If I could travel back in time and teach my teenage self a few things about skincare, it’d be this:

1. Focus on keeping the oil on your skin, rather than stripping it off.
2. Hydration is the number one “secret” for glowing skin (check out my course + eBook).
3. It’s just as important to stimulate your skin, as it is to clean it.

And today we’re gonna learn about some of my favorite ways to stimulate the skin on my face, which helps keep your skin plump and can stimulate collagen production to prevent the signs of aging —- but also just helps debuff and smooth out your skin each day.

As I’ve learned more about hydration over the years, the most fascinating part has always been the role that fascial tissue plays in our overall hydration and health. There are layers of this gossamer tissue beneath our skin, and we can care for it by stimulating it through movement and massage. This tissue also exists in our face, and it’s amazing to me how much we can change the way our face or skin looks simply by using one of the below tools to depuff and smooth. Even just a few minutes each day can help reduce inflammation, promote circulation, promote lymph flow, and even help clear congestion.

1 – Konjac Sponge

If you already have a nightly routine of washing your face, a konjac sponge is arguably the easiest tool to start using. You simply wet the sponge and use it to massage your face while cleansing it. While you can find all types and shapes at your local Target or Drug Store, I love this heart-shaped one from One Love Organics because the little corners and rounded edges fit so nicely under your eyes and around your nose. I also love that it has a small string so you can hang it up (you want it to dry out between uses). It’s also affordable and has the added benefit of exfoliating your skin while you use it.

Buy it – One Love Organics Konjac Sponge ($10). Take 10% off our order with the code honey10.

2 – Gua Sha Stone

This slender stone is meant to be lightly drug across the skin to help drain fluid from your skin or perk up tired areas. I love applying a nice facial serum to my face and neck before doing gua sha (such as the Vitamin C Serum from One Love Organics — one that I’ve used for 7+ years!). How you do gua sha is important, and this tutorial will teach you everything you need to know for getting started.

Buy it – Face Tool Set ($17.99) – This set includes ajade face roller, textured face roller, and gua sha stone!

3 – Face Rollers

Face rollers and gua sha are super similar, and if you have to pick between one or the other I’d suggest going with a gua sha stone because you’ll likely find it more effective. However, face rollers are super relaxing and I love having one in my desk for a mid-day forehead roll, or placing it in the freezer and then rolling the area beneath my eyes. You can get them in various types of stone or with different textures and ridges for varying benefits.

Just like gua sha, there’s a specific method you should follow when face rolling. The general rule: always rolled in one direction from the center of your face to the outward edges of your face, and then toward your heart. I focus on going from my nose toward my ears when doing my face, and on rolling downward toward my heart when rolling my neck and chest. It’s important to use a light touch so that you don’t damage the delicate tissues and channels in your face. I also recommend pressing your favorite fascial serum into your skin before you start rolling, just to help prep the skin and glide the stone. The rolling is also a great way to help distribute your serums across your skin. This quick video tutorial below will give you a step-by-step guide.

Buy it – Face Tool Set ($17.99) – This set includes a jade face roller, textured face roller, and gua sha stone!

4 – Microneedling Roller

This treatment is a bit more advanced. Since you are breaking the surface of the skin there is a risk for infection, which means this is a good service to go to a professional for. But, if you’re careful, sanitize your tools regularly (with hot water and alcohol), and follow a proper method you can get the benefits of micro-needling at home. Microneedling pierces the skin with microscopic needs, which helps stimulate the production of collagen to keep skin supple. It has also been proven to reduce fine lines and even scars. I recommend doing it once every 10-14 days at most so that you are allowing plenty of time for the skin to heal between sessions. I have this version from Amazon, which has 540 .25mm needles, which is the size most often recommended by pros for starting at home.

When I started doing this I followed this video, which really focuses on safety and cleanliness (which as I already stressed, is really important when doing this at home). The other thing worth noting is that unlike gua sha or face rollers, you want to ensure your skin is free from any balms, lotions, or serums when you are face rolling. It’s fine to apply a calming balm or serum after the session — this is actually a great time to maximize their efficacy —  but you want to avoid dragging product into your skin along with the needles.

Buy it – Microneedling Face Roller ($16) available on Amazon.

5 – Dry Brush for Body

As I already mentioned, fascial tissue doesn’t only exist in your face —- there are miles and miles of it throughout your body. One of the fastest and most efficient ways to stimulate your skin while offering a little massage to your fascial tissue and lymphatic system is dry brushing. You just take a rough-bristled brush and drag it in long strokes, always moving toward your heart. It will not only help with stimulation but will exfoliate your entire body, as well, which will help your body lotions and serums absorb and make a bigger difference. The tutorial does a great job of showing you a quick routine that will only take you about 2-3 minutes to complete.

Pro tip: I keep my dry brush hooked over my towel on my towel hook, so that I have to remove the dry brush to get my towel. That way I always remember to dry brush before a shower (I am for 2-3 times per week).

Buy it – Natural Bristle Dry Brush ($9.95).

While we focus a lot on developing skincare routines and buying fancy serums and balms, proper stimulation and exfoliation of our skin is really one of the most important things we can be doing. So, I hope this was helpful and inspires you to perhaps start a little skincare tool collection of your own.

Want to see all of my favorite skincare products? Makeup? Haircare? What about all the tools and services I use for my business Just click below to check out all of my favorite things.