Why You Need To Stretch Before You Put On Moisturizer

Cleansing, exfoliating, toning, moisturizing ... what a process we go through, all in the name of gorgeous skin! If looking younger is one of your goals, there's yet one additional step you should add to your skincare routine, and fortunately, this one doesn't require spending a dime on products. It's stretching. Sometimes called "face yoga," stretching your facial muscles can improve tone and even make your face look slimmer (via Good Housekeeping).

According to Hayley Wood, a therapeutic skin coach, doing these exercises before you dig into your arsenal of products will improve your skin's health and overall look. "Your skin thrives in full body flow, so make [sure] to stretch and get grounded before tackling your skin care routine," she posted on her Instagram page. Wood explained that the right facial stretches can also address a variety of skin woes — from a puffy chin to breakouts in the neck area. How could simply stretching actually alter your appearance? The stretches stimulate the lymph fluids underneath the skin, which removes the tension (per MindBodyGreen). These exercises don't need to take up too much of your morning, either. "A few minutes in the morning or evening is all it takes," face yoga instructor Soheila Ghassemi told Goop.

To combat "tech neck," there are almost as many different types of facial yoga poses as there are traditional yoga moves. So which ones will give you the freshest, most glowing complexion? Start with the areas on your face where you hold the most tension. "Relaxing the facial muscles, especially where we hold tension — like the jaw, brow, and forehead — can counteract the wrinkle-causing grimacing we do on a daily basis," said yoga instructor Annelise Hagen (per Total Beauty). One cheeky move, called the "bullfrog," in which you blow up your cheeks with air to resemble this funny-looking amphibian, will tone up and plumpen your cheeks. Meanwhile, you can target the skin of your jaw with "baby bird," in which you "[p]ress the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, then smile and swallow while pointing your chin at the ceiling."

These moves are great for revitalizing skin, and they also might help if you're concerned about blemishes. "By working all the layers of your skin correctly, facial exercises can also increase blood circulation, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach the cells of the skin," face yoga expert Danielle Collins told Marie Claire. "The result is a clearer complexion with a healthy glow thanks to fewer toxins."