Easy to use facial tools.
I often get asked by my clients if there is a certain facial treatment mask that I suggest they purchase to use for their at-home skincare routine. My answer is most often this; while I do love a good hydrating, calming, or skin purifying mask, what I think is a better choice to add to your skincare routine is a facial tool. Facial massage tools and other facial treatment tools like micro-current and LED light therapy give you a wider range of results and help improve/treat your skin better than a treatment mask.
scrub me secret: this idea that I have that facial tools and massage modalities are better for real, long-lasting, visible results and skin health was even further confirmed during my recent education course taken with Cecily Braden. Cecily is an expert on gua sha, lymphatic drainage, and Thai herbal massage. She believes (and has seen it with many of her clients) that facial treatment massage can provide far better results than any product can.
Gua sha stones are really popular right now and are probably what come to mind when I mention facial tools. As a trained professional, I LOVE using gua sha stones in my treatment room to transform faces and improve everyone’s skin. However, gua sha stones can have a bit of a learning curve for at-home personal use, especially if you’re looking for the same results that you would get from a trained gua sha technician. I find that sometimes my peers or clients will purchase a stone with the intent to use it often and then get a little frustrated with the learning curve and end up putting the gua sha in a drawer and not revisiting it.
scrub me secret: determined to become a gua sha pro so you can incorporate it into your daily or weekly skincare routine? Check out my blog posts like “Important gua sha tips for beginners”, “Gua sha facial massage-lymph drainage movements.”, and “Gua sha facial contour massage.” You can also use the search bar located at the top of each blog article to search scrub-me-secrets for more gua sha posts.
So are you ready to incorporate a facial tool (or more) into your skincare routine but want something that will be VERY user friendly? Today I’m listing 6 facial tools that are easy to use. These tools can be added to your skincare routine ASAP and are really easy to get the hang of. Read below to see which ones speak to your current skincare needs!
Anma - facial massage tool
How to use the Anma: Apply nourishing serum or your favorite facial oil to clean skin. Then glide the claw part of the Anma tool along your jawline in gentle back and forth motions (about 10 times). The tool should fit right along your jawbone. Then, move upward on your face working in sections, doing the same gentle back and forth motions in each section.
Use the prong end of the tool to glide underneath your eye in outward motions only when you get there and use lighter pressure. About 6 times.
Finish up on your forehead with some gliding. I like to do one final lifting motion where I take the handle part of the Anma and use it to scoop and lift upwards from my collarbone to my forehead.
You’re done! You can do this daily or a few times each week.
The results: Facial contouring, a more radiant complexion (not dull), awakens and smooths the eye area, lifts areas that are sagging or wrinkled.
Some results are immediate and others come with time and consistent use.
NuFace - microcurrent tool
How to use the NuFace: This device comes with a charger and a water based gel to apply to your skin before use. Charge your device and apply a layer of NuFace gel (or aloe vera gel) to your clean skin. Turn on your device and glide it along any fine lines, wrinkles, or sagging skin you want to address using upward motions. You can do this daily or a few times a week.
The results: Addresses fine lines, deep wrinkles, and sagging skin. Fine lines are usually the first to see fade or diminish, followed by the deeper wrinkles diminishing. This happens after a few weeks of consistent use. While it cannot completely reverse sagging results are seen after a month or more of consistent use.
scrub me secrets: don’t stop your routine or the use of your facial tool even after you’ve gotten the results you desire. Things like lifestyle, environment, and repetitive facial movements are always fighting against us on our road to the best looking skin ever. We need to keep up with our skincare to prevent these factors from effecting our faces.
Cool roller - specifically The Skinny Confidential roller
How to use the cool roller: Keep your cool roller in the freezer so it’s nice and cold for use. You can use this roller before you wash your face, on clean skin, or after your full skincare routine, whatever you like.
When you take the roller out of the freezer it’s going to be COLD, you can start using it right away or you can let it sit out for a couple minutes to defrost before using. Take the roller and roll in outward motions on puffy areas, like under the eyes or under the chin. Or you can roll it over areas with redness. It’s that easy! You can use this daily or even multiple times a day.
The results: Less redness overall, immediate de-puffing, slightly smoother and more radiant skin. The initial coldness of the roller also gives you what feels like a big dose of endorphins.
LED mask - light therapy tool
How to use LED light therapy: This Dr. Dennis Gross LED treatment specifically is high quality enough to give real results. Cleanse your skin and apply a hydrating facial mist or fluid. Strap on your LED facial device and turn it on. This device treats your skin for 3-5 minutes and is meant to be used daily.
The results: Red light therapy stimulates and builds collagen and elastin help prevent aging and firm the skin.
Blue light kills bacteria in the skin helping to diminish acne and breakouts. This also helps to prevent future whiteheads and cystic pimples.
Mushroom stones - facial and shoulder massage tool
How to use the mushroom stones: Grab your mushroom and run it under warm/hot water for a minute to let it soak up some heat. Find a tense or tight area in your jaw, neck, or shoulder area. Hold the mushroom stone by the small handle and place the larger part on the tense area; do this lightly at first to make sure the stone isn’t too hot for you. Once the stone is the right temperature press and hold it on the tension. You can make small circles for more release if you’d like. This can be done daily.
The results: Tension relief shoulder muscles helps better our posture, giving a more elongated, lifted look. Tension relief for jaw muscles helps diminish jowling and give the lower face a small lift.
scrub me secret: facial stones, rollers, and the cool roller should be sanitized after each use. I find that a scrub me soap bar works great! Or you can wipe it off with 99% isopropyl alcohol.
Textured roller - facial massage tool
How to use the textured roller: To treat fine lines and wrinkles, take the roller and roll it back and forth along the line/wrinkle with firm pressure. Then, lift up the roller off your skin and change directions so you’re rolling perpendicular to the line with the same firm pressure. Do this for about a minute on each wrinkle. Less time and pressure if your skin is sensitive. You can do this daily or a few times a week.
For overall skin radiance, take about 2 minutes each day to roll the tool upward and outward along your neck and face.
The results: Smoothing and diminishing of fine lines and wrinkles. Gives skin an overall healthy glow from all the oxygen flow and circulation. Results are both immediate and build with time and consistency.
Having items like this to use at home is a great way to upgrade your skincare routine and keep your skin looking and feeling its best in-between visits to your esthetician. Maintaining optimal skin health in between facials is your best bet for seeing continual progress from your treatments. Think younger-looking, clearer, more radiant, and overall healthy-looking skin after each facial!