Five Fixes For a Fab Facial

Who doesn’t love a good massage to relax, release tension, tone, detoxify? Aching limbs, shoulder stress and aches and pains can be pummelled away and our body can feel like it’s floating in the air.

But massage isn’t just good for our back, neck, shoulders, limbs and soul - it should be included in your organic skincare routine, as it’s fab for your face too!

Facial massage can help relieve tension, improve blood and lymph circulation, can also improve muscle tone and elasticity and almost have a lifting effect – whilst giving your face a youthful and pink glow. Our faces contain lots of small muscles and blood vessels and capillaries that are very delicate – so it’s very important that we use gentle movements and if you have very sensitive skin or thread veins, use very gentle strokes.

As we age our skin loses its elasticity, muscle tone and can start to sag. It’s therefore important that all movements are upward – so we don’t pull our skin down any further!

The other benefit of facial massage is that you can DIY – although it’s always more relaxing if you can get someone to do this for you!

I try to incorporate a facial massage into my natural skin care regime once a week; preferably in the evening when I’m in the bath enjoying a relaxing soak or when I’m in bed and just before I drift off to sleep – infact it can help send you off! It’s easier than you think to DIY – work all over your face using tapping and sweeping strokes and always make sure your hands are clean.

It’s important to select high quality natural and organic skincare products to massage into your skin that suit your particular skin type. In my opinion natural face oils and balms are best as they lubricate the skin and are easily absorbed. When you massage at night you get the added benefit of allowing the oils to continue working whilst you are resting. You’ll wake up with skin that looks smoother, radiant and well rested (even if you haven’t actually had a good night sleep you’ll look like you have – but of course, a good night’s sleep can also help keep your skin looking skin – it’s not called Beauty Sleep for nothing!)

Five Musts for Massage...

1. Always use upward movements – never pull or drag your skin down – we’re aiming to “lift” not to “sag”

2. Use gentle, light tapping movements around your gentle eye area. Use the tip of your index finger and gently tap from the outside to the inside and back again (and repeat several times) – this can help reduce puffiness without (once again) dragging down this highly delicate area.

3. Spend at least 5 minutes on your facial massage – and no longer than 20 minutes

4. Don’t forget your neck and chest area. We often tend to focus on our face but our necks and chest will also benefit from gentle massage. As with your face, the same rules apply – upwards and onwards and no dragging downwards!

5. For best results use natural face oils or natural balms that suits your skin type – if you have dry, mature or dehydrated skin look for natural and organic skin care products that nourish and repair – like organic Argan, Rosehip, Avocado and Macadamia . If you have oily or combination skin use light oils that are quickly absorbed and can help balance your skin – like Rosehip & Thistle. Products that contain organic Rosehip and Kiwi seed oils are brilliant for all skin types and are great for fighting the signs of ageing thanks to their fantastic rejuvenating properties.