SKINCARE TOOLS: Do you need a face roller?

I remember when I first laid eyes on a jade roller (probably in a random YouTube video), my mind filed it under some kind of "crystal healing" and I walked on by. But fast forward a few years, and now it's a constant in my skincare routines, and holds a special place in my fridge right next to my vitamin C serums. Facial rollers have been around forever, but these days they are showing up in every skincare routine in my Instagram feed and its become a staple for most. With its recent surge in popularity, I've been getting lots of questions about why I use one, does it really work, and is it going to eliminate all my neck wrinkles? So I thought I'd do a quick dive into what the claims are around face rollers, basics on how to use one, and what I actually get from this tool. Let's start!

THE CLAIMS: I'm going to bullet this out to make it easy, and just chat about the claims for the manual use of the face roller itself. There are lots of claims around the benefits in terms of what the roller is made of, most popular being jade and rose quartz, but I'm not super well-versed in stone energies, and I'm an admitted skeptic. I keep an open mind about it because I'm not very knowledgeable on the topic, but I'll leave that up to you to dig into depending on what roller interests you the most. Some are just made of plastic or metal (usually called ice rollers), so you can go the non-stone route also! There's really so many options out there now, it's dizzying. Okay, the claims:

Helps to depuff (by stimulating the lymphatic system)
Soothes inflammation
Increases blood circulation
Reduces the appearance of fine lines
Helps skincare to sink in better
Releases tension in the face (that can cause wrinkles)
Helps drain toxins out of your face
Helps sculpt features

HOW TO USE ONE: There are many different methods recommended for facial rolling, and a zillion articles and videos, but I'll share what I've found works best for me! In general I apply a very light pressure when I roll, and I don't roll too fast - I'm not trying to speed my way through what's supposed to be a relaxing part of my routine! I also like to jade roll after applying serums or oils, or when I'm wearing sheet masks. I always keep my roller in the fridge until I use it, but they stay pretty cool anyways if you don't want to chill them. I like to start with my neck when I roll, and then work my way up my face to my forehead.

For the neck, I roll from the top of my neck downwards to drain towards the center of my body.
For my jaw area, I start at my chin and roll upwards moving towards my temples. I pick up the roller once it reaches the end and bring it back to the starting point, rather than rolling it back downwards on my face.
For my cheek area, I start towards the center of my face and then roll outwards and upwards towards my temples.
On my forehead, I start at the center of my forehead and roll outwards (doing both sides separately)
If I do my eyes, I'll use the smaller end of the tool and roll from the inside of my eyes, outwards, both underneath and on my lids

WHAT I ACTUALLY GET FROM THIS TOOL: After using a facial roller for about 2 years now, the benefits I get are: soothing, depuffing & easing facial tension. I like to think that using this helps my skincare sink in better, but I honestly don't know how I'd scientifically prove that, so we'll keep it off the list. Is it soothing? Hell yes. Does it help depuff? Definitely! And I think the routine of it and focusing on a section of my face to slowly massage eases the tension that I tend to hold in my jaw and forehead. I haven't seen any of my fine lines all of a sudden decrease after using this, and I wouldn't say it's sculpting my features beyond making them more pronounced after depuffing, but I'd say it does a good chunk of what it claims to do. I think some people go in thinking they can iron out the wrinkles, which would be wonderful witchcraft, but despite that it is delivering on some great benefits! Also, if you ever deal with sinus pressure - AH MA ZING.

I feel like I answered my "why I use a face roller" in the last snippet, but does it really work? Yes, BUT for my expectations. If you're looking for something that will erase your forehead lines, then you might be disappointed. This isn't going to roll out lines like a roller can smooth out dough unfortunately, otherwise I'd say GET IT NOW. But if you ate a bowl of ramen the night before and need some depuffing help the next morning, then give this a try!

Do you NEED a face roller in your routine? I don't think so. This is definitely an extra step that is a nice-to-have, but not a need-to-have, and if your routine has been working out without a massaging stone wheel rolling across your face, then don't feel like you need to get one. I enjoy using it, my puffy eyes thank me for it, and I'll keep using it because it feels amazing, but if your routine isn't broke, then no need to fix it! And If you do want to try one, I'll link a few options below! The BeautyBio Rose Quartz roller has been my go-to since it stays colder longer than my jade roller, and it has a nice weight to it that applies a good amount of pressure to my skin without me having to press into it, but it's all definitely personal preference at the end of the day!

What are your thoughts on facial rollers? Do you feel like you need one in your routine?

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