Ava Lee is telling me I have really soft ears. She certainly would know—she’s just applied lymphatic ear seeds to them after 10 minutes of massaging my lobe, the shell-shaped auricle, and helix (the curved part at the top).
“In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), there is an ear reflexology map where your ear literally reflects every system and organ of your body,” Lee, founder of K-beauty brand By Ava, explains to me over ginger-carrot juice and gluten-free zucchini bread at Maman. Acupressure has been used across different cultures for thousands of years. As of late, it’s included small stickers with a bead—the ear seed—that applies targeted pressure with a desired result. “You have all of these different pressure points you can target with acupuncture or ear seeds to stimulate them.”
But Lee’s version of ear seeds, the viral V-Line Ear Seeding Kit, is the future of the practice. Each of the nude-colored stickers inside the V-Line kit has either five or 10 “seeds” carefully spaced out. But the seeds aren’t just there to apply pressure. “Instead of being made of plastic like normal ear seeds, these are made of 10 different Chinese herbs that help to detox your body,” Lee says. She claims that targeted placement (i.e., inside the middle of the concha or edge of the helix) can result in a lymphatic lift of the face. Cortisol face, be banned. “You have really flexible, soft ears,” Lee adds. A compliment! “Some people are so tense, even their ears are tight.”
The ear seeds are placed in areas along that face that help with puffiness, tension, and the dreaded cortisol face. “Ear seeding isn’t Botox,” she says. “It cannot change the muscle or the shape of the face. But it can help with blood flow and relaxation.”
Speaking of blood flood: The moment the application is complete, I swear I start to feel it. Visually (and sort of physically), I’d compare the result to the Skims Face Wrap, but for your ears. Also, my ears feel warm. Second, I start to feel drainage going down the back of my throat, just while we are sitting there. By the time I leave my meeting with Lee, I have started sweating (one of the signs that my lymphatic system is working).
