A guide to facial rollers: How to use them & 9 benefits

Have you found yourself hearing and reading about facial rollers more and more?

They may be a bit of a funny-looking gadget, but they can deliver lots of skincare benefits, and in a double dose too because most are dual-ended.

In this article, we introduce you to facial rollers – what they are, what they’re made from and some of the benefits of introducing them to your daily skincare regime.

What are facial rollers?

Usually made from jade or rose quartz, facial rollers are mini rollers that you use on your face.

Now, if you’re wondering ‘why would you want to roller your face?’, we know, it does sound a bit odd.

But there’s a reason why so many people worldwide are doing it, which we’re going to move on to shortly.

You can use these rollers as they are, e.g. where you last left them – on your bathroom shelf or in your makeup bag – or you can pop them in the fridge or freezer for more of an invigorating facial rollering session.

What’s more, because they tend to be made from crystals, such as jade or rose quartz too, it gives a whole new dimension to the concept of crystal healing.

How to use facial rollers

So now that we’ve established that you roller them over your face, let’s delve a bit deeper and cover off how you actually use them. Feel free to adapt this routine to fit with your skincare habits.

1. Cleanse your face so that’s it clear of any skincare or makeup products.
2. Gently roller your face using light, sweeping strokes (more guidance on this below).
3. Then apply your eye products, serums and moisturisers.

When it comes to your evening skincare regime, you may want to apply some oil to your skin after cleansing and then gently roller over it.

Make sure you thoroughly wash any leftover oil from your roller afterwards though to keep it clean and germ-free.

How to roller your skin

1. Always do face rolling upwards and in one direction – never roll up and down.¹
2. For an uplifting massage - work around your facial contours and use slightly more pressure for upwards motions so that they slightly lift your facial muscles.
3. To encourage lymph drainage - imagine the bridge of your nose is the central point and roll away from it in all directions. Imagine you are very gently rolling all the toxin build up outward and downwards; finally rolling outward along your jaw and down the channel that runs down your neck by your ear.

Summary

Facial rollers are mini rollers that you use on your face that are usually made from jade, rose quartz or another type of crystal. They’re crystal healing – for the face.

It’s best to use them after you’ve cleansed and before you apply moisturiser. You can also use them to gently roller your moisturiser, serum or oil into your skin.

9 facial roller benefits

You now know how to use them, but what’s the point of using them? Are there any positives to using a facial roller?

There are several, we’ve covered 9 of the main ones below:

1. Lymphatic drainage massage

We have lymph nodes located all over our body, including at the base of our nose, outside the mouth, along our jaw, behind our ears, under our chin, and in the back of our neck.

Facial rollering can help move some of the lymphatic fluid, ideally towards the direction of these facial lymph nodes. In turn, this can help reduce any facial redness or puffiness.²

2. Anti-ageing

Facial rollers can potentially help improve the effectiveness of anti-ageing creams, serums and other products because they increase blood circulation. This may encourage skin to absorb products better.

A 2017 study found that an anti-aging cream produced better results in reducing fine lines on women, who used a vibrating massage device to apply it rather than their hands.³

3. Facial

You can use facial rollers to specifically release lymphatic fluid, or you can simply roll them generally over your face for an all-over massage.

And if you’ve popped yours in the fridge or freezer beforehand, they can feel really cool and calming on your skin.

Because the surface of facial rollers are super smooth, they give you access to muscles and tissues that may be difficult to get to with your hands, as well as apply even pressure to.

4. Moisturiser absorption

It’s not uncommon for people to use their facial roller over a sheet mask to help the ingredients penetrate more deeply.

You can also use a face roller as the final step in your skincare routine for the same reason, to boost the absorption of products.⁴

5. Skin glow

Just like when you go for a body massage, facial rollers boost blood circulation to your skin, which means more oxygen and nutrients flowing to the surface.

This increased blood flow to the skin can last over ten minutes after just a five-minute massage, and make your skin glow.⁵

6. Self-care

We all live in a busy world, where we’re constantly rushing from A to B and fitting in some ‘me time’ is always just out of reach.

