You can actually reverse the aging process of your face. How? By using good quality facial cleansers and scrubs along with a few simple isometric facial exercises and self-massage. It takes only 15 minutes a day and those minutes can be in the shower. My regimen works for men and women.
The general idea is to speed up the process of removing and replacing dead facial skin tissue. It’s the dead tissue that leaves the skin tired and muddy looking.
Men don’t get those fine lines above the upper lip that many women get because most men shave daily, automatically epidermabrading or exfoliating i.e., removing dead skin tissue.
Cleanse and scrub
Daily cleansing and scrubbing is the key to removing dead skin cells.
For a cleanser, use either a creamy cleanser or foaming facial cleansing gel. Look for a spreadable consistency. A cleanser should not soak into your skin too easily. The cleanser removes oil and dirt.
A scrub which is used for an abrasive scrub-massage should have as many natural ingredients as possible. The word “scrub” or “cleanser” should be clearly marked on the container you buy.
For a scrub, I find that two ingredients sea kelp and sea salt have the necessary abrasive action, are antibacterial and give a smooth, refined texture to the skin. If you can’t find a product with these ingredients, buy them in bulk and add 14 teaspoon each of sea salt and sea kelp for each ounce of purchased product.
When you use a scrub, dampen your fingers first with water the additional moisture gives the scrub more spread ability. Always look for products that are pH-balanced.
Caution: Use the scrub gently at first, until you get used to its abrasive action. You don’t want to overdo it and leave red patches, or worse, break blood vessels in your face.
You’ll also want a supply of small, rough, white cotton terry-cloth towels. Hand towels are a good size. I have seven enough to last a week.
Now, the exercises
It’s a good idea to do these exercises whenever you apply cleanser and facial scrub.
Women may also want to do them whenever they apply moisturizer, night cream or even makeup base. This allows your fingers to move smoothly over your face.
Men might find it easiest to do them in the shower. Once you learn the exercises, they will quickly become automatic. After all, you work out to keep your body in good shape. You exercise your arms, legs, abdomen why not exercise your face?
The eternal “o”
This exercise firms up the mouth, cheeks, nose and eye area. First, form a large oval “O” with your mouth, pulling your upper lip downward over your teeth. Smile slightly, but don’t move your mouth from the O-shape.
At the same time, squeeze your eyelids shut. The purpose of this phase is to stretch the skin tightly across your face, so you can massage it without worrying about damaging the elasticity of your skin.
The massage:
Holding the O position with your eyes closed; use the fingertips of each hand to trace a complete circle around each eye.
- Starting from the corners, move over the eyebrows, then under the eyes (including the upper cheeks), for a complete circle.
- Do this quickly, a minimum of 10 times. Eventually, you work up to 50 times or more.
Nose: Next, massage your nose with downward strokes, five times.
Mouth: Then massage in a full circle around your mouth, five times in one direction, five in the other.
Forehead: Finally, put your fingertips at the bridge of your nose, and massage upward and outward over your forehead to your hairline, using five to 10 long strokes.
The firming smile
Now, for the bottom half of your face, to help prevent jowls and a double chin
- Roll your lips inward over your upper and lower teeth, leaving a space of about ½ inch between your lips.
- Smile as widely as you can with your lower jaw only.
- Holding the exercise position, and using your fingertips, massage the entire lower part of your face in small outward circular motions.
- Start at the tip of your chin, move up to your ears and then back down again, to a slow count of 10. With practice, work up to 20.
The neck rejuvenator
To keep your neck muscles firm and your neck tissue smooth and supple
- Place your thumb under your chin, and curl your tongue back in your throat until you feel the muscle directly under your chin protrude.
- Now you can take your thumb away but continue to keep your tongue curled back.
- Next, with your chin pointing upward, stretch your neck as far to the left as possible, to a slow count of 10.
- Repeat, rotating to the right. At the same time, massage upward from the base of the neck with the fingertips of both hands, in long, vigorous upward strokes, up to the jawbone.
The upper-up smoother and around-the-mouth strengthener
To prevent those upper-lip lines, smooth the furrows that run from the corners of the mouth to the chin strengthen the muscles around the mouth and firm the lips…
- Press your lips together in a straight line, smiling slightly.
- Using the index fingers of both hands, massage in tiny outward circular motions around the mouth, to a slow count of 10.
- Squeeze your lips together harder and harder, until you feel a tingling sensation.
- Then immediately make a small “O” with your mouth, to a slow count of 10.
- Pucker harder and harder while massaging in tiny outward circular motions around the mouth, to a slow count of 10. Release.
Do this exercise with the massage at least twice a day. And also do it whenever you can without the massage while driving, cooking, cleaning, and reading. It’s a truly portable exercise.
