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Give your beauty routine a boost with these rollers, tools and gua sha that help your skincare work harder

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Tighten and smooth skin with these gadgets

Facial massagers come in different shapes and sizes, with each focusing on specific techniques and skin concerns.

Massaging your face is a practice said to lift and tone skin, creating extra elasticity over time and reducing pesky puffiness.

Face massage tools work by assisting lymphatic drainage and reducing any toxin build-up. This, in turn, promotes healthier-looking and feeling skin.

Popular picks include the flat stone gua sha, which is a Chinese massage tool designed to stimulate soft tissue circulation and increase blood flow. Others cover rollers, wands and even vibrating facial massagers. They’re made from various materials, including amethyst, jade and zinc, for additional wellbeing benefits.

But what makes each option unique? We’re here to help you find out and have been testing a few tools. So, whether you’re looking to firm up fine lines or indulge in some deep face-massage relaxation, there is a gadget for you.

We sampled several facial massage tools over a month’s testing and explored different techniques with each. Our tester trialled massagers with simple instructions and video demonstrations to target tension, reduce puffiness and tone skin.

From rollerball massagers to gua sha stones and electronic devices, read on for our list of the best facial massage tools to buy across all price points.

This tactile face tool is like a mini gym ball that feels fun to hold and roll over skin while relieving stress at the same time. We scanned the included QR code to view a video tutorial that took us through a face, neck and shoulder massage technique. It’s designed for use on cleansed, dry skin before applying any products, so the massaging tool doesn’t slip.

We held the red 250g ball on our temples and rolled it over our skin in the palm of our hand. We then alternated between light and medium pressure levels to lift and stretch the skin across the cheeks. Our tester enjoyed rolling the ball over specific skin areas for a tension-releasing face massage that can also tighten and tone muscles with long-term use.

This double-ended roller comes in a cardboard presentation box for safekeeping, should you prefer to store it away between uses, and the reverse of the packaging includes the directions for use across the entire face. There’s a natural jade handle and two different-sized jade rollers – we found the smaller one ideal for reaching the nose and undereye areas.

We used the facial roller with face oil and saw our tired skin look noticeably refreshed. The cooling jade feels soothing and helps bring down any early morning face puffiness.

Best: For the eye area

Packaged in a handy small drawstring cotton bag, this mini jade massager is shaped a bit like a doorknob that targets pressure points. We found dabbing both ends onto our temples brought a calming feeling and helped relieve tension headaches while rolling sideways across our cheekbones soothed that area. Our tester used the tool both with and without skincare products and, despite the small size, didn’t find it at all fiddly to hold or handle.

As this body gua sha is a larger sized design, we’ve been using it on our jawline and neck. The white presentation box includes helpful instructions for use, and different techniques to try on the whole body. The three edges offer firm, mild and medium pressure, which we liked for targeted massaging, as we swept it over our collarbone to our chin and our neck to our shoulders.

We enjoyed how much cooling comfort the tool can bring, given the surface area reach of this sized gua sha.  It’s easy to grip and glide over skin too. The white jade has a simple chic finish, and there’s no branding on the tool, if you prefer a minimalist aesthetic.

Best: For a deep massage

This zinc tool has a handle and two rollerballs to grip and deeply massage skin. It comes with an instruction leaflet, and our tester found the versatile massager works vigorously across every area of the face, including the jawline, eyebrow, forehead, cheeks and nose. Plus, the tool’s curved handle creates an ergonomic shape, which we noticed was comfortable to grip. The kneading motion left our skin looking brightened too.

Because the face massager is made of zinc, it is already quite cold to the touch, but after being stored in the fridge, the chilliness was even more energising.

This is a brightly coloured face massager with rose quartz and red metal detailing. The dual-ended tool has a compact roller for focusing on smaller features like the nose, and eyebrow and eye areas, while its larger roller reached across the forehead, jaw and cheeks. We also used it to smooth over a sheet mask, rubbing in the product while massaging our face.

At £15, it’s a reasonably priced buy for inclusion in your everyday skincare routine.

This heart-shaped amethyst gua sha arrived in a cotton pouch, complete with a wellness ritual leaflet, including useful step-by-step instructions. The amethyst shading is strikingly attractive from an aesthetic point of view, and the smooth stone fitted neatly in the palm of our tester’s hand.

As directed, we took a quiet moment and held the tool flat, using each side to target different face areas. Our tester noticed the shape enables gentle placement on pressure points, and our faces did feel rejuvenated after use. It’s also easy to clean with soapy water.

To get started, we downloaded the Foreo app and created an account, which cleverly syncs with the device. The shape depicts a cute smiley face, and the mouth and eyes appear when it switches on. The bear ear spheres deliver a microcurrent, and we were able to choose the intensity before our massage. We applied serum first, as instructed, and then selected one of the three treatment types – each is created for toning, firming or contouring skin and handily, they’re only about two minutes long. As our tester moved the device around their face and followed the app instructions, they could feel a gentle buzzing. The tool glides over skin, hugging the face while it works.

Undoubtedly an investment buy, the massage sensation does feel suitably energising, and we liked the tailormade touch of choosing different routines. The box includes a charger, case and stand.

This mid-sized gua sha has two smooth curved edges and a scalloped one. It comes complete with an organic cotton pouch and imagery showing us to move the tool from the inside of our face to the outside. We liked that it’s simple to use, and the facial massage involved is faff-free. We tended to use it with serum or oil and varied how much pressure we applied, depending on the area of focus and how our face was feeling.

As the affordably priced gua sha is so cooling, our tester enjoyed pressing it against their face to satisfyingly soothe hot and bothered skin at times during the day.

Kansa is a metal made from copper and tin, that’s associated with purifying the skin as part of ancient ayurvedic practices. The end of this wand is the kansa part, while its tapered handle is wooden and feels smooth to hold. Our tester applied face oil, before creating circular massage motions with the wand across their skin and they noticed a comforting coolness.

It’s easy to use and a straightforward addition to any skincare routine, even if you only have five minutes to spare. We noticed how relaxed the massage tool left us feeling, and our skin seemed visibly more toned.

This stylish black obsidian face roller has a wooden handle and is mounted in a steel frame that gives it a substantial weight for effectively massaging skin. The robust tool comes in a leather pouch with a silky lining that is luxurious and practical for storage. Our tester noted the chic tool looks much like a piece you’d find in a premium spa, which is reflected in the high-end price.

We rolled it across our face after applying products and found they absorbed evenly and efficiently with its massaging help. Our tester saw hydrated skin that felt supple too.

We opened the sturdy presentation box to find a full instruction guide and storage pouch alongside this multi-tasking tool. There’s a double roller section and a smaller one, meaning you can use different sizes across various facial areas.

The larger rollers grip and massage the skin while sitting flat on the surface to offer a seamless glide across places like our cheeks, forehead and jawline. Meanwhile, the small roller is a miniature size for neatly reaching the eye area and under the browbone. Although the metal roller is heavy, we didn’t find it difficult to hold, and we noticed that weight adds welcome pressure when massaging the shoulders in particular.

Our overall favourite is FaceGym’s weighted face ball for its tactile massaging effect and easy-to-follow exercises. Meanwhile, Ranavat’s kansa wand detoxifying facial massage tool added welcome relaxation into our skincare routine. Finally, Green People’s jade gua sha massage tool is an affordable buy that we found cooling and soothing on our skin.

For the latest discounts on skincare, try the links below:

These are the best moisturisers to use with your facial roller for smooth, hydrated skin

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