Do Face Rollers actually work?

Ever since the pandemic began, we’ve been at home, trying out all kinds of new things. From new recipes (hello, Dalgona and banana breads!) to new home workouts, we were opening our minds to ideas from across the world.

The beauty space also saw some new trends, particularly concerning skin and hair care, since makeup wasn’t as big a deal due to quarantine. If you’ve been following this space for even a short time now, you’re sure to have come across the trend of face rollers, also known as jade rollers. And the one question that popped in everyone’s mind was, “Do Face Rollers actually work?”

What are face rollers?

Face rollers are beauty tools which resemble paint rollers, with a stone instead of the foam roller part. Most face rollers have two rollers at either end – a small one for under eyes and around the mouth, and a larger one for the rest of the face. The rollers are made of smooth, polished crystal or stone like jade, rose quarts, amethyst and tourmaline. 

Face rollers may have become popular in recent times, but they’ve actually been around since the 17th century, as part of the elaborate beauty routines of the Chinese royals of the Qing dynasty. According to Chinese belief, jade has special healing properties, and they also help draw out negative energy, or ‘qi’. 

Do Face Rollers actually work?

Today, beauty influencers and several celebrities promote the use of face rollers, claiming that it gets rid of toxins, sculpts the face, removes wrinkles and slows down the ageing process. Now these are some pretty tall claims, so it is important to know if they’re true before you get yourself one of these tools. So today we address this all important question; “Do Face Rollers actually work?”

Here are some ways that a face rollers work on your skin when used regularly.

Face rollers helps to boost blood circulation

Using a face roller involves massaging the face, and the availability of different sized stones enable every part of the face to be massaged. This works well to increase circulation, which promotes the movement of fresh blood and other nutrients to the skin cells. There are many benefits to this, including brighter skin, a more even complexion and it also helps in faster renewal of skin cells, ensuring your face always looks fresh and youthful.

Face rollers promote lymphatic drainage

This is probably the most important benefits of using a face roller, and one that actually makes sense. The lymph, or fluid of the lymphatic system, plays an important role in boosting immunity and fighting infection. After performing their required function, the lymph drains towards the lymph nodes, where it is filtered and sent back into the blood stream.

If the lymph does not drain quickly enough, it can accumulate and cause puffiness and swelling. The body manages lymphatic drainage on its own naturally, but using a face roller can help the process along. The massaging action helps stimulate lymphatic drainage, removing the puffiness and giving the face a more contoured look.

Face rollers can help to soothe the skin

The stone or crystal in the face roller is often naturally cooling and helps soothe skin. Placing the roller in the fridge prior to use increases the benefits. It hastens the release of toxins and tightens pores. It has an effect similar to what rubbing an ice cube on skin does and is the basic principle behind trendy ice facials.

Chilled jade rollers also help in soothing skin conditions like rosacea, sunburn or other skin irritations. If your skin tends to get red quickly after working out or some time in the sun, cold face rollers can offer instant relief and calms the skin down. Using a jade roller over a cool sheet mask helps the mask stay properly on the face and also helps the ingredients in the mask get absorbed easily.

It can improve product application by easy absorption

The instructions for any product application recommend massaging the product into the face. This is because massage increases the efficacy of the product and allows the ingredients to get absorbed more readily. This is where face rollers play an important role.

When used with a face oil, serum or even moisturizer, they help spread the product more evenly across the face and enable the product to reach all parts of the face. A face roller ensures the product penetrates deeper into the skin. They’re also helpful for those who have long nails and find it difficult to apply a product with their fingers. 

They can help calm the mind

While face rollers can be soothing for skin conditions like redness and irritation, it’s also incredibly calming for the nerves. It is well known about the therapeutic benefits of a massage, and the same apply to massaging your face with a roller. The massage stimulates relaxing hormones, decreases stress hormones and calms the mind.

The repetitive motions of moving the face roller up and down feel good and help reduce stress levels. In fact, most people prefer using the face roller more as a kind of self care, and many have reported feeling less anxious after a massage with a face roller. What’s more, this can be done anywhere, at any time and without the need for another person’s help.

What Face Rollers Don’t Do

• Slim the face. The lymphatic drainage helps release any puffiness, and this can help contour the face, but it cannot get rid of a double chin or other fat on the face, since spot reduction is a myth.
• Produce collagen. The increased blood circulation from facial massage can keep the skin looking healthy and youthful, but it cannot increase collagen production only through massage.
• Exercise facial muscles. Massaging with a face roller can target the outer layers of the skin, increase blood circulation and help lymphatic drainage, but it cannot go deep enough to target facial muscles.
• Treat acne. While a chilled face roller is refreshing and can soothe acne irritation, it cannot treat the root cause of acne, which could be due to many reasons.

In short, if you’d like to try out the face roller trend, it’s a definite ‘go ahead’! Do Face Rollers actually work? While face rollers aren’t magic wands, they do have their benefits, and side effects haven’t been reported. Many people help that using a roller helps them stick to a proper skin care routine, and many others find that it becomes an important part of their daily self-care. If you think any of these would apply to you – go ahead and get yourself a face roller!

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