Today, we’ll talk about gua sha, a facial tool that has become increasingly popular in the skincare world and is loved by celebs like Kendall Jenner, Emilia Clarke, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Are you familiar with it? Its origins date back more than a thousand years, and it’s very effective for toning and firming skin massages!
If you’re still not very familiar with this beauty tool, or if you have one but haven’t yet discovered how to use it, here’s what it is, its benefits, and how to use gua sha to combat sagging skin. It will become your best beauty ally!
What is facial gua sha?
A gua sha is a flat stone—usually made of jade, rose quartz, or obsidian—with rounded (and sometimes slightly serrated) edges. Its shape can be heart-shaped, fish-shaped, or other, but its defining characteristic is its ability to conform to the shape of the face.
Its use dates back 2000 years when it was used in Chinese medicinal culture, but later Eastern women added it to their facial beauty routine to take advantage of everything it could do for their skin.
Benefits of gua sha on the skin
Gua sha is used to massage the face after applying facial oils, serums, or creams, so the movement allows the products to penetrate faster and offer better results.
However, the star of this tool is that it offers results similar to Botox, since
The massage promotes facial circulation, stimulates collagen production, drains the lymphatic system, firms and tones the skin, improves the appearance of wrinkles, eliminates signs of tiredness, and combats aging.
How to use the gua sha?
To reap all its firming and anti-aging benefits, it’s necessary to follow a gua sha massage routine at least once a day. Here are 5 key massages to tone and sculpt your face:
To firm the eye contour
Say goodbye to dark circles, bags, and fine lines with this simple movement: glide the heart-shaped side of the gua sha tool from your nose to your temple, along the entire lower lash line. Repeat this three times from the inner corner of your eye outwards for each eye, as part of your morning and evening routine.
To tone the forehead
Using the same heart-shaped side, place the gua sha at the beginning of your eyebrow, using the smaller edge as a support point, and slide only the upper part towards your temple. It’s important to start with light pressure and gradually increase the force until you reach the end of your eyebrow.
To tone the jaw
Adjust the heart-shaped side of the gua sha to your jaw and slide it from your chin to your ear 5 times. Switch sides, repeat, and finish by passing the concave side of the gua sha again from your chin to your ear, but this time under your cheeks.
To tone the cheekbones
Place the heart-shaped end of the gua sha tool at the corners of your nose and slide it outwards, following the shape of the bone leading to your cheekbone. Repeat 3 times on each side, and don’t forget to do this after applying your creams or oils.
To tone the neck
Slide the convex side of the gua sha to massage from the jaw to the end of the neck 3 times and then use the concave side to make the movement in the opposite direction, that is, from the bottom of the neck to the jaw, 5 times.