At Home Facial Devices

There’s been an explosion during recent times, in the rise of home rejuvenation skin care devices, that promise to give our skin a kind of rejuvenation that face products are unable to match. It’s something that personally gets us very excited; what’s not to love about relaxing effective spa treatments in the comfort of your own home, and without the high price tag. Admittedly some of the devices can cost a fair amount of money, but they have a very low cost per use as they should last for years, and due to their ability to increase the effectiveness of topical skincare products.

I love the non-invasive aspect of these products, some are completely natural and others are electric, using various scientific systems to treat skin. But none of them require surgery, or needles, and any of the risks that these could bring. If use correctly there should be no risk of asymmetry, over filling, and a change to the natural beauty of our face structure. Although, you will not get nearly the same instant and obvious changes as you can with medical clinical procedures.

We are particularly interested in anti-ageing skin enhancing devices, as although skin products such as Nakin’s natural youth boosting skincare goes a long way to improve skin, these spa devices take that further. These instruments can really boost skin, as well as relaxing the face and getting the blood flowing, so they work as a great team with good skincare products. Just a simple massage will benefit skin by increasing circulation and stimulating skin turnover. Cosmetic Business looked at studies showing how massage improves the efficiency of skincare products. They reported that when measuring the permeation rates of products, the skin rubbing from massage increased the flux of actives, reduced skin impedance and increased active ingredient retention. Massage is also found to have many psychological benefits for relaxation; and even providing a positive benefit to our brainwaves. Many of the skin enhancing devices that are on the market have been tested extensively to prove that they can improve skin, with impressive before and after shots.

There are many facial improvement devices on the market, which but we could only try a few of these. We picked the ones that seemed good value for what they were offering, that had good reviews, and importantly seemed easy to use. We know ourself that if a product is a faff to use, then it tends to get lost in a drawer somewhere. Read on to find out my experiences with five well-known and easily available skincare accessories.

Body Shop Oils Of Life™ Twin-Ball Facial Massager

Summary: A simple affordable face tool that has some excellent reviews, one customer even said that a friend thought she had got some cosmetic fillers after using it.

They say: The massager improves skin tone and circulation, increasing skin elasticity, while reducing puffiness and wrinkles. It was designed by Vanda Serrador, facialist for The Body Shop. She also developed a special massage called the Facial Dance Workout, to stimulate blood flow and lymphatic drainage, and leave skin energised and radiant.

Findings: First thoughts are that it’s very cold, which is probably the point, so we prefer to warm it up before use. It’s very easy to use and the balls do move around, which is nice. It comes with exercises; but I also go into free flow, depending on where I feel that my face needs a bit of extra help. I love the feeling on skin, and even used it on my shoulders and neck as it relieved the tension in them. It is meant to be used with an oil, and any good natural face oil like our Revitalising Face Oil will work. The massager makes some impressive claims and we like it a lot. It’s brilliant value, and small enough to be used anytime anywhere, plus last a lifetime if looked after properly.

Body Shop Precision Eye Massager 

Summary: We loved the sound of this, and it goes as a nice duo with the face massager discussed above. It’s important to have something specific for eyes, as they are a very unique part of skin, and very delicate, so need to be treated with extra care.

They say: The targeted design can be used to apply eye cream with the spatula end, and use the other rollerball end as the massager. It reduces the appearance of under eye bags, refines the eye contour, improving skin circulation and tone. Plus refreshes the eye area, and reduces skin fatigue and dark circles.

Findings: At first it’s cold like the face massager, so we warm it up before use. Although the cold is nice if your skin and eyes really need a wake-up, this can really help the eye area. The ball moves around nicely and it feels like it is really getting into the eye contours, while still being kind to skin. For best results use it with a natural hydrating eye cream, such as our Eye Cream Complex. We love the small size and have also been using it on my frown lines. We read the instructions which require a flick and twist eye massage method, it seemed a little confusing and I preferred to just use a free flow system, following the exercises provided.

DermaWand Anti-aging Beauty Tool

Summary: This is the most high tech of all the products that I tried. It’s an electric device, and although it is pricey, it has impressive before and after shots. We are always a skeptic of these, as often the after shots have different lighting, and are shown at an altered angle. But the images clearly show a huge change, between before using the DermaWand, and after using the DermaWand. The after shot shows a big improvement in skin tightness with reduced sagging, much better skin texture, tone and colour; and a big reduction in lines and wrinkles. This tallies with a lot of good reviews from other users.  

They say: It’s the non-invasive solution to looking years younger. DermaWand® is clinically proven to soften fine lines/wrinkles, improving skin tone and texture. It stimulates and rejuvenates by sending a gentle stream of low-level, micro-current pulses (up to 100,000 cycles per second), that massages skin and improves circulation by bringing oxygen and vital nutrients to the surface. It utilises radio frequency technology, similar to large products found in medical and skin spas, but here the lower frequencies and amplitude make it safe for daily use in the home.

