Facial cupping has become all the rage right now and for good reason. There are many benefits to facial cupping. Regular practice promotes circulation, which may help minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, decrease puffiness, and relieve muscle tension.
Firstly, what is cupping?
Cupping (called Hijama in Arabic) is an ancient, holistic method known to treat a variety of diseases. The origin of cupping therapy has been documented in early Egyptian and Chinese medical practices.
Cupping is considered an alternative therapy and uses various sized suction cups to stimulate your skin and muscles. It can be performed on both the face and body.
The principal of cupping is to promote increased blood circulation, which may help relieve things like muscle tension, promote cell repair due to increased microcirculation, and aid in other regeneration and detoxification of the skin.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, cupping is used to improve the flow of your “qi” (pronounced “chee”). Qi is a Chinese word meaning life force.
Facial cups are different to the types of cups traditionally used on the body, they are smaller and softer, preventing cup marks and bruising often associated with cupping.
Cups are used on the face and body to gently pull the skin away from deeper layers of fascia. By doing this, skin has an increase in blood flow to the area. Increased blood flow helps to oxygenate the tissue and rejuvenates the skin.
What are facial cupping benefits?
Some of the many benefits to facial cupping are:
- Increase oxygen-rich blood circulation
- Strengthen skin and connective tissues
- Stimulate cells responsible for collagen production
- Relax muscle tension
Because of this, the practice is said to help:
- Brighten skin
- Minimise the appearance of scars, fine lines, and wrinkles
- Tone the face
- Decrease puffiness
- Improve nutrient delivery and product absorption
How do I get started?
First step: Order your 'Seeded Facial Cupping Set' and watch the YouTube video (below).
Next, apply a generous amount of oil to the surface of the skin you are going to treat, hold your Seeded cup between your thumb and forefinger and squeeze. While squeezing the cup closed, place it on to your skin, this then creates a seal. Once you let it go, you will feel a vacuum that sticks the cup to your face, pulling up the skin underneath.
Without squeezing, drag the cup along your skin working from the middle of the face outwards.
During facial cupping, always keep the cups moving. This prevents bruising and helps drain lymph.
General guidelines suggest these steps:
- Wash your face and gently pat dry.
- Lightly massage your face with your hands to release tension.
- Apply a face oil to your skin to help the cups slip across the face and prevent bruising
- Start with the medium size cup for the neck and face. The Larger cups work best on larger areas of skin, such as your neck, forehead, cheeks, and along your jaw.
- Smaller cups are for use around the eye area or smaller sections of the face.
- We recommend cupping 1-3 x per week. After cupping follow with your skin care routine. Facial cupping is a great way to increase product absorption
It's important to note that you may notice a small amount of redness after your session. This is normal and should subside within minutes to hours depending on your skin.
To see videos and tutorials. Please head to our @Seededearseed page on Instagram and Facebook.
Preclusions:
Facial cupping shouldn't leave bruises. However, bruising can occur if the cups are left in place too long. Redness and discolouration can occur in as little as 5 seconds, we recommend always keeping the cups moving.
Although facial cupping is generally considered safe, we recommend against using facial cups on broken or inflamed skin which included active breakouts, rashes and sores.
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