Everything you need to know about Gua Sha Facials at Home
A simple and effective guide to gaining the best Gua Sha Benefits.
Gua Sha, a traditional East Asian healing technique, has gained immense popularity in modern skincare routines for its simple yet effective approach to enhancing skin health and appearance. This smooth-edged tool is easy to use and can aid blood circulation to the surface of your skin with firm strokes in one direction on the face. How does this help? It reduces inflammation, gives the skin a natural lift, and reduces unevenness on the skin by improving the skin's tone.
Not to forget how relaxing and therapeutic each stroke is!
Today, via this blog, we discuss the benefits of Gua Sha, the right techniques, and best practices for incorporating Gua Sha facials into your home skincare routine, providing a scientific and practical guide to this ancient art.
In TCM, practitioners recognize that gua sha promotes the circulation of qi, i.e. helping to move blood through the blood vessels. Blood provides nourishment to the tissues and organs.
If there is not enough qi, blood may not flow well, and can cause symptoms like fatigue, cold hands and feet, and poor digestion. A lot of time, stagnated blood in the body can also be the reason for pain.
Introduction to Home Gua Sha Techniques
A Gua Sha with either, a face serum or face oil is key for a relaxing home gua sha facial. The Gua Sha is typically made from natural stones like amethyst or white jade to scrape or stroke the skin gently. A face serum or face oil prepares the skin and creates a smooth canvas for the gua sha to glide over seamlessly.
This technique has several pros such as improving blood circulation, promoting lymphatic drainage, and helping to release muscle tension extending to the neck and the shoulders apart from the face. In doing so regularly, you help detoxify the skin, reduce puffiness, and ease muscle tension.
By stimulating these physiological responses, Gua Sha facials aim to rejuvenate the skin’s appearance, making it look brighter, firmer, and more youthful. More so, the practice is well-loved for its ability to relax facial muscles. This can help soften fine lines and wrinkles. It also offers a soothing and therapeutic experience.
Gua Sha Massage Techniques:
For ease of understanding and for you to have the best experience possible, we’re breaking the Gua Sha Massage technique into phases:
Preparation
Step 1 Cleanse Your Skin: Use a gentle cleanser to wash away the day’s dirt and pollutants. Beginning with a clean face ensures that there are no impurities that might get absorbed into your skin.
Step 2 Apply a Serum or Oil: Use a gentle cleanser to wash away the day’s dirt and pollutants. Beginning with a clean face ensures that there are no impurities that might get absorbed into your skin.
Technique
Proper Tool Handling:Hold your Amethyst or White Jade Gua Sha, ensuring the curved edge is facing your face. The angle between the tool and your skin should be between 30-45 degrees.
Neck: Start at the neck to open lymphatic pathways. Gently glide the Gua Sha in upward strokes from the collarbone to the jawline.
Jawline and Chin: Place the tool at the center of your chin, and glide along the jawline to the earlobe. This helps contour the jaw and reduce jaw tension.
Cheeks: Start from the center of your face and scrape outwards towards the ears. This helps to lift the face and reduce puffiness.
Under-Eye Area: Gently glide the tool from the inner corner of the eye outwards to the temple. This area is sensitive, so use light pressure to avoid damage.
Forehead: Start in the middle of the forehead and scrape outwards towards the temple, then move upwards from the eyebrows to the hairline.
Tips
Pressure: We suggest you start with light pressure first; then increase it as necessary. The aim is not to cause pain or bruising but to gently massage to relax the skin and encourage lymphatic drainage.
Repeat: On each part of the face, repeat the movements 3-5 times.
Frequency: You can use your Gua Sha several times a week, depending on your skin’s sensitivity and your routine. We always recommend starting slow and increasing the pace as you go. This allows your skin to slowly adapt to new additions to the routine.
Post-Care
Hydrate: After completing your Gua Sha facial, it's important to drink plenty of water to help flush out toxins. Moisturize: Follow up with a generous layer of moisturiser to seal in all the moisture.
Guide to the Best Gua Sha Stones:
Intrigued to use one but unsure which one’s for you? We’ve got you! We highly recommend using the Founders Beauty Gua Sha - White Jade or the Amethyst. Aside from being absolute best sellers, these two stones offer a bunch of healing benefits.
Amethyst Gua Sha: Known for its calming properties, Amethyst, a beautiful luxurious purple stone is ideal for evening routines. It helps to soothe the skin, reduce dark circles and pigmentation under your eyes, and reduce stress.
White Jade Gua Sha: Believed to have both healing properties, white jade is perfect for sensitive or acne-prone skin, offering a cooling effect and helping to calm inflammation. Team this with skincare products like the Moisturizing Milk by Founders Beauty that leaves a cooling sensation on your skin post its application.
Aside from these, some other options for you are:
Green Jade: Jade is one of the most traditional materials used for Gua Sha. It is believed to balance the body's energies and offer a soothing, calming effect. It's cool to the touch and helps reduce puffiness and inflammation.
Rose Quartz: Known as the stone of love, rose quartz supports lymphatic drainage and reduces tension in the skin. It is often linked to healing and unconditional love. Many use it to improve circulation and enhance their natural glow. It’s best for soothing irritated skin and enhancing circulation. It can be used in the AM and PM Routine.
Bian Stone: It contains over 40 minerals and trace elements, producing negative ions and thermal conductivity. It's known for its therapeutic properties, including promoting circulation and reducing muscle tension. It's the best Gua Sha for anti-aging routines, deep tissue massage, and relieving muscle tension in the face.
Black Obsidian: This volcanic glass is naturally cool and is excellent for detoxifying, helping to draw out impurities from the skin. People also use it for grounding and protection, helping to improve mental well-being alongside skin health. Ideal for oily skin, detox routines, and those looking for both spiritual and skin health benefits.
Gua Sha for All Skin Types
Gua Sha Tools are versatile and can be beneficial for all skin types. They have no side effects. However, people with sensitive skin or conditions like rosacea should use lighter pressure to avoid irritation and redness. If you have active acne, we suggest exercising caution by leaving it as is. You might want to focus on other areas, like the neck and shoulders.
Lastly, always listen to your skin and adjust the pressure and frequency accordingly.
By understanding and implementing Gua Sha facials at home, you can enjoy the profound benefits this technique offers. It’s not just a beauty ritual through yet another beauty product; it’s a commitment to enhancing your skin’s natural health, radiance, and overall wellness. Team this up with the best skin care products you can get access to and enhance your skin's health.
If you've used one before, we'd love to hear about your experiences with Gua Sha! Share your stories in the comments below!
Happy Gua Sha-ing!