What is Gua Sha

What is Gua Sha facial and how does it help your skin? Learn about this natural skincare tool and it's many uses on the face and body!

Gua sha tools come in many shapes and sizes. The most common one is shown above with the areas treated marked on each side. Each side has many uses and it can be used anywhere on the body where you would like muscle massage, lymphatic drainage, increased blood flow, muscle toning and overall skin health. Other gua sha tools may look like mushrooms, spoons or wands. These different shapes are used to massage tighter spots and to use on pressure points. Gua sha stones can be made of any material, but you will typically find Jade, Rose Quartz, Aventurine (which looks just like Jade) and even stones like Sodalite or Amethyst. Here in the spa I use a stainless steel tool. I feel that is is the cleanest tool for clinical use as there are no potential cracks or "pores" that may be present in the natural stones. However, the natural stones are beautiful and wonderful too!

Gua sha is great for lymphatic drainage massage. Lymphatic drainage is a crucial part of our body's systems. It is our detoxification system and removes waste and germs. Lymph is a fluid that is trapped in essence between the layers of the skin and muscle. Unlike the circulatory system which moves blood via the heart, the lymphatic system does not have a mechanism of flow through our bodies.

Gua sha is also perfect for toning the skin and firming the facial muscles. It helps product to penetrate deeper into the skin and works well with facial oils and serums like hylauronic acid. It is a relaxing service and can be applied either cool or warm.

Using this tool at home can be a little tricky at first. The easiest way to think about it is to move up towards the ear area (lymph nodes) in very gentle sweeping movements. The tool should feel light on your skin and not catch, pull or rub over bones. If you are massaging muscles with it, you are bypassing lymph. Remember lymph lives between your skin and muscle tissue. So you want to almost feel nothing as you glide over your skin! Of course if you're using pressure points or you want a more lifted, toned look, this is when you would use more pressure.

I hope that this helped spread a little light on this wonderful facial tool. I highly encourage all of my clients to use a gua sha tool daily! If you would like some direction, just bring yours in during a facial and we can come up with a routine for you!

Author

Katherine Dye

©️Copywrite 2024