Everything you need to know about Gua Sha Facials

BEAUTY
Written By Jo Portia
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What is Gua Sha?

Gua sha is a natural, alternative therapy that involves scraping your skin with a massage tool to improve your circulation. This ancient Chinese healing technique may offer a unique approach to better health, addressing issues like chronic pain.

Practitioners believe that gua sha releases unhealthy bodily matter from blood stasis within sored, tired, stiff or injured muscle areas to stimulate blood flow, promote cell regeneration, healing and recovery. Gua sha is sometimes referred to as “scraping”. 

As a beauty tool, it helps to smooth out wrinkles, contour the face, improve complexion, aid in lympathic drainage, reduce fluid retention, and detoxify the skin. I’ve been doing Gua She Facials on my face since last fall and have loved the results. 

Beauty Benefits of Gua Sha

  • smooths the skin

  • reduces lines and wrinkles

  • stimulates cell regeneration 

  • improves dark circles under the eyes

  • firms up facial muscles (#defygrafity)

  • helps clear acne, rosacea, and other skin diseases 

  • makes skin look more youthful

 

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How-to-Do A Gua Sha Facial:

Cleanse your face with your favorite facial cleanser. Moisturize and then apply a thin layer of facial oil. Repeat each step below 3-5x and do this facial 2-3 times a week. 

  1. Front of the Neck: Sweep from the soft area under your chin to the bottom of your ear.

  2. Chin: Sweep from the middle of your face, under your lower lip and to the earlobe.

  3. Mouth area: From under the lower lip, sweep out to the earlobe.

  4. Cheek: Do the same sweeping motion for the cheek area. Go from the side of your nose, across your cheek, and up again to the middle of your ear.

  5. Under the eyes: Slowly and lightly stroke the area where your eye bags typically show. Start from the side of your nose and go up to your temple. Imagine moving the stagnant lymph from the middle of your face up to the temple and all the way to the hairline.

  6. Under eyebrow: Use the curved part of your gua sha tool to scrape the area underneath your eyebrow and above your eyes. Stay on the bone of the brow.

  7. Third Eye: Stroke from the middle of your eyebrows and up to your hairline. This area activates healing.

  8. Lower forehead: Stroke from center of forehead above the eyebrow out to the temple.

  9. Jawline: Scrape from the soft area under your chin to the bottom of your ear.

  10. Neck: Start at the outer corner of the jaw, near the earlobe. Sweep down to the dip above the middle of the right collarbone.

    The big sweep: Collect all the lymph you’ve moved to the side of the face and dump it to your lymphatic drainage. Sweep from the center of your forehead right under your hairline, down to your temple, down to your ear until you reach your neck and terminus area. Do several times for a clean sweep. Repeat all steps on the other side. 

    Watch my Gua Sha Video on YouTube!

    [youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcXjmyqTacw&w=854&h=480]

    Gua Sha Tools: 

    There are several different options you can use for your Gua Sha facial ranging from stone to different high vibe crystals like different types of quartz or jade. I’ve tried 3 different sets made out of different stone and in my opinion, it’s all personal choice with regards to which one you want to use. 

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    3 Piece Rose Quartz set by Jovi

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    This 3 piece set from Jovi was my first set of tools. It’s beautiful and who doesn’t want some rose quartz to help with a little more self-love. 

    Pros: 

    • beautiful to look at

    • high vibe crystal 

    • well made

    Cons: 

    • a little slippery

    • very delicate and will break if you drop it on hardwood (I’ve broken 2 sets)

     

    4 piece Buffalo Horn by Heart Can Feel

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    I had hopes for this one after having to replace my Rose Quartz set a couple times because I shattered pieces twice during my trips. When I first got it in I was a little disappointed to feel how light it was. Somehow I thought it would feel the same as my rose quartz set in my hand, but it was lighter (great for travel). 

     

    Pros: 

    • functional

    • affordable

    • an additional tool can be used for acupuncture points 

    Cons: 

    • feels/looks cheaply made 

    • not as attractive 

     

    4 Piece Bian Stone set by Hana Emi

    This might be my favorite set so far. Don’t get me wrong aesthetically I love my rose quartz one, but after having to replace it twice it stays home in my nightstand. The Hana Emi comes with a pouch making it easier to travel with. The Bian Stone also has a more durable feel to it making it easy to use on other parts of the body aside from the face.

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    Pros: 

    • custom carrying pouch

    • feels really durable

    • purchase comes with a PDF instruction book

     

    Cons: 

    • not as luxurious feeling as the rose quartz set

    • a little heavier than the other tools

     

    Here are other gua sha tools I recommend: 

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    Cleaning your gua sha tools:

    It’s very simple. Use mild soap and water after every use, wipe it dry, and follow up with alcohol or sanitizer.

    “I like to think of jade rolling like foam rolling for the face”

    — GOFITJO

    The low down on Jade Rolling

    I just started incorporating jade rolling into my morning routines, which I HAVE BEEN SO IN LOVE WITH! Jade rolling doesn’t have all the health benefits that Gua Sha does especially the aid in lymphatic drainage, but it does help to promote blood circulation and reduce the inflammation. Some people say that it helps to push facial products like oils or creams deeper into the skin, FALSE! It’ll help spread the product onto your skin more, but it doesn’t help skin care product penetrate the skin deeper. 

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    I like to think of jade rolling like foam rolling for the face and for me it’s just another self-care practice I can incorporate into my life.

    Here are some jade rollers I recommend: 

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    Well friends, there you have it, a low down on my latest skincare routine that’s here to stay. Curious to know, do you gua sha or jade roll? Leave me a comment, I want to hear from you! 

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    Jo Portia

    Jo Portia Mayari is a globally renowned sex and relationship coach based in SF Bay Area. She is deeply passionate about empowering people to embrace their sensual creativity and erotic expression to transform their sex and relationships.

    She is a certified trauma-informed tantric sex and relationship coach who has dared to lead hundreds of people down a path of radical self-acceptance and sexual liberation. Her journey through unconditional radical AF self-love and wellness gained her recognition by Global Founder & CEO of Thrive Global, Arianna Huffington, as one of the Top 20 Health + Wellness role models.

    http://www.joportia.com
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