Face tapping is a technique where you use your fingertips to lightly tap specific points on your face and head, most often as part of a stress-relief practice called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Developed by Gary Craig in 1995, EFT combines tapping on acupressure points with spoken affirmations to reduce anxiety, lower stress hormones, and calm the nervous system. The term “face tapping” can also refer to a simpler beauty practice where gentle tapping across the face is used to boost circulation and relieve muscle tension, but the most widely practiced version is rooted in EFT.
How EFT Tapping Works
EFT draws from several established approaches: cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and acupressure. You tap on points that correspond to meridians used in traditional Chinese medicine while simultaneously focusing on a specific emotional issue and repeating a self-acceptance statement. A typical setup phrase sounds something like, “Even though I feel anxious about this, I deeply accept myself.” You say the phrase while tapping the fleshy side of your hand, then move through the face and body points in sequence.
The idea is that tapping sends a calming signal through your nervous system while you’re mentally “exposed” to whatever is bothering you. A meta-analysis of six studies that isolated the tapping component found that acupressure is an essential ingredient in EFT’s results, not simply a placebo or a byproduct of the cognitive elements. In other words, the physical act of tapping appears to matter on its own, beyond the benefit of talking through your feelings.
Researchers have also observed that affirmations seem to land differently when paired with tapping. The combination may help the nervous system absorb therapeutic statements more deeply, as if the physical stimulation reinforces what you’re telling yourself. This is still being studied, but clinicians consistently report that wording paired with tapping produces faster shifts in emotional state than talk alone.
The Tapping Points on Your Face
Six of EFT’s nine standard tapping points are on the head and face, with two on the torso and one on the hand. You tap each point about five to seven times with your fingertips before moving to the next. Here are the facial points in order:
- Top of the head: the crown, top and center
- Eyebrow: where each eyebrow begins, just above the nose
- Side of the eye: the bone at the outer corner of each eye
- Under the eye: the bone about an inch below each pupil
- Under the nose: the space between the bottom of the nose and the upper lip
- Chin: the crease between the lower lip and the chin
You can tap with one hand or both, and you don’t need to press hard. A light, rhythmic tap is enough. Most people complete a full round through all nine points in about two minutes.
What the Research Shows
The most striking finding involves cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone. In a study published in the Journal of Evidence-based Integrative Medicine, participants who completed a single EFT session saw cortisol drop by roughly 37%. In the subset where cortisol was measured directly, levels fell nearly 49%, from an average of 12.66 nmol/L before the session to 6.51 nmol/L afterward. That same session also reduced resting heart rate by 8%, systolic blood pressure by 6%, and diastolic blood pressure by 8%.
Lower cortisol does more than just make you feel calmer. Sustained reductions are associated with improved skin elasticity, better cognitive function (particularly learning and attention), increased bone density, and healthier cell signaling throughout the body. Participants in the study also reported improvements in anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, pain, and cravings alongside these physical changes.
For clinical use, treatment guidelines suggest four to ten sessions for meaningful results with PTSD, with five sessions recommended for milder symptoms and ten for more severe cases. But practitioners routinely teach EFT as a self-help tool, encouraging clients to tap on their own whenever stressful moments arise between formal sessions.
Face Tapping for Skin and Beauty
Outside the EFT world, face tapping is also used as a simple skincare technique. Gently tapping your fingertips across your face increases blood flow to the skin. Research on facial massage found that even five minutes of stimulation with a massage roller boosted blood flow for at least ten minutes afterward, and after five weeks of regular use, the skin’s circulation response improved significantly. While these studies looked at rollers rather than fingertip tapping specifically, the underlying mechanism (mechanical stimulation of facial tissue) is similar.
A 2018 study found that regular facial massage increased muscle thickness, which may contribute to a fuller, more toned appearance. More recently, a 2025 study showed that techniques like gua sha improved muscle tone and deeper tissue properties, while face rollers primarily affected skin elasticity. Fingertip tapping falls somewhere between these tools in terms of pressure and depth. Many people incorporate it into their skincare routine while applying serums or moisturizers, using the tapping motion to help products absorb while stimulating circulation.
Facial muscles also hold significant tension, particularly in the jaw. Tapping and light massage around the jawline, temples, and forehead can provide noticeable relief from clenching and grinding patterns. Releasing this tension may soften the appearance of expression lines over time, though the effect is temporary and requires consistency.
How to Start a Face Tapping Practice
For stress relief using EFT, start by identifying what’s bothering you and rating its intensity on a scale of zero to ten. Tap the side of your hand while saying your setup phrase three times. Then work through the face and body points in order, tapping each one five to seven times while repeating a reminder phrase (a shorter version of the issue, like “this anxiety”). After one full round, pause and re-rate your intensity. Most people notice a drop after just one or two rounds.
A single self-guided session typically takes two to five minutes. You can do multiple rounds if your distress level hasn’t dropped enough. There is no established limit on how often you can tap; practitioners generally encourage using it as needed throughout the day, especially during moments of heightened emotion.
For skincare benefits, use clean fingertips and tap lightly across your forehead, cheeks, jawline, and under your eyes for one to two minutes. Apply gentle, even pressure. Avoid tapping directly on active breakouts, irritated skin, sunburns, or areas with broken capillaries, as the stimulation could worsen inflammation. If you have rosacea or very sensitive skin, start with the lightest touch possible and see how your skin responds before making it a daily habit.