FOAM ROLLERS FOR YOUR FACE? HOW JADE STONE ROLLERS WILL LEVEL UP YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE
Let's get personal about this 2022 wellness trend
One of the ‘predicted’ wellness trends of 2022 is…drumroll please… using stones to massage the face! You guessed it, polished rocks that move lymph, relax the facial tissues, and embody a self-care ritual of sorts that will leave your skin feeling tighter, refreshed, and chilled out.
I’ll admit I’ve owned one of these Jade Rollers for a long time now. Maybe two years? Actually, two years and change! I remember when I walked up to the checkout line at Ulta Beauty and those round product towers were filled with tantalizing goodies. That’s how they get ya! I saw the roller and held onto it, captivated by the pretty green stones and gold brace holding it together. The woman in front of me interrupted my trance to inform me the roller was a game-changer for her skincare routine.
Did I purchase it? Yes
Did I use it? Not really.
It quickly became a sitting duck in my vanity drawer next to my multi-step Arbonne skincare regime. Not bothering to investigate the benefits or how to use the darn thing, I left it for dead until last fall when I discovered I was pregnant. In case you’re wondering, most retinol or hyaluronic acid-based anti-aging products are completely unacceptable to use during pregnancy. I scrambled to find natural alternatives and replacements for all the anti-aging skin creams and lash growth serums I used.
That’s when I came across the stone roller. By now I’d also acquired a Rose Quartz roller and I’m no fool to the power of energy stones. The mere thought of them in my presence shifts moods and creates a feeling of peace and calm that I’m doing something for myself.
I went for it, rubbing my face with a rolling stone morning and night. I used Jade in the morning and Rose Quartz at night. I fell in love with loving my face, my skin, and the muscles holding it all together. This quiet, powerful ritual pulled me into the moment, severing all ties with the chaos of children and husband running around me in the morning or at bedtime. A little thing for me.
I noticed the places in my face that were puffier on dry nights, quickly affording them some relief. Rolling in certain patterns and motions helped me fine tune where I tended to build up lymph and unwanted fluid in my face I never would have noticed before using a roller to fully massage. Covid ensued this January within our household and being the pregnant one, I had minimal access to pain relief, specifically sinus relief. I swear the rollers helped my face and headache recover quicker than it would have otherwise and I didn’t have to put a bunch of over the counter sinus draining drugs into my body, taxing my liver in the process!
In both of my previous pregnancies, I’d experienced terrible skin texture. Big pores, bumps, blackheads, and big zits. More so with my son. I’m convinced there’s no hoax in the self-care act of ‘foam rolling’ for the face with stones! My skin texture hasn’t changed much since stopping the anti-aging serums and creams. I’m damn proud to have finally given the Jade and Rose stone rollers a try.
Jade Roller Benefits
Besides sitting pretty on your vanity, often catching the eye of curious observers, jade stones provide a natural approach to overall skincare. As a user myself, I’ve noticed overall facial and neck tension melt away, keeping me from constant eyebrow raising and crinkling at the corners of my eyes. This tension melt, as I would like to call it, has been a large contributor to the decrease in fine lines on my forehead, around my eyes, and even around my nose and cheeks.
You don’t have to be shooting for wrinkle or fine line reduction to reap the benefits of using a jade roller. Suffer from TMJ pain? Massaging with this tool can be effective at reducing or eliminating TMJ pain altogether. Those who tend to retain face fluid, deal with allergies, or have conditions like rosacea, can dramatically lessen redness, swelling, and irritated facial tissues. Proof is in the results! Facial massaging promotes lymph drainage and circulation, both of which are healing and detoxifying in their own right.
For you science-minded friends, there’s limited research on using rollers, but the anecdotal evidence is promising!
How to Use the Jade Roller
Now you’re convinced you need to try this neat little tool? Many different beauty blogs and magazines will have their own tweaks to using facial stones, particularly rollers. After my own digging, I found the importance of understanding human anatomy for a second: the structure of the face, particularly lymph flow.
In general, all lymph massage needs to begin at the neck and work your way up. Without clearing lymph passageways at the neck first, you’re pushing lymph with nowhere to go! I can actually feel this while I’m rolling, so will you, after you get the rhythm of it all. Using the directional arrows in the picture here, you can see benefits for each area of the face. Follow along with the basic instructions below.
Start at the neck using fingers with light pressure, and massage in circles right below the ear on both sides. I also like to massage from my collar bone up to help stimulate movement.
Move your roller from the midline along the jaw towards your ear for 5-10 strokes.
Move up and roll towards the ear again, maybe choosing to roll from the upper lip and out.
Roll away from the nose, then move along the brow, then the forehead, starting from the midline of the face, pushing the tissue towards the ear.
For all of these, I stay to one side of the face, try to complete 10 strokes, then repeat on the other side.
Feel free to watch this incredibly helpful video from a Lymphatic Therapist. Her video is MOST helpful!
All Hail Queen Jade Roller!
Some things to remember. Keep the pressure light enough that the weight of the stone on your skin is doing the most work. Pressing too hard can pop little capillaries on the face and leave your skin looking more harmed than healed. If you’re a Botox user, please ask your dermatologist when it is safe for you to return to rolling after injections.
Be consistent and patient with yourself in this process. It’s meant to be relaxing, enjoyable, and mindful. A special few minutes spent loving yourself and your skin daily will significantly improve your mental health, too!
Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist, medical aesthetician, or skin professional. Any tips, advice, and information provided in this article are up to you what you want to do with.