When you think about your beauty routine, most people think about creams, face washes, masks etc. Some also tie in exercise and sleep, which is very true and recognising this puts you ahead of the curve with regards to maintaining a healthy and youthful appearance.
One thing that is often ignored though is the great role massage can play in your beauty routine. Massage, on the whole, is very healthy for you, but there can also be immediate vanity benefits to a good massage.
For instance, a good facial massage can make a huge difference to your appearance, having been shown to positively affect facial water retention and skin elasticity. With the added bonus of it being really easy to give yourself a quick facial massage. Here is a quick how-to:
Giving yourself a good facial massage can be a very rewarding experience when you know how to do it properly.
- Avoid stretching the skin at all stages in this massage.
- Prep your skin by gently cleansing and applying a generous layer of moisturizer to your face and fingertips before getting started.
- If your skin tends to be dry, moisturize with a carrier oil (like Argan or rosehip seed oil) or oil-based product.
- Washing your hands and face prior to the massage will also help prevent the spread of bacteria.
- Avoid massaging broken skin or active acne to avoid worsening the affected area.
- Use gentle circular strokes, moving in the direction of lymphatic drainage.
If that all sounds too complicated though, there is no shame in treating yourself to a professional massage every now and then. Lily from Love Thai Massage was kind enough to answer our request for a quote from a professional. We asked her which massage treatment would be most beneficial with regards to a beauty routine. “Lymphatic drainage massage for sure. Particularly the whole body, but even just the face will work well and you will see results immediately. If the massage is done properly your face will look less puffy as you walk out the door which is very gratifying for both the client and the masseuse.”
Even if you’re not going to be getting a lymphatic drainage treatment, just plain old remedial massage can help a lot. It has been shown that remedial massage lowers cortisol levels, often called the ‘stress hormone’ and the effects of that hormone can be quite negative when levels get too high.
Chronically high levels of cortisol, for instance, have been shown to cause dryness and premature aging of the skin, which is a big problem for anyone serious about looking their best. In some people, those elevated levels can cause breakouts even in adults.
So if you’re looking for a bit of a leg up on the competition in the beauty stakes, massage can be your unconventional beauty secret. Particularly facial massage and lymphatic drainage massage, but any good massage is going to help you with stress levels, which ultimately helps you look your best.