe how much facial massage can change skin texture and the overall health of one's skin." After seeing Joomee's technique in action for ourselves, we can tell you that we definitely are believers.
While technique is important, Joomee says it's important to get too hung up on the technicalities as the goal is to focus on your sinuses and the jaw to visualize tension being released. "The goal is to take time to let go of each day — it doesn't need to be long, it simply needs to be consistent," she says. "I usually start from the head and work down to the shoulders, then come back up to the head, feeling every crevice and all of the tension that needs to be released and unblocked." She swears that after her daily KAIKA session, her face and head feel lighter and her features are more chiseled and tighter.
Also important are the products you use to go along with your massage. You don't want top attempt this technique on dry skin, as you will wind up pulling on the skin, which can lead to irritation. Instead, you want to be sure to moisturize skin before, during, and after your massage to ensure that there is enough slip for your fingers to move around your face without tugging.
Joomee's ideal regimen is to cleanse your face with a gentle cleanser like Leland Francis' Melting Cleansing Balm or Bioderma Sensibo H2O. Pat dry your skin and then gently glide on a non-stimulating oil such as Supernal's Cosmic Glow Oil or Vintner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum and start your massage. Once you've finished, Joomee says you can either leave the oil on or wipe off any excess with cotton gauze and follow with a night cream like Furtuna's Rinascita Delle Olive Replenishing Balm or Decree's Peptide Emollient Veil+.
As for the actual massage itself, the good news is it's ridiculously simple and you don't need any tools or fancy gadgets to accomplish it. Just your fingertips, around five minutes out of your evening, and a desire to give your face a little extra loving. And, because Joomee is good people and knows how diligent Shen fans are about their skin regimens, she was kind enough to film a few videos showing her exact technique for you to do at home. Check them out, below!
The Defined Jawline
The Eye De-Puffer
The Cheekbone Sculpter
See, told you they were easy and quick to add to your existing nighttime routine. One thing to keep in mind with these moves, says Joomee, is to use gentle but steady pressure when you massage the face and focus on specific points, rather than gliding back and forth. "That is a friction movement and can cause redness, irritation, and unnecessary stretching to the skin," she says. Also, your entire massage shouldn't take more than five minutes, as any more than that will cause too much stimulation, she says, and have the reverse effect on your skin.
We can't think of an easier, more low-impact way to give your skin an instant boost, except, of course, having booking an appointment with one of our amazing aestheticians and having them do it for you. But, when they aren't around, this is definitely the next best thing.