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How To Give Yourself a Gua Sha Facial for Glowing Skin
No doubt you must have heard of Gua sha, pronounced "gwah-sha," it's an ancient practice that's meant to improve circulation, relax your muscles, and improve blood flow. The movements are very light and relaxing with very little pressure being applied. The result? A glowing, more sculpted, and toned complexion. In this post we'll show you how you can add it as part of your skin care routine.
Types of Gua Sha
Gua sha tools come in many different shapes and sizes which are designed to accommodate different parts of the face and body. They are typically made from an assortment of material types, including rose quartz (benefits the immune system while strengthening your cardiovascular system), turquoise, jade (which has a long history for being used to cool and purge the body from toxins), obsidian, glass, or even wood. The idea is that each type of material serves a unique healing purpose.
The teardrop-shaped Gua Sha tool is often touted as the best one to start with, as it's easy to grip in your hand and has a large surface area for the cheek and neck.
Benefits of Gua Sha
- Sculpts and smoothes the skin
- Reduces wrinkles and fine lines
- Lifts and firms the skin
- Relaxes muscles in the face
- Aids with lymphatic drainage
- Improves blood circulation
How to Use Gua Sha
Ready to use your Gua sha tool like a real pro? It's a relatively simple process that anyone can do.
Step One: Cleanse and Tone
It's best to perform Gua sha on clean skin. If you use toner, apply it after cleansing. Also, make sure your hands and the tool itself are clean.
Step Two: Apply a Facial Oil
Apply a generous amount of Pure Fiji's Luxury Facial Oil.
Place a generous amount of face oil to your face, neck, and chest. Oil will help the tool glide more easily, but if you prefer a cream or water-based lotion that is OK. Just note that you may need to reapply more throughout the process.
Step Three: Perform Gua Sha
You can now begin your actual Gua sha ritual. 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. Use light pressure and be very mindful with each stroke.
- NECK: With the inward curved side of the tool, sweep up the side of the neck from the collarbone towards the jawline.
- JAW: With the Gua sha on its side, use the ètop of the love heart' to make sweeping motions across the jawline. Start at the chin and move the tool upwards towards the ear. Repeat this sequence before moving to the opposite side.
- CHEEKS: Using the longest side of the Gua sha, massage the cheekbones. Start just above the mouth and to the side of the nose and drag the tool upwards, following the contours of the cheekbones, towards the hairline. Use the longest curve of the èlove heart' to massage the under-eye area. Place the Gua sha ?at against the inner corner of the eye and use very gentle pressure to sweep outwards towards the hairline.
- EYEBROWS: Place the smaller curve of the èlove heart' underneath the eyebrow and the longer curve above the eyebrow and work the tool with sweeping motions following the shape of the eyes out towards the hairline.
Complete your routine with 3 to 4 downwards strokes on your neck.
Step Four: Complete skin care routine
Rinse with warm water or wipe away any residue with a warm, damp cloth. Follow with toner, serum, moisturizer, and pat facial oil.
Clean your Gua sha stone after use with warm water and a mild skin care cleanser.
Drink 2 glasses of water after a Gua sha ritual to help ?ush any toxins away.
How Often Should You Use Gua Sha?
The frequency of use will depend on your skin type and your skin's tolerance for the method. As you start to get used to it and get more comfortable with your techniques, you should aim to use Gua sha at least two to three times per week.
Use your Gua sha in the morning if you want to treat puffiness and energize your skin, while at night you work more on relaxing the muscles and releasing tight connective tissue.
Summary
Gua sha feels just as lovely as it sounds, and as you can see there are multiple benefits that extend way beyond de-stressing and relaxation. Get your complete set today!
