BLOG 284: MASSAGE THIS FACIAL MUSCLE EVERY DAY FOR YOUTHFUL, GLOWING SKIN

When we think of steps that we can take to help our skin look glowing and youthful, we almost always concentrate on our faces – our cheeks, forehead, jaw, and eye area. But one of the things I love about face yoga is that it reminds us to look beyond just the face – because everything within our bodies is connected.

Take the muscle I’m focusing on in this post as an example. The sternocleidomastoid muscle runs all the way down from just behind the ear to the collarbone – so down the front side of your neck. And massaging this muscle daily is one of the best things you can do for your face.

That’s because the sternocleidomastoid muscle tends to hold a lot of our stress and emotional tension, causing it to become tight and tense. In turn, this affects our posture, causing us to stoop forward – which can lead to lines and fluid retention in the chin and neck area.

Tightness in this muscle can lead to tension in the jaw too, which is painful and can also make the skin in the jaw and lower face more prone to sagging.

Of course, this tension often manifests as neck pain too. So, there are plenty of reasons why we should focus on releasing and relaxing this muscle regularly. Not only will your neck thank you, but your skin will too!

I’m going to take you through a couple of quick and easy massage techniques you can use to help the sternocleidomastoid muscle feel looser and more relaxed. If you prefer to follow along with a video guide, you can also find these techniques over on my YouTube channel here.

Massage 1: Pinching

Before you start, apply a couple of drops of the Fusion by Danielle Collins Pro Lift Facial Moisturising Serum to your neck area – not too much, as you want to be able to get a good grip on your skin still. You can always apply more serum to properly moisturise your skin after you finish the massage sequence.

Before we begin our first technique, turn your head to one side to help you locate the sternocleidomastoid muscle. It is usually an easy one to find – you should be able to see or feel it as you move your head around. 

Sometimes it can help to tilt your chin up or down as you feel for the muscle with your fingertips. Or you could use a mirror to see the location of the muscle more clearly.

Once you’ve found it, you are ready to begin with our first massage technique. Starting at the base of the muscle, use two fingers and your thumb to pinch down into the muscle.

The important thing here is not to lift or pull at the skin. You want to pinch down into the muscle to release tension.

Work your way up the muscle, trying to keep your shoulders relaxed and your breathing deep and steady.

Repeat again from the base of your neck a few more times. 

Don’t be surprised if this feels quite tender – that’s normal. But please do also work to your own level with this and any other face yoga routine. Some tenderness is fine, but you shouldn’t feel any sharp pain.

Massage 2: Glide

Still working on the same side, apply a few more drops of Pro Lift Facial Moisturising Serum to allow your fingers to move easily over the skin.

Then, use two fingers to gently glide up along the muscle from the base to the top. Repeat several times – I usually suggest about a minute per technique, although you can do more or less depending on how much time you have.

Massage 3: Lymphatic Drainage

Finally, lightly stroke your fingers down over the muscle – this time working from the top of the muscle down to your collarbone.

Make sure to use minimal pressure here. This featherlight touch helps to boost lymphatic drainage and encourage all those toxins and waste away from your face, helping your skin to look bright and glowing.

When you finish on this first side, you can repeat all three moves again on the second side.

Done! (Repeat Regularly)

That’s it – a really simple set of massage techniques you can use daily to release tension from the sternocleidomastoid muscle. In total, this should only take three or four minutes, so it is hopefully something that is easy to add into your existing routine.

I love how effective even simple techniques like this can be for leaving your skin and face looking bright, lifted, and glowing. But it does take consistency.

I always draw a parallel between face yoga and other forms of physical exercise. Just like building muscle in the gym or increasing your flexibility on the yoga mat, you see the best results when you practice regularly.

Fortunately, face yoga doesn’t need to take hours out of your day. As you can see from this little sequence, there’s a lot you can do in just a few minutes.

It can also help to have structure around developing a face yoga practice, especially when you are first starting out. Which is why I’ve developed a new course: 10 Minute Face Yoga For Sexy, Sculpted, Smooth Skin Over 40.

As the name implies, this particular course is especially aimed at those who are approaching or over 40 (I'm 42 btw!). It has eight classes, each around 10 minutes, where I take you through face yoga techniques to lift and smooth the face.

It is a great way to build your face yoga practice and make this a daily habit. You can do the classes back-to-back over a week, incorporate them into your existing face yoga practice, or use them as drop-in sessions whenever you want some nourishing me-time.

Because the classes are available as on-demand, pre-recorded videos, the course really does give you the flexibility to create your own practice in a way that fits your daily routine.

You can find out more here.