How to Use Facial Rollers – Jade Roller, Ice Roller, Gua Sha, Nurse Jamie and Clarisonic

I’ve always been fascinated with natural anti-aging methods – from facial exercises to facial massage, I’ve tried them all! So it’s no surprise that I’m obsessed with facial rollers, and have used quite a few over the years.

 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING FACIAL ROLLERS?

Facial massage is one of the most natural and effective anti-aging treatments. Using tools such as facial rollers can make your facial massage more effective. Here are some of the benefits of facial massage with a roller:

• Contours the face – reduces puffiness and helps detoxify through lymphatic drainage
• Bright and glowy complexion – promotes circulation with increased blood flow to face
• Makes skincare more effective – increases product absorption/penetration
• Releases facial stress and tension – it can even help with migraines, sinus pain and jaw clenching
• Stimulates collagen production and reduces fine lines and wrinkles – mainly anecdotal evidence – but even if it helps a bit, it’s worth it!

HOW DO YOU USE FACIAL ROLLERS?

I share specific instructions under each device, but most facial rollers can be used with a classic lymphatic drainage massage. Here’s a general guideline of movement to follow – you start by stroking down from under your ears to your collarbone (the dark pink arrows) and then stroke from the center of your face outwards (the light pink arrows). For in-depth lymphatic drainage instructions, I like following the Tanaka Massage Method demonstrated here:

 

JADE ROLLERS AND ROSE QUARTZ ROLLERS:

What is a Jade Roller: Jade Rollers are a double-sided tool, with a large stone on one side (to massage most of your face), and a smaller stone on the other side (for around your eyes and nose). Using the tool is meant to increase circulation, reduce swelling and help products penetrate better. The rolling motion can promote lymphatic drainage while the jade (or rose quartz) material has a cooling effect on the skin. The facial rollers can come in a variety of materials – popular stones include Jade, Rose Quartz and Amethyst.

How do you use a Jade Roller: Jade Rollers can be used after applying your skincare – gently roll the tool across your face to help your skincare sink in. The stone is cool to the touch and reduces skin puffiness – some people store their roller in the fridge to increase its cooling effect. For a luxe at-home facial experience, roll it across your face after applying a sheet mask.

My experience using a Jade Roller: I own several jade rollers (they’re relatively inexpensive and I’ve also been gifted a few) – one stays in my travel bag, and two are on my bedside table. It actually feels really good to use two rollers at once on your face – and my kids sometimes ask me to roll their faces before they go to bed as they find it very relaxing too! It’s an easy-to-use tool and a good starting point if you’re just getting into facial massage.

Product link: (Price range ~ under $30) Jade Roller / Rose Quartz Roller

 

NURSE JAMIE INSTANT UPLIFT MASSAGING BEAUTY ROLLER:

What is the Nurse Jamie Uplift Roller: This roller was created by Nurse Jamie – a famous celebrity facialist (her clients include Jessica Alba and Khloe Kardashian). The hexaganol shaped roller has 24 tourmaline stones embedded in it – and the rolling motion of the stones is meant to replicate the fingertip massage effects used during Nurse Jamie’s signature facials. The roller helps with product penetration and leaves your skin looking lifted and toned.

How do you use the Nurse Jamie Uplift Roller: Nurse Jamie designed this tool to be user-friendly – you mainly roll it in an upward motion across your forehead, cheeks, and neck. You use it in a back and forth motion under your chin, under your eyes and along your jawline. Here is a simple 1-minute video demonstrating how to use the uplift facial roller.

My experience using the Nurse Jamie Uplift Roller: This roller provides instant results – your face looks lifted within 3-5 minutes of rolling – so its great to use before events or a photoshoot – especially because it’s easy to carry around. At $69 it’s pricier than Jade Rollers, but it’s really sturdy and made of high-quality materials. It’s also a celeb favourite and featured in many of their beauty routine posts.

