Roll away your stress and skin worries

Did you know that your jaw muscle is the strongest muscle in your body? (Save that one for the next pub quiz). It’s also where the majority of us hold most of our tension, consciously or not. It might only be when you yawn that you realise how pent up your jaw has been. The thing is all this clenching can cause fatigue, headaches, toothache and even impact your sleep – even more so if you’re an avid teeth grinder. It also uses up energy which means it becomes more difficult to cope in stressful situations and could leave you feeling emotional and drained.

“We hold so much tension in our facial muscles, especially in our jaws which is where the masseter muscle is - it’s responsible for chewing so it needs to be tough,” explains A-list facialist, Abigail James. “It’s also connected to other muscles going up the side of the head to the temples and down the neck, so it can create a lot of discomfort and tension not just in the face.”

In short, this tension needs to go and it’s one of the reasons so many facials do incorporate some form of facial massage or manipulation. Relaxing the muscles and fascia to relieve tension, it’s an area that shouldn’t be neglected. It also helps ‘lift and tone’ so as well as stopping your face from feeling fatigued, it will look fresher too as all of the blood flows to the surface leaving your complexion looking healthy and rejuvenated.

The thing is, the pros know exactly where to prod and poke to lift the right muscles but that’s where face tools come in, especially things like Gua’Sha and facial rollers. Just like you’d use a foam roller on achy muscles to ease and banish pain and prevent DOMS, these face rollers do the same but for your long-suffering jawline.

“Facial rollers have been used for many years across the world as an effective way to boost your skincare routine at home and within clinic,” continues Abigail. “They not only provide a smooth, cool surface to support drainage of lymph, they relieve tension and soften the visible appearance of stress on the skin. They also have a more holistic benefit of taking a moment to yourself, which in our ever-busy world is becoming more of an essential part of self-care.”

It’s why as part of our Wellbeing Edit we teamed up with Orelia as they sell a range of face rollers including the beautiful Rose Quartz Roller. A stone that’s linked to the heart chakra, it’s perfect for that snippet of self-care we all need to slot in on a regular basis.

HOW TO USE A FACIAL ROLLER

If you’ve never used a roller before, the key is to work up and out and according to Abigail use a ‘push and glide’ motion. And although it’s fine to roll over dry skin, adding an oil gives you a luxurious slide so by using something like our Perfect Night’s Sleep Face Oil or Ultimate Calm Face Serum, you’ll find it easier to scooch the tool across your face without any tugging motions.

For the technique itself, start at your neck and roll up and down to the jawline (avoid the middle bit where you swallow!). Once you reach your jaw roll from the middle of your chin towards your ears and temples – it will feel like bliss. You can also roll it from the bottom of your jaw across your cheeks towards your nose. On your forehead place the roller above your brows and roll up until you reach your hairline and then flip the roller to the smaller side and use it around your eyes – from inner to outer edges underneath the eye to iron out any creases and boost that lymphatic drainage and even gently over the eyelid. Another top tip is to keep your roller in the fridge as the cooling sensation works a treat at depuffing and soothing tired eyes. Finally, you can use the smaller roller around your mouth going from cupids bow out and under your bottom lip and then repeat on the other side – a bit like you’re lining your lips with a massive highlighter pen!

And don’t be afraid if you see your skin flush pink, it simply means that fresh oxygenated blood is flushing to the skin and boosting your cells so it’s only a good thing. Trust us, when you get the hang of it you’ll be reaching for the roller every night as part of your evening ritual. That said, even once or twice a week will help reduce any tension and leave you all smiles (without any uncomfortable side effects).