A Guide To Gua Sha & My Routine
Gua Sha—smooth, shaped, and often crafted with all kinds of curves—has evolved as an essential lymphatic drainage and skincare tool with a traditional Chinese heritage dating back centuries, preceding even the Stone and Bronze Ages. Gua Shas go beyond the visual appeal; they stimulate and drain the lymphatic system, sculpting the jawline and cheekbones while offering a plethora of skincare and wellness benefits. But what is the backstory of this ancient tool? And how can you make the most of its potential?
What Is Gua Sha?
"Gua" means to scrape, and "sha" refers to toxins. Scraping the toxins out of the body is the best translation. Gua Sha's roots remain as an age-old medicinal technique, involving the use of a tool to repeatedly scrape the skin in one area to release toxins, typically applied to the neck, back, or elbows.
Traditionally, Gua Sha wasn't linked to skincare; its origins lie in a technique aimed at expelling toxins from the body. Primarily used to rid the body of illnesses and various ailments such as aches, pains, joint discomfort, and flu symptoms, this practice of scraping the skin stimulates new blood flow and draws out stagnation in the problem areas to help generate metabolic cell repair and healing.
However, in recent times, the beauty industry has embraced this practice, reimagining it as a revitalising and sculpting facial massage therapy. The Western interpretation of Gua Sha involves the use of flat, curved tools, often crafted from gemstones or steel. Applied with upward strokes along the facial contours, it promotes lymphatic drainage, diminishes puffiness, and enhances skin tone and radiance.
The Benefits Of Gua Sha
When it comes to facial Gua Sha, it’s essential to approach the technique with a much slower pace and gentler pressure. Less is definitely more here! With consistency, Gua Sha can deliver noticeable improvements over time. From clearer and brighter skin to a tighter complexion with fewer wrinkles and blemishes, the before and afters can be clear-cut!
Gua Sha aims to encourage healthy circulation in muscles and tissues that nourish the skin, making it more of a holistic practice with visual perks like radiant skin and diminished lines. This improved circulation creates noticeable transformations: reduced puffiness, smoother skin tone, softened wrinkles, decreased sagging, facial contouring and lifting, accelerated recovery from acne, and alleviated dark circles and under-eye bags.
Yet, the advantages of Gua Sha extend beyond face. Facial Gua Sha works wonders for releasing tension in the neck and shoulders too. Many of its benefits are instant, making it an excellent practice for relieving headaches, sinus congestion, or jaw tightness and pain.
Open Your Drainage Pathways & Active Your Lymph Nodes
Before beginning your Gua Sha practice, stimulate your lymph nodes to open up your drainage pathways. These nodes, located around the face, ears, and neck, clear fluid and blood flow during your routine. The human body has approximately 200 lymph nodes from the neck up and 400 from the neck down.
To promote lymph fluid movement, begin by placing your hand just above your clavicle on one side and gently sweep your fingers side to side, repeating this motion 5-10 times. Next, apply a pumping sensation with your fingers above the bone, mimicking a heartbeat. Repeat this action on the opposite side of the clavicle.
Follow up by pressing both sets of fingers up and down the sides of your neck muscles, the primary lymphatic pathway for removal and detoxification. Continue this pressing action along your chin, beneath your jawline, up the sides of your jaw, and to the front and back of your ears. Then, land your fingertips on the sides of your scalp and work them in circular motions. Ensure that you begin and finish each Gua Sha session with gentle swipes down the face and neck towards the collarbone, to further drain the lymphatic fluid.
Mastering Gua Sha: A Step-By-Step Tutorial
To start your facial Gua Sha practice, ensure your hands are clean and generously apply a face mist, serum, cream, or oil—this serves two purposes. Applying skincare with “slip” followed by Gua Sha will enhance product absorption and provide a “workout” for your skin. Second, creating a smooth glide without tugging at the skin is essential, ensuring a comfortable experience!
Take this time to cultivate relaxation by taking deep breaths, moving slowly, and keeping hydrated throughout the process. Always work in an upward and outward direction, applying gentle pressure as you glide the tool over your skin.
Begin by holding the Gua Sha tool with the curved side against your face, gently gliding it upwards and outwards. Start from the neck, then move along the jawline, chin, and around the mouth, repeating the motion three to five times in each area. Continue by sweeping across your cheeks, gently under the eyes, across the eyebrows, and upwards from the forehead to the hairline.
When performing Gua Sha, slow strokes with light to medium pressure yield the most effective results. Avoid applying excessive pressure or moving too quickly, remember, a gentle touch is key! Some redness following the massage is expected, as in Chinese medicine, a red flush (or “sha”) is recognised as the healing response of your body. Aim to incorporate this treatment into your morning or evening skincare routine at least a few times a week, if not daily, to maintain consistency and reap its benefits.
Be mindful of not using Gua Sha on inflamed or open skin. It's also essential to note certain precautions when considering Gua Sha massage on the face. Avoid this technique if you have rosacea, undergone dermal fillers within the last 28 days or injectables within the last 14 days, or if you are on blood thinners.
Skincare Companions To Elevate Your Gua Sha Routine
Here are my favourite tools and skincare products I use in my Gua Sha routine that I have found work best for me and optimise results. While I don't use all these products simultaneously during my Gua Sha sessions, each one adds its own unique benefits.
Basecamp Beauty Stainless Steel Gua Sha Lifting Tool - After trying various quartz and jade Gua Shas, I found the Basecamp Beauty Stainless Steel Gua Sha to be unparalleled. Its durability surpasses fragile gemstone Gua Shas, ensuring longevity without compromising on elegance. Shaped with beautiful angles and curves, it's both visually stunning and delightful to use, and I love that it’s complemented by a soft white felt pouch to keep it safe and scratch-free.
Mukti Rose Blossom Hydrating Mist - My skincare product of choice for my Gua Sha routine is rose water. Opting for a water-based skincare product in my opinion provides the most “slip” while minimising tugging, and allows me to maintain control over the tool still. While I often create my own mist using food-grade rose water from the health food store, the Mukti Rose Blossom Hydrating Mist is also a beautiful choice, featuring a curated blend of ingredients such as Rose Hydrosol, Kakadu Plum, Kangaroo Paw Flower, and Aloe Vera.
Living Libations Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever - A longtime staple in my self-care and skin health regimen, the Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever from Living Libations has been a favourite of mine for over 7 years now! It’s an all-in-one cleanser, exfoliator, and moisturiser. This beautiful oil blend is wonderful for all skin types (especially acne-prone), and it swiftly calms inflammation and revives skin radiance and clarity.
Ere Perez Fig All-Beauty Jelly - Another all-time favourite product for a Gua Sha pairing! The Ere Perez Fig All-Beauty Jelly is a skin-loving, all-purpose hydrating jelly. You can use dry as a cleanser or add water to create a soothing cleansing milk. I love that it leaves skin soft & clean without feeling stripped. It features fig, rich in antioxidants & vitamins, a dash of antiseptic clove, a natural stringent that tightens pores and stimulates blood flow, along with chamomile to calm & soothe skin.
Thank you for reading!
By incorporating Gua Sha into your routine, you can elevate your self-care and experience the full potential of this ancient practice for radiant, rejuvenated, lit-from-within skin. Let me know if you give it a try in the comments below!
Big hugs,
Liv x
