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How To Use Face Yoga To Get Rid Of Forehead Lines From A Pro
If you struggle with forehead lines, listen up. We know most at-home wrinkle treatments are one of two things: Overpriced or time extensive. However, today we're talking about a quick exercise that you can do every day to ease these stubborn lines. Bonus: It will cost you absolutely nothing.
I first learned about this technique when I was chatting with Fumiko Takatsu, face yoga instructor and founder of the Face Yoga Method, about the facial exercise practice, and I couldn't help but ask for some go-to moves. Straight away I asked about forehead lines, as I'm seeing some faint etchings start to settle in. And the routine she showed me became my new favorite afternoon treat. She literally calls it the "instant pick-me-up" as if you need any more encouragement to give this a try.
This exercise may reduce stress, too.
Forehead wrinkles are a kind of expression wrinkle. "Expression wrinkles happen when underlying facial muscles are activated to create facial expressions," board-certified dermatologist Cynthia Bailey, M.D., founder of Dr. Bailey Skin Care, once told us about the kind of wrinkle. It's not necessarily the movement that's the problem—creases and lines are part of a well-functioning face—but as you lose vital skin components like collagen, your skin isn't as able to bounce back from these movements. They manifest as horizontal etches from raising your brows or vertical lines from furrowing them together (also known as the "11s").
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Anecdotally, forehead wrinkles are most often associated with stress. This makes sense when you think about how we move and hold our face when tense: tense scalp and forehead muscles, a furrowed brow, rubbing the area. And this association is spot on: "We hold stress in the shoulders and forehead," says Takatsu, noting that this is why she addresses the skin and muscles for not only aesthetic purposes but the feeling of anxiety itself. (We're all for getting to the root of the problem around here, too!)
"It's a fun exercise," she says. "And for me, I like to combine with affirmations. Do it for three sets and see how you feel after—you can always do more if you want."
Here, her simple routine.
How to massage your forehead to ease fine lines.
- Center yourself and adjust your posture. For Takatsu, posture is everything. So you'll want to sit with your feet flat on the ground, your back tall, and shoulders relaxed and even.
- Find your affirmation. For this exercise, she uses "I love my life. I love myself" but notes that you should "feel free to change it to whatever you want to say," and that once you select it "think about it in your heart so your body starts to feel it." (Here's a list of 50-plus affirmations, if you need inspiration.)
- Place your hands on your head. For this position, "you'll put the thumbs on the top of the head and the four fingers on your forehead," she says. Once here, push your shoulder blades down, relax your neck and the rest of the face, and take a deep breath through your nose.
- Pull your fingers up toward your hairline. "Keep your thumbs secured on your scalp, and then move your fingers toward your hairline," she says. "It should feel like you're not just pulling the skin, but you're moving the muscles."
- Slowly move your hands around and down your head. In one continuous, smooth movement "place both palms on the sides of your head, moving down toward your neck," she says. "Continue to your neck, your shoulders, and your chest."
- End by speaking your affirmations. While taking a deep breath, place your palms on your chest, and recite your selected affirmations. "You should feel relaxed and rejuvenated," she says.
The takeaway.
While many expensive devices and extra-long treatments may ease forehead lines, this quick and easy exercise can as well. Not to mention, all you need is your hands and a few free moments. If you want to make the most of this exercise, add in some affirmations to double down on the and release some stress as well. And if you want to learn more about what you can do to further smooth these fine lines, check out this story.
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