BLOG 259: HERE'S 6 NATURAL BEAUTY SECRETS I LOVE USING DAILY

One of the questions I get most often is how old I am – at the time of writing this I am 42. The second question is – what 'work' have I had done? The answer is none! I’ve never had Botox or fillers or injectables or anything like that. 

It isn’t that I’m against those things – I’m very much pro-choice and am a strong believer in doing what’s right for you. For me, it has always been the natural, holistic approaches to caring for my face and body that have made the most sense.

This approach led to me creating the Danielle Collins Face Yoga Method in the first place. It always confused me that yoga stops at the neck, and I wanted to change that. I also wanted to offer something that combines the ancient wisdom of systems like yoga, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern scientific knowledge on anatomy and skincare.

I’ve been an advocate for holistic approaches to beauty ever since and, of course, face yoga is an important part of that. However, it isn’t the only thing that I do on a daily basis to care for my skin and keep my face looking toned and healthy.

In this post, I’ll take you through six of the natural beauty secrets that I use daily. Honestly, I found it a challenge to narrow this down to just six, but these are the ones that I consider most essential to do regularly.

 1. Facial Exercises

Did you know that there are 57 muscles in the face, head, and neck? Just like any other muscle, these can really benefit from regular exercise, which is why facial exercises are one of the core components of Face Yoga.

When we strengthen and tone the muscles of the face and neck, we also smooth and tauten the attached skin, which can help to address many common issues.

And facial exercise is just like other forms of exercise – it works best when you do it regularly. Even if you can only spare a couple of minutes a day, this is a great starting point. 

I have loads of videos on my YouTube channel that introduce some of the techniques, and I also offer a structured 7-day course that is designed to help you make face yoga a consistent habit, with daily 12-minute videos.

 2. Facial Massage

Another vital part of my Face Yoga is facial massage. These techniques are designed to relax your facial muscles and release any tension, tightness, and stress that you are holding in your face.

Facial massage has multiple benefits, such as boosting circulation, encouraging lymphatic drainage, and supporting a healthy flow of lifeforce energy (prana in yoga, or Qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine). 

Plus, regular facial massage can reduce and prevent lines and wrinkles by releasing tension from the muscles of your face and helping you relax.

I incorporate both facial exercises and facial massage into my daily facial yoga practice. This is one of my wellness non-negotiables – something that I make sure I do every day to take care of myself and support both my physical and mental wellbeing.

Again, the best way to get started in making facial massage a part of your daily routine is to do my seven-day course.

 3. Skincare

Honestly, this is worthy of an entire blog post in its own right – in fact, I plan to make it a topic for one of my masterclasses because there’s so much to consider and I always get lots of questions about it!

But for now, let’s just concentrate on the basics. There are lots of different trends in skincare, so my best advice is always just to keep things simple and respond to your skin’s own specific needs.

We’re all so unique when it comes to skincare – even if we were all to use the same brand, we’d use it in different ways. What works for someone else may not work for you. 

However, there is one essential principle we can all come back to, which is to create a skincare routine that includes the three basic steps – cleanse, tone, moisturise – and make sure you are doing this twice a day.

I also really like to look for products that are made with natural, botanical ingredients – ideally organic. For toning, something simple like rose water can be a lovely option. For moisturising, I always use the Pro Lift Moisturising Serum, which is packed with pro-active botanical seed oils to support your skin’s natural ability to regenerate.

I also like to do a face mask twice a week – I use the Fusion Mask for this. 

 4. SPF

I feel like this gets talked about a lot but can cause some confusion! I use a daily SPF on my face and consider it an essential part of my natural beauty routine. But I know some people can worry about SPFs containing harmful ingredients, or stopping us from getting enough vitamin D.

However, various scientific studies have indicated that as much as 80-90% of skin ageing is caused by sun damage, which is a huge impact on your skin. Even on a cloudy day or when you are sat inside, harmful UVA rays can still penetrate through to your skin, so you really want to protect it with a daily SPF.

Personally, I try to use an SPF made from ingredients that are safer for both our health and the environment (I like the Green People one). I also take a vitamin D supplement daily and try to expose the skin elsewhere on my body to the sun for around 15 minutes a day too during the warmer months. But I always use an SPF on my face to protect my skin.

 5. Breathing

This sounds so simple, but it is impossible to overstate just how powerful it can be to focus on deep, relaxed breathing.

I’ve been teaching wellness for almost 19 years at this point and if I had to pick just one thing to improve your physical health, your mental wellbeing, your emotional and spiritual health, and your face, it would be breathing.

There are lots of different breathwork techniques, but you can start very simply by just inhaling through your nose for a count of four and exhaling for a count of six. Allow your abdomen to rise and fall as you breathe.

Even just a few minutes of breathing in this way can help you feel calm, centred, and at peace. You can also combine breathing with other face yoga techniques, such as massage or acupressure, to deepen the benefits of both.

 6. Mindset

I’ve saved the most important for last, because the foundation that underlies everything else on this list is mindset.

Face yoga is great for your physical appearance, but it is the deeper benefits for your health and wellness that are the most powerful. Giving yourself this daily opportunity to slow down and focus on self-care is a fantastic way to shift your mindset and reinforce the message that you are worthy of love, care, and attention.

I also love that face yoga can empower us to have a really positive approach to aging. It is such a privilege to get older – a privilege plenty of people don’t get to enjoy. Each day is a gift. 

With face yoga, we can feel empowered by having the tools and techniques in our own hands to approach aging in a natural, holistic way. We can honour the changes we experience as we get older and use these techniques to help us feel and look the best that we can for the age we are.

Embracing this positive mindset can make such a difference to how you feel. In turn, this shines through your face, helping you look glowing and radiant.

 You can grab my 7 Day Face Yoga course for just £21 here.