BLOG 152: THESE 5 FACIAL TOOLS WILL LIFT YOUR SKIN

One question many of you ask me is what facial tools I recommend using alongside your Face Yoga practice for healthy, lifted, and glowing skin. Although I’m a huge fan of just using your hands for facial massage and acupressure, there are also some wonderful facial tools out there that you can easily use at home.

Someone who knows all about facial tools as well is leading facialist and my friend, Nichola Joss. If you’ve followed me for a while, Nichola will be a familiar face – we have so much in common and align on many of our approaches to skincare and wellness. 

Nichola’s wellness-based approach to beauty and skincare is very holistic and incorporates reiki healing, energy work, and emotional balancing. She joined me again recently on the Face Yoga Expert Podcast to talk about her return to in-person clinic, how she works with clients, and the importance of getting comfortable with discomfort. 

We also talked about the facial tools she uses both at home and in the clinic, which include many that I love too.

I highly recommend listening to the full episode for insights into being led by your intuition, facing your fears, and embracing discomfort as an opportunity for growth. 

In the meantime, here are the five facial tools Nichola recommends using to lift your skin and address issues like uneven skin tone, scarring, and rosacea.

1. CRYOTHERAPY TOOLS

Nichola is a huge fan of cold therapy. She takes ice-cold showers and swims in the sea because of the huge benefits she sees for her wellness and mindset. So, it is no surprise that some of her favourite facial tools to use in clinic are cryotherapy tools.

Nichola says she especially likes to use cryotherapy tools after a facial massage to calm the muscles. These cold tools are also wonderful for waking up the skin first thing in the morning and for soothing puffiness around the eyes.

The other place you can use cryotherapy tools is on the back of your neck. This stimulates the vagus nerve, which helps to reduce stress and increase activity in the parasympathetic nervous system (our rest and digest response).

After the stress and worry of the past two years, cryotherapy tools are wonderful for soothing and calming our skin, as well as our minds.

Nichola’s favourite is the Biologique Recherche Cryo Stick. It is the right size and shape to fit well in her hands and has lovely contours to work with the natural curves of our faces. Plus, it is filled with water, so it stays properly cold for a long time.

I’m also a fan of cryotherapy. I’ll often keep my crystal facial tools in the fridge so that they are cold when I use them. I also really like the Frâicheur Ice Globes, which are beautiful for calming puffy or irritated skin. Use code FACEYOGAEXPERT15 at checkout for 15% off these.

2. LYMA LASER

Another tool that Nichola loves and uses both at home and in clinic is the Lyma Laser. It’s an at-home facial laser that uses cold laser technology originally developed for use in hospitals and medical settings.

Often, at-home facial gadgets are very safe but not necessarily very effective. Nichola is impressed by the Lyma Laser, however. She has two that she uses on her clients. 

Because the laser uses cold technology, it doesn’t cause trauma to the skin. It goes deeper and works within the cell’s mitochondria. It can even rebuild cartilage.

The Lyme Laser can be used to tackle many issues, including rosacea, scarring, pigmentation, and thread veins. It is also a rare example of an at-home laser that can be used on any skin tone.

It is so safe that Nichola is even trialling using it on her own eyelid!! She’s also successfully used it to heal stretch marks that one of her teenage sons had from a sudden growth spurt.

3. HAYO’U METHOD GUA SHA TOOLS

I’m a huge fan of the Hayo’u Method’s gua sha tools (I love them so much that I’ve teamed up with Hayo’u to offer a facial gua sha teacher training course). Nichola also enjoys using these beautiful tools on her own face.

These gua sha tools come in various stones. Each vibrates at a different frequency and therefore is best for different things. 

For example, jade is very good for bringing your energy back into yourself, so is great for the evening. Rose is wonderful for connecting to your heart centre and opening your energy, so is perfect for the morning.

Meanwhile, clear quartz is Nichola’s favourite and brings that higher healing energy, so is great if your mood is feeling low. People sometimes find clear quartz a bit much to start with, so jade or rose may be better choices if you are new to working with crystals.

As well as the gua sha tools, Nichola and I both love Hayo’u Method’s precision tools, which also come in rose, jade, or clear quartz. 

The precision tools are designed for working in sensitive areas, like around the eyes or lips. They are great at plumping the lips naturally. You can also use them to target scar tissue or other problem areas.

I offer both the gua sha tools and the precision tools in my online shop.

4. MAULI RITUALS KANSA WAND AND COMB

Kansa is a special blend of metal used in Ayurveda to draw out impurities from the skin. I’ve been a fan of the Mauli Rituals Kansa Wand for a while now. It is ideal for drawing acidity and toxins out of the skin and is also a beautiful tool for a soothing facial massage.

Mauli Rituals also offer a Kansa Comb, which Nichola loves. She says it is phenomenal for dandruff or a flaky scalp. She also uses a Kansa Wand in clinic when she does deep hormone body treatments.

If you purchase a Kansa Wand from Mauli Rituals, my code DANIELLE will get you free shipping when you enter it at checkout.

5. SWISS CLINIC MICRO-NEEDLING DEVICE

If you heard my podcast episode with Abigail James a few weeks ago, you’ll know I’ve been on the fence about trying micro-needling at home. Although many people say it brings plenty of benefits, I’ve also heard that some people have ended up with infections after using these devices.

I never like to recommend a tool I haven’t used myself. However, both Abigail and Nichola have put those concerns to rest. They say that infections shouldn’t be an issue, as long as you handle and clean the device properly.

Nichola likes the Swiss Clinic Skin Roller, which has different heads available. She says it is a high-quality, heavy tool and it is simple to change the heads. She likes to use it before and after applying serum to help the product penetrate deeply into the skin. It is also great for stimulating collagen production.

We talked about cleaning tips too. Nichola recommends spritzing both your face and the tool with colloidal silver before using it. Colloidal silver is naturally antimicrobial – Nichola keeps it in her house for treating wounds and sore throats. She also uses it in clinic to clean her clients’ faces before she starts treatment.

If you are on the fence about micro-needling, you can read more about the pros and cons here.

CONCLUSION

There are plenty of different tools here to get you started. If I had to pick just one from this list, I’d have to go with the gua sha tools, which I find work beautifully alongside face yoga to give your skin a lovely natural glow.

I’m also curious to try micro-needling, now that Nichola and Abigail have reassured me about the risk of infection. 

Meanwhile, I love both the Kansa Wand and cryotherapy tools. I haven’t tried the Lyma Laser, but you can find my review of the Tria Beauty Age-Defying Laser here.

And don’t forget you can listen to my full conversation with Nichola here.