How to Do Lymphatic Drainage Massage at Home

Use gentle, sweeping motions toward your lymph nodes to encourage fluid drainage and reduce puffiness.

This is the difference between looking like you slept well versus looking like you actually did—and sometimes the former is more practical.

1. Start with your neck. Place fingers on either side of your neck and gently stroke downward from your ears to your collarbones. This opens the main drainage pathway for your entire face. Repeat 10 times on each side.
2. Work your face systematically. Begin at your forehead, using light pressure to sweep from the center outward toward your temples. Move to your cheeks, stroking from your nose toward your ears. The pressure should be barely there—imagine moving water, not muscle.
3. Focus on problem areas. For under-eye puffiness, use your ring finger to gently tap from the inner corner outward, then sweep toward your temples. For jawline tension, stroke from your chin along your jawbone toward your ears.
4. Finish with your décolletage. Sweep from the center of your chest outward toward your armpits, then stroke down from your collarbones. This helps drain everything you just moved from your face.