The benefits of Gua Sha
The cult beauty massage tool
Boosting circulation and relieving tension
〰️ Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese skincare treatment that has been existence for hundreds of years. Gua Sha was designed to stimulate the flow of Qi (energy) through facial meridians, however, it has many other benefits including relieving tension in the face, increasing circulation and aiding lymphatic drainage. I believe there is so much wisdom in ancient cultures that include treatments that have lasted the test of time.
What is Gua Sha?
Gua Sha is a massage tool used to gently scrape the skin, providing a natural at-home facial experience.
What type of stone should I use?
Gua Sha can be performed with any stone. The most popular materials are jade and rose quartz.
Rose quartz is said to engage with your heart energy and jade is known for its balancing effects and for protecting the body's Qi.
Benefits can include:
Boosts blood circulation
Reduces puffiness
Supports lymphatic drainage
Relieves tension in the facial muscles
Helps serums and oils penetrate deeper
Can everyone use Gua Sha?
Gua Sha is non-invasive, however, due to its ability to aid lymphatic drainage if you’re pregnant or undergoing chemotherapy, you should check with your medical advisor before performing Gua Sha. It could also be unsuitable for anyone with inflammatory skin conditions including eczema.
How to Gua Sha
I learnt how to gua sha during a beauty masterclass and my acupuncturist has also given me a few tips. My favourite place to get inspiration however is via cult facialist Britta Plug has loads of easy instructional videos on Instagram. Here’s a general guide but I’d strongly recommend watching a few videos first.
On a clean face, prime your skin with a facial oil or moisturiser. This will help the tool effortlessly glide across your skin and the practice will help your skin absorb the product.
Using a firm pressure, use your Gua Sha tool to make multiple sweeping motions from the base of your chin upwards to your cheekbones. Start slow and adjust the pressure based on what’s comfortable and how your skin reacts.
Beginning just next to your nose, sweep outwards over the cheekbones towards the temples multiple times.
Place the tool at the inner point of your eyebrow and follow its shape (but be a little more exaggerated) upwards and outwards multiple times. This one is my absolute favourite.
Place the tool in the centre of your forehead and sweep upwards and then repeat the same action across your whole forehead. You can sweeep right up into your scalp but it may get a bit oily due to the product on the gua sha tool.
Repeat on the other side and as many times as you like. You might see your skin flushes a little pink due to the boosts in blood circulation however it should never be painful or leave bruises, be gentle with yourself.