How To Massage Your Face And Its Benefits

Practice

In my first year of learning massage treatments, I did always wonder how my massage affects the health of my clients to be. Am I doing it right? Am I to soft to do the pressure? To strong? Is my pressure good enough for my client? These are some examples of questions I have asked myself. And I always wanted to know, so I asked my friends, who were my human "guinea pigs", how I massaged and they have to tell me the truth.

Of course, they said: `You are doing well, very good, maybe a bit more pressure or so, etc...´ Still I was not contented. I wanted to know how my hands massage. I wanted to experience how my own hands are doing. How it would be to massage my own self.

Facial Massage

On Sunday evening, I had the time to do what I always wanted to try. I could still remember that it was the final game of the football world cup championship 2006, between the French and the Italians. I knew that it would take long until the game was finished. I am not a football fan but I was obliged to witness the game as there was nothing else on the telly.


The game started and I was thinking, ` well I could massage my face while looking at the football championship´. I went to the bathroom and took a lavender almond oil to massage my face. I used to mix my own aromatherapy oil, so I had one small bottle stored on the cupboard. Then I started my facial massage, sitting on the couch with my hubby in front of the telly.

Massage Techniques

Effleurage
Effleurage is a massage technique by stroking or touching the parts of the body lightly. It is usually used to warm up the muscles in the beginning, in between the other techniques and at the end of a massage.
Petrissage
Petrissage is a massage technique by using the deep pressure massage in working out the muscles under the skin, kneading, pinching, rolling the skin and by doing circular movements.
Tapotement
Tapotement is a rythmic percussion massage technique by using the tips of the fingers or the edge of the hands.

Step By Step On Facial Massage

Note: Repeat the following steps 3 times except no.1 & 2. I did this massage by closing my eyes but my mind was working for the continuity of my practice.



1. I wrapped my upper body with a towel.
2. Cleaned my face with warm moisty hand towel and pat my face dry. Inhaled and exhaled oxygen for 5 times.
3. Put and rub the almond lavender oil on my palms and with effleurage technique distributed it to my chest and my face.
4. I started the petrissage massage by slowly doing circular movements of my hands from my chest to the end of the shoulders. Then hands down and started again. I did it 3 times. Then with effleurage stroking the neck in upward direction, one hand after the other.
5. Then I pinched my jaw ( using my thumb and my forefinger) softly from the middle of my face going upward to my ears.
6. With circular movements I used my forefingers and my middle fingers by massaging my upper mouth up to the ears. I paused for a second and repeated the circular movements.
7. With the same circular movement,I used my forefinger massaging the sides of my nose moving upwards until the sides of my eyes. I left the forefingers there for a second and slowly moved them down to the sides of my nose. Then I did the pressure point massage for a second and continued the same procedure.
8. Next, I put my thumbs upward on the inner sides of my eyebrows and my forefingers above my thumbs. I massaged my eyebrows by slowly but tenderly pinching them sideways until my fingers reached my temples.
9. By the use of my fore, middle and ring fingers I massaged my forehead by again, circular movements until they were on my temples. I massaged my temple for a while. Held for a second and repeated the massage.
10. Reaching my temples, I slowly put my hands down on my jaw. Then I effleuraged my face in upward direction up to the forehead and going down to the jaw.
11. I massaged my ears by using petrissage. I pinched my ears with my thumbs and forefingers slowly but softly in upward direction.
12. Massaged the scalp. I put my hands on both sides of my head while the thumbs are just on the base of my head. Then again with circular movements I massaged my whole head where all my four fingers were doing the massaging. It was like I was shampooing my head without a shampoo.
13. To end up my facial massage, I did tapotement with the tips of my fingers and pressure point on my face by putting my index fingers on the sides of my nose, in between my eyebrows and on the center of my forehead.

Remember to do every step 3 times.

Benefits

Facial massage has a lot of benefits. It has a soothing and relaxing effect to your skin. It gives a glowing, radiant and healthy looks on your face. It slows down the aging process when you regularly massage your face. At least minimizing the wrinkles. Besides that, facial massage is good against headache, migraine, insomnia, sinus congestion and it releases tensions from the body.

To gain all these benefits, you have to live a healthy life by not smoking, exercising and eating healthy foods. Furthermore, you have to be positive in everything you are doing. Laugh more or take a laughter yoga course.