Youthful appearance is something that all of us are striving for, and eliminating the signs of aging has become a must nowadays. Various creams and lotions are sold all over the world for ridiculous amounts of money but did you know that there is something completely free and safe that can help you reduce the wrinkles on your face? That, of course, is face exercise.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that face needs exercise just like any other body part. In the past several years a new trend has emerged and it is called face yoga. Even though it sounds a bit silly, proponents of face yoga say that these exercises can help relax your facial muscles which, subsequently, leads to fewer wrinkles.

What are Facial Exercises and are They Beneficial?

Face exercises, or face yoga is a series of exercises that promote muscle relaxation and toning. The exercises should be done daily or several times a week and should provide similar results to what normal exercises do to your body.

Although some plastic surgeons and dermatologists say that facial exercises have no benefits and that they actually promote the appearance of wrinkles, proponents of face exercise say that face yoga makes the skin look smoother and tighter and that relaxing the muscles that are usually tensed muscles can actually give you a natural face lift. So how do you actually do these exercises? Here are a few examples and tips for relaxing and exercising you face.

The Surprise Party

This exercise helps with smoothing out your forehead, and even though it sounds silly, face exercise advocates swear it works. To do it, make a surprised facial expression by widening your eyes. Aim to expose as much of the white of your eyes as you possibly can and hold for as long as you can. By holding this surprised expression, you are actually exercising the muscles on your forehead and around your eyes, therefore eliminating the effects of scowling.

Chubby Cheeks

The chubby cheeks exercise will firm your cheeks and help smooth out those fine lines. Take a big breath and puff your cheeks like a Bubble Eye fish. Release and repeat several times. This exercise strengthens your cheek muscles and prevents your cheeks from getting hollow which can give a not so youthful appearance. Plump cheeks have been a sigh on youth in many cultures and this exercise can definitely help you get that result.

Crow Away

Getting rid of crow’s feet is definitely something that many of us would love to do, and this exercise can help with that. To do this exercise, lift and release your lower lid slowly without using any other muscles on your face. After this, add some pressure using your fingertips to the outer crease of your crow’s feet, but make sure you don’t pull or drag the skin since the eye area is very sensitive. Also, make sure you work with slightly moisturized skin which is not too tight.

Crazy Smile

This one lifts the nasal labial folds and it is quite easy to do. Smile with your teeth showing and then press the fingertips into the creases between your lips and your nose. Lift those muscles and provide resistance using your fingertips by pressing down on them. This one will give you full and youthful cheeks and you don’t even have to inject anything into your face to get them!

Tongue Twister

Okay maybe not a twister, but this face yoga position will firm up your neck and chin and prevent sagging. To do it, press the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and swallow and smile. Point your chin to the ceiling while doing this. As neck is one of the first places that shows the signs of aging, doing this exercise will help wipe the years away from your beautiful face.

Calm and Composed

Meditating can calm both the mind and the body so why should it not calm your face as well? This exercise is so easy and it does wonders to your face. Simply close your eyes and visualize the point between your eyebrows while smiling slightly. This one helps you remember not to grimace unconsciously and relax your facial muscles, making you look young and happy.

Eyebrow Dance

For this fun exercise that makes your forehead smooth and beautiful, pull back your forehead and lift each eyebrow separately. Repeat this ten times per eyebrow daily for best results and a smooth forehead. And also, you will look cool while you do it, but that only comes as a plus.

Smooth the Smile

Instead of getting expensive lower facelifts and fillers, try doing this exercise to firm up the cheeks and prevent sagging. To do it, hide your teeth with your lips to make an O shape and give the world your widest smile while hiding your teeth. Repeat five times and then put your index finger on your chin. Move the jaw up and down and tilt your head backward slightly. Relax and repeat three times.

The Long Neck

To tighten the loose skin on the neck and avoid neck lifts, put the fingertips at the bottom of the neck and stroke the skin downwards. Do this while your head is tilted backward. Bring your head to your chest and repeat five times. Finally, jut out the lower lip as far as you can and stick your tongue out while facing the ceiling. Hold for five seconds and repeat four times.

Eye Squeeze

Work those eyelids by squeezing your eyes shut as hard as you can. To do this, pull your lips downward to tighten the muscles and then pull the lips from side to side. Squeeze one eye shut for one second holding the lips to the side and repeat ten times for each eye.

Thumb Sucking

Even though it sounds weird, it can actually help. The natural pressure from sucking your thumb can firm up the lip muscles. Put your tongue in your mouth and suck on it as hard as you can. Try to remove it from your mouth slowly while not releasing the vacuum. Repeat ten times.

Smile

Finally, the best thing you can possibly do for your face is to just smile. Smile as much as you can and as often as you can, as regular smiling keeps your muscles strong. Smiling daily also alleviates the hidden stress, making you grimace less, and smiling definitely makes you look more confident and relaxed, and therefore, much more attractive to everyone.