Did you know that Gua sha and facial rolling aren’t just recent Instagram beauty hacks. Gua sha is an ancient practice evolved from Traditional Chinese Medicine which has been used for thousands of years! Are you keen to try these iconic beauty tools yourself? We discuss their benefits, how to use them and where to get them!
Gua Sha and Its Benefits
Gua sha literally translates to stroking. Gua sha is used to stimulate blood flow and movement through the body. Its uses are many, but it’s generally used to decrease pain and tension in the muscles. In the last few years, the beauty community has discovered that the gua sha provides many benefits for facial work. The gua sha assists in:
- Increased facial lymphatic drainage (a workout for our face? Yes please!)
- Facial muscle tension relief (goodbye sore muscles)
- Decreased fine lines and wrinkles (woooohoo, bring on youthful skin!)
How to use Gua Sha:
1) Always move in the direction of your lymph nodes:
- scrape from the inside of your face to the outsides
- scrape up and down the neck
- scrape to the outsides of the forehead
- scrape from the middle of your chin towards the bottom of your ear
- scrape your eyebrows up towards your temple
2) Make sure there’s either some oil or serum on your face and begin your gua sha routine for at least 5 minutes or longer.
3) Apply light pressure with the gua sha but do not overexert. The lymphatic system is stimulated through light stroking so you do not need to push the tool with too much pressure into the face. If you push too hard you may cause bruising or exacerbate inflammation. Ouch!
4) Store your tool in the fridge, if you can. The cool touch of the stone can help decrease redness.
5) ALWAYS clean your gua sha to prevent bacteria build up!
How to use Gua Sha for Specific Body Parts:
AROUND EYES
Work from the inside out
TEMPLE
Work upwards
BACK
Work downwards
LEGS
Work upwards
Facial Roller and Its Benefits
So what’s up with facial rolling and why is everyone so obsessed with it? Put simply, jade rolling is actually a type of gua sha! The facial roller is a tool that allows for easier usage of the gua on yourself. It allows for easier rolling and stimulation of the lymphatic system without having to stare in the mirror while you do it (but that’s part of the fun right?). The facial roller assists in:
- reduced redness and scarring
- muscle pain relief
- potentially reduces signs of aging
How to use Facial Roller for Specific Body Parts:
FOREHEAD:
Work the roller slowly from the centre of your forehead towards your hairline and the sides of your forehead towards the temples
EYES:
Sweep the roller across your eyelids, gradually working your way towards the temples.
EYEBROWS:
Sweep the roller from the arch of your eyebrows up towards your hairline
NOSE:
Sweep the roller along the bridge of the nose upwards towards the forehead
CHEEKS:
Using the wider end of the roller, follow your cheek contour towards your ears.
JAWLINE AND NECK:
Work the roller from the centre of your chin outward and upwards towards your cheeks. Sweep the roller upwards from your decolletage to your chin and downwards from your chin along the neck to your decolletage.
2) Make sure there’s either some oil or serum on your face and begin your roller routine for at least 5 minutes or longer.
3) Apply light pressure with the roller but do not overexert. The lymphatic system is stimulated through light stroking so you do not need to push the tool with too much pressure into the face. If you push too hard you may cause bruising or exacerbate inflammation. Ouch!
4) Store your tool in the fridge, if you can. The cool touch of the stone can help decrease redness.
5) ALWAYS clean your roller to prevent bacteria build up!
Ready to get your gua sha and facial rolling on? Well then you’ll be THRILLED to know that you can now purchase your FAVE beauty tools directly at House of Cosmetics! You’re welcome! Can’t wait to see all your glowy faces, remember to tag us!
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