Were you, like many other people, influenced by social media to get yourself a rose quartz face roller? Don’t beat yourself up — we’ve all been there at some point. It’s hard to not be dazzled by claims of traditional massaging techniques that can lift your face, depuff, improve lymphatic drainage, and more. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it looks pretty. 

But alas, the face roller won’t actually do that much for your skin other than fluff up your nightly routine with a nice little massage. Countless beauty influencers will tell you otherwise, but other than spending unnecessary money on a tool that will only look nice for your social media flatlays, you don’t actually need a rose quartz, jade, or amethyst face roller. Below, we break down the claims of the face roller and recommend you what actually works. 

 

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It makes your face slimmer

No single tool can make your face slimmer or appear slimmer simply by using a rolling technique. The only way you can make your face ‘slimmer’ is by taking care of your nutrition and exercising. 

It can ‘lift’ your face

Again, your face cannot miraculously be ‘lifted’ with just a face roller. For skin to be lifted, you need a boost in collagen production, which can be achieved with a facial treatment such as microneedling or laser treatments. Also, skin sagging with age is a natural occurrence that you’ll have to live with. Just embrace it!

 

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It improves lymphatic drainage

Now, this is actually true. When used properly – rolling in an upwards motion in one direction – it can stimulate lymphatic drainage. However, any form of massaging or rolling can do that; you don’t specifically need a face roller to help with lymphatic drainage. In fact, you can even use your fingers and knuckles to massage your face to improve lymphatic drainage. This YouTube tutorial shows you how. 

It’s relaxing

It is. Admittedly, there’s something nice about ending your day with a relaxing skincare routine and a face massage using a face roller that’s been chilling in the fridge. However, if you don’t want to splash out on a jade face roller to get this effect, you can also pop your face masks in the fridge and apply later on for the same cooling sensation. 

Image: Unsplash/ Content Pixie

 

It helps your serums to penetrate into the skin better

Yes, it does. Unfortunately, while we love to follow an extended 11-step skincare routine with many serums involved, most of us also don’t have the patience to let the serums properly absorb before layering the next one. Using a face roller will help the process by enhancing the absorption process while rolling, thus prepping the skin for your next serum. 

The bottomline is…

Do you actually need one? If you already have one, it’s time to reset your expectations for its benefits. But if you were planning on splashing out on a face roller, we’re here to tell you that there are better ways to spend that money, like on these high-tech beauty devices.