BLOG 233: THE 5 FACIAL TOOLS I LOVE FOR A NATURAL FACE LIFT

One of the things I love about face yoga is how versatile it is. You can do so much with just your hands, making this a form of self-care that really can be practiced anywhere.

That said, there is also a time and place for facial tools. I have several that I use on a regular basis to boost circulation, lift my face, and give my skin a lovely natural glow. And I want to share a few of my favourites with you in this blog post, along with some tips on how to use them.

All the tools I’m looking at here are very gentle – lovely to use when your skin is feeling tired, dull, or inflamed but of course always work to your own level with everything.

BEFORE YOU START

There are a couple of things you should do before you start using any facial tools – I recommend doing these if you are doing face yoga with your hands too. 

First, make sure you have a clean face. If you will be using your facial tools in conjunction with your hands, also have clean hands before you touch your skin.

Then, apply a few drops of the Fusion by Danielle Collins Pro Lift Moisturising Serum. The aim here is to give your skin a lovely glide to help the tools move over your face more easily. Plus, all those high-performing botanical ingredients are beautifully nourishing for your skin.

Find a comfortable place to sit or stand. You might want a mirror too, so you can see what you are doing. Then, you are ready to start.

1. JADE ROLLER

The first facial tool I want to share is a jade roller. It’s a simple tool, with a smaller roller at one end and a larger one at the other.

The design of this tool means it glides easily over your skin. It feels very calming and soothing, especially because the jade naturally feels cool against your face. Jade is also a great all-round crystal that is good for any skin type and at any time of day.

The one I use is the Scilla Rose ™ Jade Roller – you can find it via my online shop. 

I especially like to use my jade roller for lymphatic drainage massage. I’ll start by going down the side of my neck, from just behind the ear lobe to the collarbone. Then, I’ll work over my jaw and cheeks with the large roller, and beneath my eyes with the small roller.

Finally, I come up between my eyebrows, then out across my forehead, relaxing and smoothing the skin here.

You can see this in action over on my YouTube channel.

2. FACIAL ICE GLOBES

Another tool that is wonderfully soothing is the facial ice globes from Fraîcheur. Again, they are really simple to use – although these ones are designed to be kept in the fridge or freezer, so make sure they are cold before you use them to get the benefits.

The ice globes allow you to use cryotherapy at home, which is great when you want to reduce the appearance of pores, reduce puffiness, and stimulate lymphatic drainage.

I don’t sell these myself, but I do have a discount code for you – if you buy them through  Fraîcheur and use code FACEYOGAEXPERT15 at checkout, you’ll get 15% off. I was lucky to be gifted a set of these initially, but I wouldn’t share them with you if they weren’t something I genuinely love and use regularly.

You can use the ice globes in a similar way to the jade roller – starting by going down the sides of your neck, then going out across your jaw and cheekbones, under the eyes, up between your eyebrows, and over your forehead.

They are also great to use for a little acupressure massage – I particularly like to use them on the points at my temples or on either side of the nostrils to clear the sinuses.

Because they come as a pair, you can massage both sides of your face at once with these ice globes. Plus, there are a few different colour options – mine are hot pink!

3. KANSA WAND

This is such a beautiful little tool. If you get a high quality one, you can really feel the craftmanship in it – I use the one made by Mauli Rituals, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. Again, I have a discount code you can use if you buy one through their site, which is Danielle15 for 15% off.

The tool has a domed head that is designed to stimulate the acupressure points (or marma points). In Ayurveda, a kansa wand is traditionally used to release stagnant energy and balance the chakras.

The metal dome is made of a mixture of tin and copper, called kansa. It helps to balance the pH of your skin and reduces inflammation.

You can use a kansa wand for acupressure massage, which helps to boost lymphatic drainage, release toxins, and increase blood circulation. It is also great for clearing your sinuses, reducing headaches, and helping you feel less stressed.

I like to work across several of the marma points, using a small circular motion to massage each point. If you buy the kansa wand from Mauli Rituals, you’ll get a helpful guide – and you can also find useful videos on my YouTube.

A little tip if you notice a bit of greyness coming from your skin when you use this tool – this is nothing to worry about and actually shows it is working as intended. The kansa metal is alkaline so it helps to reduce the acidity of your skin, which is what you might see coming out as you use the tool. 

4. GUA SHA

Of course, I couldn’t write a blog about my favourite facial tools without mentioning gua sha. I’m in love with this versatile tool, which is such a good complement to face yoga. 

In fact, it works so well with face yoga that I’ve worked with the Hayo’u Method to develop a comprehensive facial gua sha teacher training course for those who want to learn more about this amazing tool and to teach it to others. 

You can find gua sha tools made of various different crystals – I sell a variety of the Hayo’u Method ones via my online shop. Each has its own distinctive qualities.

Jade is a great all-rounder, rose quartz is wonderful for sensitive skin and for the mornings, and clear quartz is lovely for soothing tired skin in the evenings.

There are so many benefits to doing gua sha. It helps to stimulate lymphatic drainage, boost blood circulation, reduce puffiness, and tone the face. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, gua sha massage is used to encourage the flow of Qi – your life force – releasing blockages and getting everything moving as it should.

Gua sha tools have a distinctive shape that means they can be used in all sorts of ways. For example, you can use the s-shaped curve to glide over your jawline, use the concave edge to smooth over your cheeks and forehead, or use one of the corners to massage acupressure points.

I have loads of videos to help you use gua sha effectively – there’s a playlist here that will get you started. 

5. PRECISION TOOL

The final tool on my list is the jade precision tool. This little crystal is ideal for targeting specific areas, such as the lips, or working with more sensitive skin, such as around the eyes.

Again, you can buy these via my online shop – the ones I stock are from the Hayo’u Method, because I trust that these are high-quality, ethically produced tools that are made from genuine jade.

Because the precision tool has such a fine tip, it is great for when you want to very precisely reduce fine lines and wrinkles. You can use it to make a series of short strokes over and around your lips, or around your eyes, to stimulate blood flow to these areas.

In turn, that fresh blood brings plenty of oxygen and nutrients to replenish the skin and encourage rejuvenation. It also stimulates collagen and elastin production, helping to smooth the skin and leave it glowing.

Here’s an example showing how to use the precision tool to target frown lines and smile lines. 

THAT’S IT!

I’ve tried plenty of options over the years, but these five facial tools are my absolute favourites and I use them all regularly.

Each has slightly different benefits, so I like to have them all on hand for when my skin needs one thing over another. I might not use them all every day, although my gua sha tool does make a daily appearance – there’s just so much you can do with this little tool, and I love that I’m getting all the healing benefits of the crystal too.

You may find you are intuitively drawn to one of these more than the others, in which case that’s the one to start with. 

If you are unsure though and want to know which one to try first, gua sha would be my first pick, especially if you are already enjoying face yoga and want to add a new dimension to your practice.

I really do love all these tools though, so I’m glad I don’t have to choose just one!