A facial massage is the most indulgent part of any massage sequence. The touch, which must be light and soft across the delicate bone structure and muscles of the face, lends itself to sensations of intimacy. It also has many cosmetic benefits: it boosts blood circulation, which nourishes and rejuvenates the skin, and tones and firms facial muscles and tissues. Incorporating head massage enhances deep relaxation and soothes away tension and headaches.
Facial Blends for Sensual Massage
Beautiful blends for massaging the face and head are best kept simple, and at a 1% dilution – 1 drop of oil in 5 ml (1 tsp) of carrier oil. Apricot kernel oil is a good base for dry, mature or sensitive skins. Grapeseed is helpful for oily skins and jojoba is good for problem skins. Floral, citrus and some woody oils are lovely to use on the face. Spice oils are best avoided in case of skin irritation. Try bergamot to uplift and de-stress, ylang ylang to inspire sexual confidence or sandalwood to relax and seduce.
Caress the Face for Sensual Massage
Your partner should lie on his back with his eyes closed and face and neck resting on your knees and thighs. Pour a couple of drops of the massage blend into the palm of your hands and rubs your hands together. Rest your hands along your partner's jaw line and using your fingertips stroke the blend up his face in featherlight movements. Fingers sweep from jaw line across chin, nose, cheeks and brow to hairline. Repeat three times.
Rejuvenating the Face Sensual Massage Strokes
Place your thumbs between your partner's eyebrows and move them apart, stroking gently across the eyebrows to the temples and holding here for a few seconds. Thumbs glide back to the centre of the forehead, just above the brows and the move is repeated moving thumbs out towards temples. Repeat this stroking move gradually moving the thumbs up their forehead until reaching the hairline.
Using second and middle fingers pressed together, stroke across their cheeks in horizontal lines, working from the centre of his face outwards and moving down towards the chin. Use your thumbs to stroke in horizontal lines across the chin.
Rest your thumbs between your partner's eyebrows, fingers cupped over his eyes. Use your middle fingers to press the skin just beneath his eye sockets and by the bridge of his nose very gently. Lift and move your fingers outwards and along a little, press down; lift and repeat a little further along, gradually circling round their eyes until your fingers reach the side of his face.
Sensual Head Massage Strokes
To finish the face and head massage, separate your fingers and place your hands on either side of the face with fingertips resting in a vertical line from forehead down nose towards chin. Pull your hands gently apart to allow your fingertips to brush horizontally across your partner's face. Repeat three times.
Let you hands slide to his ears and use your fingers to massage his earlobes. Your fingertips stroke up the sides of your partner's head to the scalp and massage his scalp using your fingers to move around in large, slow circles. Take care not to pull your partner's hair. This should be a gentle, pleasurable sensation.
Emma Tennant - Emma trained with Neal's Yard Remedies Ltd and qualified as an aromatherapist in 2005. She went on to practise aromamassage for one year ...
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