What better way to kick off the New Year than with a new facial routine? Besides, following the year we’ve all had, spending a few minutes each morning and night taking care of your skin is an ideal and easy way to promote self-care. Especially in the wintertime, as dry air wreaks havoc on moisture and on that coveted, dewy glow we all hope to achieve and maintain as we age.
That’s why we checked in with Koko Hayashi, a legit, California-based face yoga expert. Koko has been practicing the technique for more than a decade. Her methods are so popular that she’s even been featured on shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Shark Tank. “Face yoga is a great natural solution to maintain/regain your youthful appearance,” she says. “We wake up sleeping muscles in the face to lift up the skin and relax over-working muscles for wrinkle reduction. A clinical study by Northwestern University shows that it works.”
Koko believes that using your fingers to properly stretch the face is an ideal way get the most out of your skincare routine too. She likens the relationship to exercise — when you train you do your workout and then you stretch the body to maintain elasticity, right? Well the same can be said for your face. “You don’t want to stretch too long as that would stretch the skin too much, but if you follow our instruction, the skincare becomes more effective by helping with product absorption,” she explains.
Quality skincare includes having the right tools and products. Olay’s new Collagen Peptide24 collection is specifically designed to penetrate the skin’s surface — inspiring Koko, who has developed a unique face yoga routine with product absorption in mind. Unlike regular collagen molecules, which are too large to be absorbed and sit on top of the skin, Collagen Peptide24 is optimized with Olay’s powerhouse peptide formula, featuring small molecules that can penetrate the skin’s surface to transform skin from within. Other key ingredients such as vitamin B3+ helps skin retain moisture, keeping skin seriously hydrated while also supporting surface skin cell exfoliation and regeneration to remove dull skin
“The collection visibly firms skin in just two weeks,” Koko says of the line, which has zero fragrances, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil or synthetic dyes. Her personal favourite products include the Collagen Peptide24 serum and Collagen Peptide24 moisturizer. “It contains Olay’s highest concentration of peptides, which have been clinically proven to reduce lines and wrinkles and improve skin texture. It has also been proven to hydrate better than $400 cream .”
So what are some of the products Koko recommends? Read on to learn all about them.
How to pair Olay’s Collagen Peptide24 Collection with face yoga
Olay Collagen Peptide 24 Cream Cleanser
Start with a clean slate to get the most out of your routine. That means an effective but mild face wash that gently exfoliates the skin and removes dirt, oil and makeup without leaving it feeling tight or dry. Once you do that your skin will look brighter and more radiant, but it will also be ready to absorb all the benefits of the Collagen Peptide 24 ingredients. So what kind of face yoga does Koko recommend while cleansing? None, actually. Apply the cleanser in a circular motion and rinse thoroughly before patting your skin dry with a towel.
“Face yoga is not meant for face cleansing,” Koko explains. “Just do not squint your eyes when you cleanse, which is a common mistake. Every time you squint, the wrinkles around the eyes get deeper.”
Enhance the effects of the serum using this specific face yoga technique
Olay Collagen Peptide 24 Serum
This face serum was specifically designed to fit in with your busy life, so one bottle of the stuff packs a pretty potent punch. Its formula absorbs quickly, giving you 24 hours of hydration without a sticky, greasy feeling. Olay touts that after one day of use your skin will look firmer, and after two weeks you’ll have visibly firmer, suppler skin.
In order to enhance the product even further, Koko advises a bit of light facial stretching. “You want to lightly stretch the skin and apply, so it penetrates deeper,” she explains.
Absorb more of the moisturizer by doing this to your cheeks
Olay Collagen Peptide 24 Moisturizer
Moisturizing is an essential part of any skin-care routine, but if you don’t have time for heavy night creams and products that leave your skin feeling greasy or sticky, this lightweight formula is definitely a powerful solution. With Peptide Collagen and Vitamin B3+ this moisturizer is meant to be used morning and night. You’ll be left with skin that looks and feels soft but firm, with fewer fine lines and wrinkles.
In order to use the product even more effectively, Koko suggests this simple but effective face yoga technique to help the product absorb better after applying it to your face. One cheek at a time, gently pull your left cheek towards your right and hold — then gently use your other palm to pat the stretched skin repeat on the other side.
Reduce puffiness by using Olay’s eye cream and this simple face yoga movement
Olay Collagen Peptide 24 Eye Cream
The eyes may be the window to the soul, but they’re also one of the first places we develop fine lines and wrinkles. “There is a lot of tension around the eyes, due to long hours in front of screens,” says Koko. “And, skin around eyes is the thinnest, so it’s easy to get many tiny wrinkles.”
That’s where this eye cream comes in. Its formula is designed to reduce puffiness, dark circles, fine lines and crow’s feet, all while improving sagginess and elasticity around the eye area. “Gently stretch the under-eye area. One face yoga technique I use around the eye area is I gently tap the under eye skin – [it’s] very thin and sensitive so no pulling needed. Rightly stretching the area helps reduce tension in the lower, inner corners of the eyes (over-working muscles), and wake up the rest of the sleeping eye muscles (orbicularis oculi) for a more defined eye look,” Koko adds.
That’s all to say that with these products and Koko’s popular techniques, you should be left looking vibrant, feeling firm and refreshed, and like you really are getting the most out of your new simple-but-effective skin care routine.
Learn more about collagen peptides at Olay.ca.
