The newest trends of Gua Sha and Facial Rollers has taken over the mainstream social media platforms. I remember first seeing it with my 60 something year-old grandfather when I was in Primary School. I caught him using a Gua Sha tool sitting at his desk. This newest beauty and skincare trend isn’t brand new, it’s a traditional Chinese medicine technique that’s been used for centuries.
Gua Sha
Some of us may have done Gua Sha on our back at a Chinese medicine practitioner or even at a Chinese massage place. Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese medicine that is used when your qi (chi), becomes stagnant in certain areas, which is believed where health problems take root. By using a smooth-edged tool, you gently scrape areas of your body where there is inflammation. There are many benefits to using the Gua Sha Method. It essentially increases blood flow, lessens toxins, and promotes healing and recovery from tiredness.
In recent years, beauty brands developed the facial Gua Sha tool with gemstones such as jade and rose quartz, which believe to vibrate positive energy, for creating a ‘purifying’ and “lifting” effect on our skin.
To correctly use the tool:
1. Before you use it, you want to make sure it’s clean.
2. Cleanse your face, and then use a facial oil or serum to ensure your skin is slippery. This prevents the tool from causing irritation.
3. Hold it firmly in the correct way, the curved part should hug the curves of your skin, and the flat part should rest on your skin. Then start scraping it upward along the edge you are shaping, and repeat. Gently use it on your skin, with gradual slow strokes. Then slowly adding more pressure the more you get comfortable with it. It is important that all movements should be done from bottom to top, as we want our skin to lift, not to sag.
4. Once you are done, finish your skincare routine as usual.
Facial Rollers
Facial Rollers (also seen in gemstones like jade, pink quartz and amethyst), like Gua Sha has been used for years to flush out toxins from the skin. The cold sensation restricts blood flow to a particular area, and the pressure pushes fluid, known as lymph, to the lymph nodes, so it can be processed and filter out toxins. This will have so many benefits like lymphatic drainage, tighter looking facial skin, facial depuffing, improved circulation, and better product absorption.
Here are a few quick tips on mastering your ‘rolling ritual’:
1. It’s best to use a jade roller in the morning on your face, neck, and eyes. Store your roller in the fridge, this helps in alleviating puffiness.
2. Cleanse your skin and follow your normal morning routine, then apply a serum or moisturizer. There are usually two sides of the roller. The smaller side is best for your eye and nose area, while the larger for your forehead, neck, jaw, and cheeks.
3. Start rolling gently, aim for 10-20 strokes on each section of your face. Roll from the center of the face outwards, e.g., from the center of your forehead to your temples. Rolling fluid away from your face and towards the lymph nodes will naturally stimulate the system to drain the fluid.
4. Roll the edges of your face and then down along your neck to the collar bone for completion. This final step is also the most crucial step of the ‘drainage’.
The more you practice these techniques and tools into your skin care routine, the easier it will be. Do not underestimate the power of these small scrubbing and rolling you do every day. Just a few minutes of those before putting your make up on can well prepare your skin for the long day ahead, and for it to look more youthful and radiant.
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