Roll With It: How to Use a Face Roller + Why You Should
Face rollers have been a beauty bag staple for a minute. You’ve probably seen everything from usual jade rollers to some funky metallic double-tipped rollers on your feed.
If you’ve used one, you already know why: They feel AMAZING! Skin rollers are the perfect way to cool and calm your skin for a mini self-care moment.
But what do face rollers do really? And what do you need to know about how to use a face roller? Let’s break it down.
What is a facial roller?
Cooling face rollers are small, hand-held tools that look like a mini paint roller. They’re often double-ended — one small roller, one larger — and they’re used to gently massage your face to relax muscles, decrease puffiness and boost blood flow. While makeup rollers may be relatively new to your Insta feed, they actually go waaaay back to ancient China.
Face rollers have been part of the beauty routines of the Chinese elite since the 1600s. Originally, these face rollers were made of jade because it was thought to have special abilities to heal and soothe skin. Unfortunately, today we know that jade, as a porous stone, can trap and spread bacteria, which is why many companies — Beautyblender included! — opt for less porous materials (more on that later).
What do face rollers do?
One of the biggest benefits of a facial roller is that it makes massage easy — and that’s a VERY good thing. Any time you massage facial tissues, you increase circulation. That’s important because, while your heart actively pumps blood through your circulatory system all the time, your lymphatic system can be a little slower.
Your lymphatic system protects you from infection and disease by trapping and destroying anything harmful. It carries all this waste and bacteria out of your body through lymph fluid, which often flows a little slower and may even get stuck from time to time. The good news? Our lazy lymph flow can be helped along manually by massage! That’s why a cooling roller for faces yields all kinds of badass benefits, including brightening, depuffing and contouring your face naturally.
What are the benefits of a facial roller?
You’ll see many face roller benefits ASAP, including:
—Firmer and brighter skin
—Decreased puffiness that creates a killer contour
—Tighter pores and a slimmer face
—Reduced under-eye puffiness and dark circles
—Less rosacea and fewer blemishes
Other face roller benefits include:
—Better distribution and deeper penetration of skincare products
—Collagen stimulation that creates strength and buoyancy and reduces the appearance of wrinkles
—Improved mood thanks to the anxiety-reducing capabilities of facial massage
—Overall detoxification of the body through lymphatic system stimulation
—Decreased sinus pressure and ability to alleviate headaches
The best part: Once you learn how to use a face roller correctly, you can do it every day! This is great because — real talk — that slow-rollin’, cooling, calming motion is *kind of* addictive.
How to use a face roller
Before we dive into the 5 simple steps for how to use a face roller, take a minute to prep your skin. It’s super important to apply facial oil, primer, serum or moisturizer before you start rolling. Because, without lubrication, your skin roller can pull or pinch your face, which can derail the cool, calming vibe you’re working toward. Bonus: Another one of the benefits of a facial roller is that it delivers product deeper into your skin than your fingers, so you’re automatically upping your nourishment game if you work a high-quality product deeper into your skin.
Here at Beautyblender, we love using Opal Essence™ Serum Primer for that because it has a super-hydrating texture that nourishes skin to a whole new level with a makeup brush roller. Opal Essence won’t cling to dry patches or lines, so it gives you a headstart when it comes to achieving a flawless, dewy glow.
5 steps for how to use a face roller
1. Start below your chin and roll upward.
Always roll upward in one direction — never up and down. We know; It’s hard when most rollers make that motion so easy! But remember: You’re trying to flush toxins and fluid out of your face, which means you don’t want to simply drag it back and forth. Tip: Think of your roller like a push broom, not a mop, to keep your roll on track.
2. Complete five upward rolls in each area.
Roll up from your jawline to each ear, using gentle pressure. Any time you’re working the neck or jawline, focus on slow, gentle pressure rather than deep, fast motion.
3. Roll outward under your cheekbones and then along them.
Use brisk but firm strokes over and under your cheeks. Focus on working from the lower, innermost points on your face, all the way out to your hairline. When you reach your ear, roll downward to help direct excess fluid to the lymph nodes (aka the janitors of the lymphatic system).
4. Roll your forehead — up from your eyebrows and out toward your temples.
Use a gentle pull to draw extra fluid up and out. Finish by using your face roller horizontally on your eyebrows, rolling flat and then up and out. Tip: Try the eyebrow roll next time you have a headache. It’s a whiz at activating pain-relieving pressure points.
5. Finish by cooling the area around your eyes.
A face roller makes an excellent under-eye massager because it helps tone down dark circles. But it also acts as an under-eye de-puffer. Simply hold for 2-3 seconds on each section of your under-eye. And, if you struggle with overall puffiness, close each eye and roll your eyelid as well before applying eye makeup.
Anything else to know about face rollers?
Overall, use your face roller for 5-10 minutes at a time, and never rub too vigorously, as it can aggravate acne and irritate the skin. While you totally can use them every day, most people reach for them on days they need to relax or right before a big event.
Face rollers are also awesome at:
—Giving skin a healthy, natural glow (with no makeup at all!)
—Supercharging a sheet mask or pricey face serum by helping ingredients penetrate more deeply
—Setting and smoothing imperfections in makeup post-application
—Relaxing skin in cold AND hot applications
That’s right: Just dip your face roller in hot or warm water for a minute, pat it dry and then roll it all over your face for mini hot-stone-massage vibes.
Finding the right face roller
When it comes to finding a face roller, key things to note are material and shape. Most rollers are made of jade, rose quartz or another crystal. However, recently it’s been shown that some stone rollers have the potential to transmit bacteria, so steer clear of those if you’re not a religious sanitizer.
And, don’t forget: Sanitizing is SUPES important! Since a face roller helps boost the absorption of products, they deliver everything deep into your skin. That’s why everyone should be cleaning their roller between uses, whether you do a full dunk with Blendercleanser Liquid or a quick spot spray with Instaclean Dry Cleanser.
When it comes to shape, most skin rollers are oblong, thicker in the middle and have a paint-roller type movement. Those work great for some people, while others find they need a little more precision to get into small spaces like the corners of the eyes or the sides of the nose where redness likes to sneak in. That’s exactly why we made our BB makeup brush rollers a different shape from anything you’ve seen before!
Find Beautyblender makeup brush rollers on our:
— BIG BOSS Powder Brush & Cooling Roller
—SHADY LADY: All-Over Eyeshadow Brush & Cooling Roller
—HIGH ROLLER: Crease Brush & Cooling Roller
All BB makeup brush rollers:
—Come standard on our powder and eyeshadow brushes, so they’re true 2-for-1 tools
—Have a 360-degree spin that makes it easy to roll from every angle, any direction and in every face/neck contour
—Are completely sanitary, made from non-porous zamac metal, so they won’t harbor bacteria and they’re easier to keep clean
Bonus: Because our zamac rollers are made from naturally occurring metals, they stay cool 100% of the time, without ever needing to be refrigerated. Just roll and flip your BIG BOSS, SHADY LADY or HIGH ROLLER to apply powders, shadows or anything else your heart desires with our cruelty-free, hand-crafted brushes.
