As a holistic esthetician and therapeutic skin coach, I do this work with my clients in session and aim to equip them with tools and techniques they can use on the daily to de-stress and support their skin1. Multireflexology, otherwise known as Dien Chan Zone or “the original” facial reflexology, is a perfect example of one such technique. I use a version of this in session when giving facials to clients, but they can use the techniques on themselves at home. This kind of reflexology essentially uses the face to “map” all over the body to communicate to the different systems all over the body. It can promote different functions like support for the lymph, release in tension, and balance yin and yang energies. In order to understand how it works, it’s essential to take a look at the history. Instead of continuing to use acupuncture needles to incite the chi flow of healing needed to balance the energies in a person’s body, facial reflexology tools were born. There are so many techniques on the market now (hello, gua sha and jade rolling), but reflexology tools have their own story and character. Many of the tools are crafted to hold both the yin and yang energy in order to help you find balance in each ecosystem of the face. By determining the right points to work on within the system, the tools can allow the individual to become his or her own healer. In my experience, the sensation of using the tools can be described as slightly painful but should always be tolerable. Once you reach your focal point within your reflex zone of need, you can often feel a tension and a releasing sensation. In the end, it should feel good. Interestingly enough, facial mapping through facial reflexology, which is based loosely on traditional Chinese medicine doctrine, indicates works under the idea that similar physical shapes in the body hold similar energetics. For example, when you use a tool for the nose, you can be connected to the spine since they are both long and straight, therefore considered to be connected and similarly oriented. If you are looking to alleviate sharp pains you can roll the yin side of your tool to help balance the yang energy. If the sensation is considered to be more of a dull ache, you can roll the yang side of the tool to help balance the excess yin energy. Some back pain can also be related to kidneys through excess dehydration, which affects your chi life force. Focusing on the kidney points along the sides of the nostrils can help balance this sensation, along with drinking extra water to support the kidneys. You will notice a feeling of relief on the tenderness of the nose, and you may also experience relief of the pains overall. It’s all communication—there is no shame in experiencing an imbalance as long as you view it as the body giving you directions to finding your most balanced self. While it’s always beneficial to meet with a professional—there are 257 points within the Dien Chan zones alone—the tools are an easy way to simply treat a yin or yang imbalance at home. I encourage my clients to simply test which side of a tool feels best or creates a sensation you are intuitively drawn to. Without even knowing which is yang and which is yin, you can start experiencing the positive effects of facial reflexology. One of the most popular tools is the 206 multireflex tool because of its easy-to-use roller sides for both yin and yang energies.
