4 Tools for Getting the Best Facial Massage at Home

What it is: Practiced for centuries, this East Asian skin-care tradition is believed to have healing properties (through the jade stone itself), while also promoting circulation to reduce puffiness and help serums better absorb into your skin.

How to use it: Pros put their jade rollers in the freezer a few hours before use (this will augment the de-puffing benefits). After cleansing and applying any moisturizers, you’re ready to roll. Using a gentle pressure, roll the larger end in an upward motion along your cheeks, jawline and forehead. Then, flip the roller and use the smaller end to reach the areas underneath and above your eyes as well as the patch of skin between your eyebrows. 

What it is: Another ancient Chinese skin-care ritual, Gua Sha has similar philosophies to jade rolling in that it’s centered around boosting circulation. Gua means “to scrape” and sha refers to tight or compromised tissue (which the scraping will alleviate).

How to use it: By gently scraping the tool upward and outward, Gua Sha stimulates lymphatic drainage, thereby nixing any puffiness quickly. Now, you’re probably wondering why someone would choose this over jade rolling and, though both are effective, we’ve found better control with Gua Sha because of the way it fits in our hand. 

What it is: You know the old chilled spoons trick your mom taught you? This is a supersized (and more ergonomic) version of that. Filled with water and gel and topped with a stainless-steel head for extra cooling, it’s a quick way to calm any inflammation on your skin.

How to use it: Store your ice roller in the freezer so it’s ready to go at any time. When you’re ready to use it, simply roll it across any areas that need calming (be it swollen under-eyes or an inflamed zit). We also like to roll it along the back of our neck when we need to cool down after a workout (or during muggy summer months).

What it is: This tool delivers (very) mild electrical currents to stimulate collagen and elastin production in your skin, while also toning the facial muscles underneath. With microcurrent treatments, you get an immediate afterglow (which makes it popular among celebs before a red carpet event) and a long-term benefit of a more lifted visage.

How to use it: After cleansing, glide the device over your face as directed. (Some devices, like the NuFace here, recommend using a gel primer beforehand to optimize conductivity of the currents.) Start with five sessions a week and then dial back to two or three to maintain the results.