Nature’s Botox: Face Massage and Relaxation

What position is your face in right now? Could you soften your eyes a bit more, unclench your jaw, and relax your forehead? “Wrinkles are the stress marks of our daily lives,” explains Arturo Aguilar, Rancho La Puerta’s Spa Director. Consciously relaxing your face can help reduce fine lines- which is a beauty solution that is cheaper and less painful than Botox!

“When we have stress in our lives, an urgency for everything, and no time to recuperate from the strain of modern life, we usually pile up stress in our jaw.” Clenching the jaw in stressful situations leads to shallow breathing, which tells our internal organs and cells that there is turmoil in the body. Arturo has a solution. “Massaging our jawbone and muscles that shape that the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a great way to relax our face and smooth out our lines of expression.” Watch as he demonstrates how to do it in this video:

Best practices for facial massage:

• Caress your face with a soft touch.
• Use a face cream or lotion tailored to your skin type. Do not use massage oil or pure essential oil on your face.
• Massage skin at night. The best facial treatment you can have includes destressing skin followed by deep sleep.

Make a face massage a ritual; try doing it two or three times a week and prioritize it on challenging days. Play calming music, turn on an aromatherapy diffuser, and light a candle. Additionally, try to become more mindful of how you hold your face and jaw throughout the day. Relaxing your face is not just skin deep: studies have shown that our facial expressions can influence emotions. Smiling can help reduce stress, and people who are forced to furrow their brows generate negative emotions. So, take a deep breath, smile, and take the time to give yourself a small massage. You deserve it.

Special thanks to our Spa Director, Arturo Aguilar, for his contributions to this article.