WHAT IS GUA SHA FACIAL MASSAGE?

Gua Sha facial massage is a relaxing and effective technique for facial rejuvenation with a multitude of benefits for your skin. Practiced daily, or even a few days a week, you’ll notice a brighter, smoother, more sculpted complexion. 

ORIGINS OF GUA SHA

Gua Sha is an ancient wellness technique from Traditional Chinese Medicine, dating back thousands of years.

Gua translates as "to scrape." Sha translates as "disease, illness, or sand," referring to the red dots that appear on the skin when a gua sha board is scraped vigorously over an area of the body to release stagnation, heat, fever and muscle tension, aiding in overall wellness.

Much later, gua sha was adapted for the face for beautification purposes. Facial Gua Sha utilizes a light hand to sculpt and tone the face via lymph drainage and the opening of energetic channels. 

BENEFITS OF GUA SHA

RELEASES TENSION + MINIMIZES FINE LINES

Most people are aware of their tight hamstrings or shoulders…but are you aware of how much tension is held in your face? Gua Sha helps bring our awareness to emotions and tension stored in our facial muscles that, over time, become unconscious holding patterns. Most people notice an immediate lifted and relaxed appearance, and a softening of fine lines after gua sha.

INCREASES ENERGY + LYMPHATIC FLOW

When practiced with a light hand, Gua Sha works directly with the lymphatic system to support movement of lymph fluid. In simple terms, this helps de-puff and detox the skin tissues, giving the face a more sculpted appearance. With regular practice you’ll notice a genuinely brighter appearance with less congestion, as energy flows more freely.

INCREASED PRODUCT ABSORPTION

Gua Sha facial massage increases blood flow as well, which rejuvenates skin tissues and increases product absorption.

STIMULATES COLLAGEN PRODUCTION

As the gua sha tool glides over your skin, it gently bends the connective tissue (fascia), which naturally stimulates fibroblasts of collagen. You’ll notice plumper, firmer skin with regular practice.

 

THE TOOL

Gua Sha tools, also known as boards, are smooth and flat and can be made from a variety of materials-- often stones like rose quartz or jade. Our very favorite Gua Sha is made from Kansa bronze, a conductive Ayurvedic metal (more on that below). Regardless of material, the technique is the same. 

 

 

 

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

So let’s go over some basic technique! 

• Prep your face with a pump or two of high quality oil, like our Calm and Replenish Facial Oil, so the tool glides effortlessly over the skin without tugging.  
• Hold the tool almost flat to the skin (about a 30 degree angle) as you glide it over the face… Like spreading butter on a soft piece of bread. 
• Use light pressure. Facial gua sha works magic on the lymphatic system, the detoxifying fluid that rests just under the skin. Press too hard and you won’t get the beautiful de-puffing and sculpting results you’re after.

 

A BASIC HOW-TO

Ready to begin? Here is our daily technique to begin your journey toward all the beautiful benefits listed above. Perform each stroke mentioned below about 4-10 times. Once you’ve got it down, have fun with it and use your intuition to give yourself a little extra wiggle or lift where you really need it. 

 

IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE NECK

Begin by working down the sides of the neck, from under the ear/behind the jaw to the clavicle. Why do we start at the neck? It’s kind of like cleaning the drain to your bathtub before washing out the tub itself. If the drain is clogged, there’s no where for that stagnant water to flow! So we clear the drain (neck) first.

 

DEFINE THE JAW LINE

• Smooth the gua sha under the jawline, using the pointed tip, from chin to below the ear. 
• Use the bend of our heart-shaped gua sha to hug the jawbone and repeat the same motion, from the tip of the chin to the earlobe.
• Rest the tool on top of the jawbone, and repeat the same motion, chin to ear.
• Sweep the tool down the neck again to move lymph fluid gathered from the jaw area.

• Continue in this same motion, drawing the tool from the midline of the face to the outer edge, working your way up the face. Use the different angles of the tool and experiment with what contours fit your face the best.

 

THAT’S IT! YOU DID IT!

Feel free to do this gua sha technique a couple times through. The first time, be sure to keep it light to focus on depuffing. The second time through you can add a little more pressure if it feels good, and enjoy the tension release. At first you may want to gua sha in front of a mirror for practice, but overtime you may find it most relaxing to gua sha while laying in bed, or outside with your feet grounded to the earth.

 

TAKE BEFORE + AFTER PHOTOS

Before and after photos are a fun way to see the amazing instant + cumulative results of gua sha. We love to see your before and after results! You can send them to care@earthtonicsskincare.com or tag us on IG @earthtonics

 

BOOST THE RESULTS WITH KANSA BRONZE

EarthTonics' signature gua sha is made of Kansa Bronze. Why did we choose this material for our gua sha over stones like jade or rose quartz?

Kansa Bronze is a metal used in Ayurveda for it's conductive properties. It is highly resonant, and is the same material used for singing bowls and gongs. Due to it's high copper content, it is able to harness the natural electricity present in the human body. 

The Kansa Gua Sha has an energizing quality that amplifies the technique presented here. We've referred to it as "paleo-microcurrent," directing the body's own electricity and bringing it to the areas of the face for enhanced results. 

Not to mention, it is indestructable, making it great for travel and to pass to future generations as a family heirloom.