Everything You Need to Know About Gua Sha

If you love self care, you may have heard the recent hype around Gua sha. Read further to know how this uniquely shaped stone found its way into the world of beauty and skincare. 

What is Gua Sha?

Gua is a flat tool with a crevice near the center, used to massage the face. Usually made of semi-precious stone, this tool has become seemingly popular as a healing practice and a face sculptor. 

The literal meaning of Gua sha is "to scrape petechia" or to create small bruises. As scary as it sounds, the original Chinese medicine technique was used to bruise the skin as it was believed to promote oxygenated blood circulation and cell repair. It was done by rubbing any hard material like a ceramic soup spoon, a well-used coin, or even a round metal cap, across lubricated skin in an organized manner. 

Nowadays, it is made with precious stones like jade and quartz as they are considered to have qi energy and cooling properties. 

Skincare Benefits 

In the skincare world, Gua sha has been used to solve many common skin problems. If used in a proper way (that does not cause bruises), it can provide the following benefits:

1. Reduce cystic acne - Using a Gua sha on acne-prone skin can really reduce redness and congestion. Just make sure you don't use it on broken skin and pustules, and you're good to go!
2. Lymphatic drainage - The fluid in our lymphatic system removes waste and toxins from our body cells. With the help of a Gua sha, you can promote the natural circulation of lymph, and this is called lymphatic drainage.
3. Reduce tension - Gua sha has reportedly been used to help with migraines and tight facial muscles. The massage is therapeutic to the skin and loosens up those muscles, making you feel coolheaded. 
4. Temporary facelift - Pulling the Gua sha up your skin can lead your skin in the desired direction and promote blood circulation. It can contour up your nose, cheekbones, and jawline giving you a defined look. If done on a regular basis, you can get a natural facelift without surgery or Botox!
5. Reduce puffiness - Quite a lot of people experience puffiness after waking up in the morning, and the Gua sha has been a savior to them! Gua sha removes extra fluids and bloating from your face, tightening up your skin.
6. Reduce dark circles - Fatigue, pulling an all-nighter, or even oversleeping a few extra hours can cause unwanted dark circles around our eyes. It is mostly caused by the puffiness under your eyes or improper blood circulation. Gua sha treatment can significantly reduce those undesirable owl-eyes!

Medical Benefits

Although Gua sha has not been clinically proven to provide health benefits, it does help solve some minor problems.

If you're a student or work a 9 to 5, you might be spending hours hunched over in front of your computer or books. This might cause your facial and body muscles to tighten up and stress to build up. You might not even realize how often you furrow your brows or clench your jaw while you are extremely focused on something. You can also start to experience migraines and they are not fun to have when you are trying to be productive!

Just like a relaxing facial or a massage at the spa, Gua sha can relieve all that tension. Take up a regular Gua sha massage session every other day, and you will start to feel youthful and relaxed in no time. 

If you want to get your hands on a Gua sha as soon as possible, you can order it online from our shop here at Pink Is In! It also comes with a jade roller, which is an easy-to-use alternative with a long handle.

Careful Use

Everything has its pros and cons. Every seemingly good decision can have its own set of drawbacks. It's the same with the Gua sha treatment. 

The Gua sha must be used with utmost care and focus as it can cause bruising if you are too harsh on yourself. If this scraping therapy is used on rashes, sores, and ulcers, they can cause infection and skin trauma. 

Also, if you are someone with underlying health issues like anemia or hemophilia, the improper use of this tool can cause more harm than good.

However, most of these issues stem from a lack of knowledge on how to use them. So, make sure you spend some time learning from experienced people or getting a Gua sha treatment done by a professional before you attempt it on your own. Gentle, proper use should never cause any problems.

Tips on How to Use a Gua Sha 

• While using it around the eye, lubricate your skin with almond oil or jojoba oil and carefully rub it across your undereye all the way to the hairline above your temple. Repeat the process thrice on both your eyes. This will help with depuffing your eyes and reducing dark circles. 
• To relieve tension in your head and reduce headaches, rub it gently across your temple to your hairline in a forward motion. You can repeat the step as many times as you'd like.
• To firm your décolletage, start swiping the Gua sha from the outer corner of your jaw, right below the earlobe. Slide it across till it reaches your collarbone. 
• To contour and depuff your jawline, guide the Gua sha from the middle of your chin to the earlobe. Repeat this step three times on both sides of your face. 
• To contour your nose, guide your tool from the bridge of your nose to your cheek. Do this two to three times on both sides of your face. 

Pin this:

Written by Chelsea Muller