The Gua Sha Tool: A Quick Intro to This Skincare Trend

Gua Sha is a process where a tool made out of jade is scraped against the skin to the point where it is mildly bruised.

It is a massage technique to relieve tension, boost blood circulation and encourage lymphatic drainage.

Applying deep pressure with a Gua Sha stone can really get into knotted areas to release held muscular tension, allowing muscles to do their supportive jobs properly. You’ll experience a dramatic release of tension when incorporating Gua Sha daily into your skincare routine.

It also helps break up fascia, the connective tissue within muscles that can sometimes interfere with optimal circulation. The main goal is to get blood flowing throughout your face.

The technique was first used to relieve pain in sore muscles and to release toxins from the body. By “scraping” with strokes repeatedly on your face, it stimulates blood flow to help repair cells.

The purpose of gua sha is to address stagnant energy, called chi, that practitioners believe may be responsible for inflammation. Gently pushing against the skin’s surface is known to help break up this energy, reduce inflammation and promote healing.

Gua Sha can be used to clear blockages in meridian channels, which connect our organs together and transport both the blood and chi. The channels need to be clear to work harmoniously and for chi to flow well throughout the body. If an organ is not functioning properly, the channel could be blocked. You can clear the channel of blockages by scraping the Gua Sha tool along it.

The unique edges of various Gua Sha stones work to lift, sculpt and tighten the skin. Daily use can prevent the signs of aging such as sagging, dull and wrinkled skin. Because it helps stimulate circulation, the technique itself oxygenates and carries nutrients to the skin cells. The increased blood flow resulting from Gua Sha contributes to a more lively, plumped up and youthful appearance.

Gua Sha increases circulation and improves lymphatic function, which can result in a glowing complexion. The action of gently scraping the tool across the skin aids in serum/moisturizer product penetration, so those juicy phytonutrients go deeper into the layers of skin to feed us even more hydration. The technique can also be used to prevent and clear acne by detoxifying the skin and decreasing inflammation.

At a glance, jade rolling and gua sha might seem like the same practice, but they are not. Jade rolling is mainly focused on putting the stone on the skin. With gua sha the focus is on the scraping technique itself. By dragging the stone on your face, you will see your face lifting and being sculpted over time.

It is recommended to put any kind of facial oil or moisturizer on before using it. You can get the Gua Sha face sculpting set here or just the single tool here.