Product link: (Price range ~ $69) Uplift Roller on Amazon / Uplift Roller at Sephora

 

ICE ROLLER FOR FACE:

What is an Ice Roller: Rolling ice cubes across your face is an old Hollywood beauty trick for glowing skin. Ice treatment increases circulation, reduces puffiness and can help pores look smaller.  The ice roller is a convenient and mess-free way to incorporate ice therapy into your routine.

How do you use an Ice Roller: Detach the liquid-filled roller head and store in your freezer. Clip it on to the plastic roller body and roll it all over your face. It can also be used to help with migraine or sinus pain. The roller head retains its cold temperature for a long while!

My experience using an Ice Roller: I know some people use this every day as part of their morning routine, but I usually use this before getting ready for a special event – I just take it out of the freezer and roll it all over my face for 5-10 minutes (usually while doing something else like watching a show or reading on my phone). It makes my face feel glowy and more contoured – it’s especially perfect for using before a photoshoot!

Product link: (Price range ~ under $20) Ice Roller

 

GUA SHA TOOL:

What is a Gua Sha Tool: Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese medicine technique, where a flattened stone is used to scrape/massage the skin and increase circulation. When used on the face, Gua Sha can help with lymphatic drainage – reducing puffiness, removing toxins and increasing blood flow, so that your skin looks bright and glowy. They often sell Gua Sha stones in a bundle with Jade Rollers – and because the Gua Sha tool is small, it’s very easy to travel with.

How to use a Gua Sha Tool: Since the tool needs to glide across your skin, you need to use it with something that provides slip – like a facial oil or moisturizer. The Gua Sha tool has various points and curves on its edges – you anchor your skin with one hand, and glide the tool outwards towards your temples and ears. Here is a video demonstrating how to use a facial Gua Sha tool.

My experience using a Gua Sha Tool: This is one of the most potent facial massage tools that I’ve tried. While it requires some prep (oiled skin) and time, it has noticeable results. It’s the type of treatment that makes people ask what you’ve been doing differently – because your skin looks amazing! I wish I had the patience to do this every day – it’s usually more of a weekly thing at most. To make this a bit more efficient, I sometimes perform a Gua Sha massage while double-cleansing my face – using my oil cleanser to provide the slip.

Product link: (Price range ~ under $30) Facial Gua Sha Tool

 

CLARISONIC FIRMING MASSAGE HEAD:

What is the Clarisonic Firming Massage Head: The Clarisonic Firming Massage Head is an attachment that fits on any Clarisonic SMART cleansing device and transforms it into an anti-aging massage tool. It’s meant to tighten skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

How to use it: Remove the cleansing brush head from your Clarisonic SMART device and click on this massage attachment. This video demonstrates how to use the massage tool – you target 4 zones, gliding the device in circular motions for 30 seconds per zone.

My experience: I don’t use this as much as I should – mainly because I didn’t have the instruction video saved on my phone. Most of the other tools use the general lymphatic drainage technique – which I have memorized. Now that I have saved this video on my phone, I plan on using my Clarisonic massage tool more frequently – especially because it seems very powerful and high-tech! I think it will be especially effective for targeting and treating lines on my neck.

Product link: (Price range ~ around $80 for the attachment) Massage Attachment / Clarisonic SMART device with Massage Attachment

 

It feels good to FINALLY have my thoughts down in one place – I’d been promising a post on facial rollers for ages, but I kept discovering new types of rollers/massage tools – and naturally wanted to test them out before writing this post. I’ll be referring back to this post a lot myself – especially because the instructional links for the various tools are all here!

It’s hard to pick a favourite from these facial massage tools…if you’re just starting out with facial massage, I would recommend purchasing the Ice Roller first – as it provides immediate results – and can also be used for headaches. So far, the most effective (and easy to transport) option is the Gua Sha – but it has a steeper learning curve and requires oiled skin.

Do you own any of these Facial Rollers / Facial Massage Tools? 

If you’re interested in learning more about natural anti-aging techniques – check out my post on Facial Exercise!