But incorporating a facial roller into your skincare routine, morning or night or morning and night, is an ideal way to give your skin some extra TLC without taking up too much more of your time.

7. Universal usage

Because facial rollers are easy to use, we can all pick them up and start using them right away.

And, if we’ve followed the guidance above, we can perfect our facial rollering technique the more we do it.

8. Less ingredients

If you choose to use your facial roller on its own, then you are essentially boosting your skin without the need for products with numerous ingredients.

Of course, you can also roller it over your moisturiser, serum or oil to help them penetrate into your skin, it’s entirely down to personal preference.

9. Frequency

The beauty of facial rollers is that you can use them as little or as often as you like.

Once a day, twice a day, once a week or twice a fortnight, they aren’t going to damage or aggravate your skin, unless you apply too much pressure when you’re using them.

Remember – gentle strokes in an upwards and outwards motion is best.

Summary

There are lots of benefits to using facial rollers.

They range from lymphatic drainage and anti-ageing, to better moisturiser absorption and giving your skin a healthy glow.

They’re also a useful way to give you and your skin some ‘me time.’

What stone is best for facial roller?

Now this is where things get a bit more exciting because you can choose what your facial roller’s made out of.

And that tends to either be jade, rose quartz or another type of crystal. In terms of choosing the ‘best’ facial roller, it’s entirely up to you.⁶

1. Jade facial roller

In traditional Chinese medicine, jade is referred to as the stone of heaven and represents health, wealth, longevity and prosperity.

It’s believed to draw out negative energy. Jade facial rollers are linked to reducing redness. They are also believed to be balancing for the face.

2. Rose quartz facial roller

Lots of facial rollers are made from jade, as well as rose quartz.

Linked to opening up the heart chakra, rose quartz reportedly helps awaken skin. Rose quartz may also help with overcoming redness and blemishes.

3. Fire agate facial roller

Fire agate is a mineral that’s part of the quartz family.

Quartz minerals are believed to carry a small charge, but its energy is different to that of clear or rose quartz. It’s also been linked to helping calm irritated skin and breakouts.

4. Bian stone facial roller

This demi-matte black stone hails from a mountain in China, where it was struck by a meteor and, therefore, is thought to have notable, supercharged benefits.

It contains more than 40 minerals and trace elements and produces negative ions, giving it antioxidant properties.

5. Scolecite facial roller

Scolecite is believed to rid space of negative energy and is often used in acupressure.

It can be used to help detoxify and decongest skin.

Is rose quartz or jade roller better?

There are plus points to using both of them.⁷

Rose quartz facial rollers

Rose quartz is associated with love and promoting all facets of it – self-love, romantic love, friendship, healing and peace.

Rose quartz rollers tend to maintain their temperature well.

Meanwhile, they are harder than jade crystal, and that bit smoother, making them great for sensitive skin types.

Jade facial rollers

Jade crystals are believed to be balancing and promote health and healing. The crystal can help bring inner peace to your life and balance your skin tone.

Jade facial rollers are cool to the touch and stay cool, even while you’re using them on your skin. They aren’t perfectly smooth to the touch.

Jade crystals are porous, so make sure you clean them with mild soap and water before and after each use to avoid any dirt build-up.

Summary

Different facial roller materials offer different skin benefits.

For instance, jade reportedly helps reduce sensitivity and redness; rose quartz helps with blemishes; fire agate calms skin and scolecite has detoxifying properties.

Whichever crystal you choose is entirely up to you. 

Takeaway

Facial rollers are a skincare gadget we can all use and should all be using.

From reducing puffiness and boosting circulation, to improving your moisturiser absorption and treating yourself to a little pamper that doesn’t take forever, facial rollers are widely used and widely loved.

To get the best results, use them gently and in the right direction, and make sure you clean them between uses to avoid them getting clogged up with dirt, products and bacteria.

Now that you’re here, we think you may find this article useful. It’s about a relative of facial rollers, Gua Sha.

Last updated: 1 July 2021