A Gua Sha is a small hand-held tool traditionally made of stone. Here at The 889 Shop we carry the Gua Sha in Rose Quartz as we love the metaphysical properties of this crystal-enhancing compassion and love for oneself and others. The Gua Sha is one of our favourite beauty tools (along with its partner-in-crime the Rose Quartz Roller) and we continue to receive questions about its use and efficacy daily.
We've put together this short guide to help you get the most out of your skin's new BFF!
The practice of stroking the skin with stone dates back to ancient China and continues to be practiced in Traditional Chinese Medicine today. This routine is not only restoring for the body's largest organ-the skin-by encouraging circulation to different parts of the face, it's also especially beneficial for detoxifying, relaxing tight muscles and encouraging healing.
When used on the face in the correct way (see below for the guide!) the Gua Sha increases circulation and the production of anti-aging molecules like collagen and elastin. These help to reduce wrinkles and firm the skin on the face.
The increased circulation in the face will also help to heal acne and scaring on the surface of the skin. And yes, it will bring up anything sitting just below the surface! We recommend being patient and enjoying your body's natural healing process.
We love a quick Gua Sha routine in the morning to help with puffiness around the eyes and in the face. A regular routine moves the lymph through the face, helping the body with lymphatic drainage. The lymph is where we carry all of our toxic waste. The quicker we can remove this waste from our body, the better! (For more effective tools in aiding lymph drainage check out our selection of dry brushes for the face and body!)
If you're a teeth grinder, you'll find much relief in using this tool against the jawline, helping to relieve tension in the jaw and neck. Starting at the centre of your chin and work the tool along your jawline up to the base of the ear.
For headaches felt in the brow and forehead a Gua Sha tool can be used as a natural headache remedy by starting in the middle of the forehead and working your way out towards the temples, following the hairline. Repeat as often and with as many repetitions as you like. We enjoy pairing this routine with Calm Balm from Leaves of Trees.
Committing to a full face routine a few times a week will definitely have you noticing results!
To start, you'll want have a lubricated face, we like Province Apothecary's Rejuvenating + Hydrating Face Serum. We find, using the Gua Sha right after you put on a serum or cream is the most ideal and easiest way to integrate this practice into your routine.
Starting from the TOP TO BOTTOM of the face:
1. Big sweep. Centre of the forehead out, over the temple, curve behind ear, down the side of neck. 3-5x
2. Third Eye. Stroke from centre of the eyebrows up to the hairline. 3-10x
3. Under Eyebrow. Hugging the brow bone, from the centre out to the temple. 3-5x
4. Under Eye. Inner corner of the eye out to the temple. Make sure the skin is extra lubricated here to prevent unnecessary stretching of this delicate skin. 3-5x
5. Cheek. From the corner of the nose out to the middle ear following both above and below the cheekbone. 3-5x
6. Chin: hugging the jaw, middle of the chin out to the earlobe. 3-5x
7. Under the Chin. Sweep from the middle of the soft under-chin out to the earlobe. 3-5x
8. Up the Neck. Guide the tool up toward the jaw starting at the base near the collarbone. Move up from centre and work your way around. 5-5x
9. Down the Neck. Start at the outer corner of the jaw, sweep down to the collarbone. Do not work your way around the neck, stay along the side body. 3-5x
*The Gua Sha tool is an effective tool for firming and toning the skin naturally. If you have botox or fillers, it's not recommended to use a Gua Sha as the tool will move and dispose of fillers naturally through the scraping process.