Gua sha benefits and how to use a gua sha stone

by Samia El Alman

What is a gua sha?

“Facial Gua Sha is a massage technique designed to relieve tension in the muscles of the face, boost blood circulation, and encourage lymphatic drainage to banish bloat. It helps break up fascia, the connective tissue that hugs muscles but can sometimes interfere with optimal circulation.
Interestingly, in traditional Chinese medicine, ‘qi’ or ‘chi’ refers to the constant flow on energy in our bodies. Stagnant energy is understood to be the underlying cause for all pain and inflammation. Gua Sha is performed on the body to ‘break up’ the blocked energy and promote free-flowing energy — whereby relieving aches, pains and stiffness.


How can I incorporate Gua Sha into my beauty routine, and what tools will I need?

 Performing Gua Sha on your face for a few minutes every day can work wonders for your skin.
 First, you’ll be needing a Gua Sha tool. Gua sha tools are typically made out of jade, rose quartz, Amethyst jade or mineral-rich stone, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes; each tailored to different areas and techniques. Your massage tool needs to feel comfortable in your hand, so that you can apply firm pressure without it slipping.
it’s also super relaxing, Using long, repetitive sweeping motions helps to relax your facial muscles, and by incorporating some deep breathing into your Gua Sha routine — you’ll be ready for bed in no time.

The Benefits of Gua Sha:

Besides improving overall health and radiance of the skin, gua sha has a multitude of benefits.

  • Stimulates circulation
  • Helps produce collagen
  • Softens fine lines and wrinkles
  • Decreases puffiness
  • Decreases inflammation
  • Diminishes dark circles
  • Temporarily tightens skin
  • Brightens complexion
  • Sculpts facial muscles
  • Releases tightness

 

 

How often should you do a Gua Sha facial?
 

You’ll notice the best results if you do it every day, but since even taking our multivitamins every day is hard enough, experts say two to three times per week will do. And the time of day you add Gua Sha to your routine matters, too. In the morning, it’s about treating puffiness and energizing the skin, while at night you work more on relaxing the muscles and releasing tight connective tissue.
 

What kind of results will you see on your skin?


Less puffy eyes and sharper cheekbones are two immediate results (cheers to instant gratification), but doing it three times a week might yield an improvement in acne, dryness and wrinkles.

How to use gua sha?


Holding the tool at a 30 to 45-degree angle, very gently pull/scrape it across your skin. As a rule, all movements should be upward and follow lymphatic flow. Repeat each movement three to five times before moving onto the next area of your skin.
 
Once you’ve applied face oil on your skin, simply follow the below steps:
 
  • Neck: Section your neck into four areas and scrape each section from the bottom up.
  • Jawline and Chin: Glide your tool upwards from the center of the chin out to the earlobe to contour the jaw.
  • Lips: Glide over your lips back and forth about five times for a plumping effect.
  • Cheek: Start at the nose and work upwards in a sweeping motion along the cheeks and cheekbones, moving outwards toward your ears. Scrape once, then move down a bit and scrape again, move down a bit more to the center of the chin and scrape again.
  • Under-Eye: Start in the inner corner of the eye and glide outwards to the temple.
  • Brows: Glide upwards along the brow bone - going from the inside out.
  • Forehead: Start at the center of the forehead and divide your forehead into three sections and glide your tool outwards. Scrape once, then move down a bit and scrape again.

 

Safety Considerations and Potential Side Effects:


 Gua sha is not recommended for those with rashes, sunburns, or blood coagulation issues, your skin may look a little pink or red for a few moments after a treatment (or bruise depending on the pressure and your susceptibility to bruising—but remember, gentle pressure is advised). But other than that, if done correctly, gua sha is a pretty safe bet for all skin types. As always, with any specific concerns, you should speak to your physician.
 
There are a wide range of Gua sha tools, they are made of different types of natural gemstones: Green Jade, White Jade, Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Aventurine, and Sodalite.
 
With so many benefits and healing powers of Gua sha, start incorporating one in your beauty regime today. check out this Amethyst Gua sha. https://rosehipskincare.store/collections/face-care/products/amethyst-gua-sha


Why Amethyst is my preferable gemstone?
 

  • Amethyst crystals are often used to ward off negative energies and stress, and promote clarity and relaxation
  • Amethyst emits infrared rays which slightly raise skin temperature to increase circulation. This calms inflammation and redness, and nourishes skin cells with oxygen and nutrients to keep them healthy and encourage regeneration
  • Thanks to its negative-charge, amethyst draws outpositively charged toxins and free radicals to cleanse and detoxify skin.
  • These detoxifying powers mean that amethyst helpsto prevent bacteria growth and tighten pores, so is recommended for blemish-prone skin
  • Best for stress relieving .
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