Lymphatic drainage massage for vibrant, radiant, and firm skin

Meet lymphatic drainage: a simple yet highly effective massage to add to your skincare routine for radiant and healthful skin. Lymphatic drainage is highly popular across the world because it is known to improve the appearance of the skin by reducing fine lines, wrinkles, and eye bags. By removing excess fluid and cellular waste from the body, it treats a variety of skin concerns including puffiness, fatigue, dark circles, dullness, and skin irritations. It also naturally helps sculpt the facial muscles, relaxes the body, and stimulates blood flow, all of which help promote vibrant, radiant, and healthful skin.

What is lymphatic drainage?

This easy-to-do-at-home massage is a set of techniques that stimulates your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system has hundreds of channels and lymph nodes throughout your body that help fight infection and cellular waste by moving fluid throughout the system. When this natural flow of fluids gets stalled or backed up, our body is unable to remove all of the waste on its own, causing buildup, which in turn can causes skin to become dull, irritated, puffy, and fatigued.

Lymphatic drainage helps stimulate the lymphatic system so it can move waste to the kidneys and liver for the body to get rid of while ensuring the “clean” fluid gets to the blood. “Lymphatic drainage treatments accelerate the absorption and transportation of lymphatic fluids which contain toxins, bacteria, viruses, and proteins,” says certified lymphedema therapist Lisa Levitt Gainsley. By clearing the body of waste through lymphatic drainage, the skin becomes clearer, brighter, firmer, and more youthful.

You can get the benefits of lymphatic drainage by massaging with your hands or by using tools such as jade rollers and gua sha stones, and by applying high-quality oils that help promote drainage such as castor oil and coconut oil that nourish the skin, and lymph-stimulating essential oils such as sweet orange and lavender. For the best skin-rejuvenating results, finish the massage with serums and skin-lifting applications such as the formulations listed below.

The massage: lymphatic drainage techniques for home

To begin, stand in front of the mirror, and put a light amount of massage oil on your hands. Gently press on the area just above your collarbones. Move from the outer collarbone near your shoulders and move inwards towards the neck, always staying above the collarbone itself. This should look like a letter “j” moving from the outer neck to the inner neck. Repeat 10-15 times.

Next, press the armpit three times on both sides, moving your hands upwards as you press. Press 5 times. Continue to the arms and apply light pressure going from the elbow to the shoulder. Move upwards on the arms with light pressure, and repeat. Last, press your palms flat down onto the stomach in the area between your hip bones. With palms flat down and hands together, move hands in circular motion around the navel. Repeat 5 times.

Create your own lymphatic massage oil

Base Oils	Customize your fragrance with lymph-stimulating essential oils
Castor Oil	Sweet Orange Essential Oil
Coconut Oil, Organic	Lavender Essential Oil
Meadowfoam Seed Oil	Tea Tree Essential Oil