According to historians, cultures around the world have used massage techniques to promote healing for thousands of years. Different massages have helped improve circulation, promote lymphatic drainage, and encourage detoxification. When considering those benefits, it makes sense that these healing modalities have stood the test of time. Additionally, if full-body massage techniques benefit the body, facial massages also do wonders for your face, right?
In each culture, the rules and tools vary between facial massages. In Ayurveda, for example, there is a specific facial massage, Abhyanga, that involves gentle scrapes along the jawline. Below, we will detail how to do this massage, which may help lift, de-puff, and detoxify your facial skin.
Get The Right Tools For The Job
You don’t have to go out and get a jade roller or anything like that, but a great carrier oil is necessary. Oil helps your fingers glide easily across your face without tugging or pulling on the skin. If you are too aggressive and use dry fingers on your face, you may either create or worsen wrinkles or fine lines. When you select a carrier oil, try to use a tri-doshic oil because that works for all skin types. Sesame oil tends to be a safe bet for all doshas, which are health types. Saffron oil is also great, especially because it exhibits potent anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
For the Abhyanga facial massage, you can use your own two hands or opt for a tool. If you decide to use a tool, make sure to use one with pure kansa, which helps detoxify the skin. In Ayurveda, the Kansa Wand is the most sacred facial tool, and it is a mixture of copper and tin, both of which have purifying and anti-inflammatory properties.
How To Do The Abhyanga Massage
Once you have your carrier oil ready, please follow the instructions. Keep in mind that you do not have to apply firm pressure; rather, slight pressure will be effective and yield optimal results.
- Apply several drops of the carrier oil to your facial skin.
- Hold your fingers, or the Kansa Wand, at the center of your chin. Massage in circular motions to warm the oil and then follow one side of your jawline until you end at the bottom of your ear. Repeat this process four to five times and then switch sides.
- Hold the wand or your fingertips at one corner of your mouth and massage in circular motions, moving outwards up your cheekbone. Stop once you reach the center of your ear, repeating four or five times before switching sides.
- To end the massage, make gentle figure-eight motions around your temples, forehead, and just above the eyebrows.
Rinse The Residue
As you perform the massage, especially if you use the Kansa Wand, you may notice a gray residue appear on the skin. That’s a good thing, according to Ayurveda practitioners. The metals in the wand actually draw out inflammation and interact with the skin’s natural oils, resulting in that light gray residue. The Kansa Wand oxidizes the oils on the skin as it purifies it, but you do have to rinse that residue after the massage. It washes off easily with a gentle cleanser and cloth. As always, follow up your face wash with a nourishing face cream or moisturizer to lock in hydration.
Regular facial massages can help promote tighter, firmer, and more lifted skin. If you follow this Ayurvedic facial massage technique, you’ll also promote facial skin detoxification, which promotes a brighter complexion. Even if you don’t have the Kansa wand, the massage is still effective if you only use your fingertips.