Findings: We like that they have not been specific about the product that you need to use with this. They recommend using a hydrating face cream, and about a walnut size amount of product. The wand glides over skin nicely with our Matt Formula Face Cream for oilier skin types, and our Active Dew Face Cream for drier skin types. We have to say that I found this product a little scary on the first few uses. It has an intensity range from 1-9, and even when used on the lowest setting of 1, it makes a buzzing sound, and has a smell, which at first we associated with burning. After we read up on this , they advise it is from the Oxygen, and is described as an ‘after rain’ smell. After a while we got used to the smell and noise, it’s not loud, so you could still talk or watch TV and listen to music uninterrupted. The wand is small and light, which makes it easy to use and easy to store. We have not seen any improvement as yet, but I will be honest and say that I have not used it completely as directed. It should be used twice a day, and for three minutes each day. They have recommended exercises, but we tend to use it as we feel on our problem areas. We have also only stayed with the lower settings. So, expect when I get into the swing of using this as directed, and on the higher settings, that it will combine with my skincare products to give good results. 

The Body Shop Facial Massager 

Summary: I have had this product for years, and it’s still on sale with good reviews, it shows that it is a useful beauty tool. It has a wooden handle with a roller that has plastic bristles on, so it’s kind of like rolling a hair brush over your face.

They say: It’s a handy piece of beauty equipment, that can be used daily. It works as a gentle effective way to assist your face moisturiser, used as part of your daily skin routine to boost complexions.

Findings: We love that it’s nice and simple to use, ready for prep up skin at any time and any place. There is no noise, and with no electrics it’s can be used while in the bath. It feels nice and enhancing to skin. The only criticism is that it is hard to get into all the nooks and crannies with it, it works lovely on cheeks, jowls, chin and neck. But feels less effective on the less cushioned areas, like the forehead and frown lines. It does wake skin up and leave it looking healthier, so at £8 it’s a good choice, especially if you are just starting to use skin tools. As there is no gliding effect it does not require a lot of skin hydration, and therefore it’s nice to use with our Performance Face Serum, as this is super nutritious for skin and the massager will help the actives to penetrate skin. We also use it on our lips to help plump them up, along with our natural Lip Balm. We personally prefer the ball massager, if I had to pick just one face massager.

Sarah Chapman Skinesis The Facialift

Summary: This device has been around for many years, and was developed by the expert facialist Sarah Chapman. It has plastic rollers on one end, and on the other end a flat plastic disc that is used to tap skin all over, acting as a massager.

They say: Replicate the unique technique of the exclusive Sarah Chapman Skinesis facial massage with the Facialift. The innovative device allows you to achieve the results of a professional facial in your own home. It applies a precision massage technique that promotes the flow of nutrients and oxygen to the skin, resulting in a healthy, rosy glow. It has 8 massage heads and 48 nodules that gently reshape and refine the skin. The benefits are draining toxins, relieving tension, reducing puffing and increasing blood flow, for dramatically more tone and lift.

Findings: Our first impression had been that the rollers look like they could have substantial benefits for skin, and if Sarah herself uses it then that is a great motivator, as she has lovely skin. But when we used it I found that it was quite sore on my face. It’s really important to make sure you use it correctly, to avoid this as much as possible. There are ‘how to videos’ that show the exact method. It is quite intense when rolling it on skin, and we wondered if it does not suit my face shape. We found it really lovely when I rolled it over my neck, as this is a lot thinner. We use it after cleansing with our Advanced Cleansing Milk, and feel it is a two-in-one, massaging nicely while also helping to dislodging dirt. Then after we have finished a session we follow with our Purifying Face Toner, to really get my skin super clean. Our skin does feel nice after I have worked it with this. We also love the tapping massage with the disc, it’s easy to do and gentle, and know that tapping brings a lot of blood flow and improvements to skin circulation.

We loved using all of the gadgets, they all felt as though they were benefiting our skin. We especially enjoyed taking some time to myself, with little pampering sessions. If you are considering purchasing a facial massager, or an anti-ageing face machine, then our advice is to read the instructions carefully, and watch the direction videos where you can. Plus, be careful not to just buy them and then put it away in a drawer. They do require regular use to see results, and for those results to have long lasting anti-ageing benefits. There is a certain amount of dedication required to get the best results. But the beauty of these self-administered devices, means an anytime anywhere approach, so it’s only a matter of finding a little time each day. Many of the products can be tried out in the actual shops, which could save later regret on an expensive purchase. There are also plenty of reviews to read the thoughts and opinions of other shoppers, be careful though as many of the reviews are incentivised, which mean there might have a biased opinion.