Face rollers: What are the benefits and should you invest in one?

If there's one thing we love about the beauty industry, it's that we can expect a whole host of new trends for us to sink our beauty-obsessed teeth into each year.

Remember charcoal, CBD and mushroom beauty? You might have found your new beauty fave from those trends and if so, good for you. One of the recent trends to hit the market, is face rolling.

You'll have seen jade face rollers and rose quartz face rollers all over the Instagram feeds of beauty influencers, but if you're not sure if it's for you or what the uses are, let's get the lowdown.

Benefits of face rollers

So, what are the benefits of using a face roller? We spoke to Danielle Collins, The Face Yoga Expert to find out her view.

Danielle explains that using a face roller "improves blood flow for brighter, glowing skin, relaxes tension in the face which may reduce stress-related expressions, eases tight muscles and improves lymphatic drainage to reduce puffiness in the face."

This all counts towards improving the overall texture of skin, benefitting the elasticity, and helping your face to appear more contoured.

What's more, taking some time to massage your face will make you feel more relaxed and counts towards that precious me-time we all need so desperately.

How to use a face roller

The one thing to remember about face rolling is to roll upwards. Even if you forget everything else, that'll see you through.

Danielle explains: "Start by applying your oil first and then work the face roller over the face, down the sides of the neck, up the jaw, under the cheek bones, gently under the eyes, up the area between the eyebrows and along the forehead."

Roll the device along each area around five times, always going upwards, never back and forth.

Danielle also notes that you should use it once to twice per day and that you can use your face roller on your thighs to boost circulation.

The best face rollers to use

Are face rollers worth it?

Or are they just another Instagram fad? Dr Anjali Mahto believes that if you have genuine skin issues, jumping on to every product the internet loves probably isn't the best use of your time.

“One thing that has really struck me with the advent of social media over the last five to ten years is that there is so much conflicting information for those wanting advice about their skin from both a medical and beauty point of view. More and more, people turn to the internet as their first port of call for information and one thing I was noticing in my clinics as a result of this was the amount of time, effort and money being wasted by people on products that weren’t going to work.”

So, are face rollers actually beneficial, at all?

“Face rollers are likely to have relaxation effects, a good massage feels nice, and this alone can have the potential to reduce stress and provide positive mental health benefits. It’ll reduce the amount of surface blood vessels, so the skin won’t look so red and angry.”

Is there anything we should be doing instead?

“For those people that don’t have any specific skin problems and are blessed with “normal” skin, most basic home skincare such as moisturisers will be adequate. However, if there is a problem with the skin then home skincare as a general rule will work for mild concerns but will never be as effective as clinic-based treatments. The same goes for those interested in reducing skin ageing. At-home skincare is not as good as professional treatments. The simplest reason for this is that clinic-based treatments are stronger than what can be sold to the general public. I see people on a daily basis in my clinic that have spent a fortune on skincare which simply is not going to work despite what the packaging says.”

Final thoughts

One thing's for sure, regardless of whether you buy into their skin plumping effects, a face roller is still a brilliant step to add into your self-care routine to help you relax, unwind and feel good about yourself.

I personally use mine to de-puff my skin when it's particularly stressed, or if I've had a bit too much wine the night before (oops). Just like using a face mask, I feel calm, refreshed and my skin is more glowy. I feel it also helps my serum to sink into my skin more effectively - and it just feels good!

Like any beauty product, you need to give it a fair trial and be dedicated to it, so if you're expecting miracles from using it once per week, you might want to reconsider. What's more, if you have serious skin concerns or issues, you should absolutely speak to a professional.

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