Facial Gua Sha

Gua sha is an ancient Chinese technique which helps in healing the chronic pain for a better health. This is a natural therapy which involves scraping your skin with a crystal stone to improve your circulation. Gua means scrape and sha means sand, this has been used for thousands of years.

Gua sha is done aggressively on the body but is done very gently on the face. Gentle scraping movement is repeatedly done on the face to remove stagnated fluids which carry the toxins. Gua sha encourages collagen production. It helps in sculpting and toning the face naturally. It reduces the tension from the muscles and also reduces inflammation.

The amazing benefit of gua sha is that it can be used by all ages and skin types.

• 1 Drains out the lymph fluid which often carries the toxins and thus helps in cleansing the skin.
• 2 Helps in releasing the tensions from the muscles.
• 3 Helps in de-puffing the face.
• 4 Helps in de-puffing the under eyes which aids in eliminating dark circles.
• 5 Improves skin elasticity.
• 6 Plumps the skin and gives a natural glow to the skin.
• 7 Reduces the acne.
• 8 Increases microcirculation.
• 9 Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkle.
• 10 Gives relief from headache.

Because this is a natural healing remedy, gua sha is completely safe. However one must consider the following points before performing gua sha on your face or body:

• 1 As it involves scraping method, the tiny blood vessels on the skin surface may tend to burst and cause bruising.
• 2 Do not perform gua sha if you have just got done Botox.
• 3 Avoid gua sha, if you had surgery in last six weeks.
• 4 Avoid doing it on active acne and open lesions.
• 5 People who have blood clotting disorders should stay away from gua sha.

First choose the right tool for gua sha. You have so many crystals which come in different sizes and shapes. Every crystal is unique as they are natural stones. Always opt for an original crystal rather than plastic mixed stone, as the plastic irritates your skin. These tools are pricey but are very effective in giving you the desired results with consistent use.
Follow these steps to do Facial Gua Sha:

• 1 To begin with, wash your hands and face then make sure to apply generous amount of oil so that the stone can easily glide on the skin without causing any tugging and pulling of the skin.
• 2 Simple rule to do facial gua sha is to follow the flow of lymphatic system. This helps in draining out the toxins.
• 3 The movement should be very slow and gentle on the skin & the tool should be held flat at a 15 degree angle to make full benefit of the stone.
• 4 Start from neck area because you hold lot of muscle tension in that area. Start sweeping the stone towards the direction of lymph node. Repeat it at least 3 to 10 times for the actual action.
• 5 Next sweep up on both the sides of neck (you can refer the picture provided for guidance).
• 6 Sweep from under the chin to the earlobe ending as you have lymph node here which helps in filtering the toxins.
• 7 Sweep from mid chin to the jaw line.
• 8 Sweep under the cheek bone for a sculpted look.
• 9 Sweep under the eyes, this helps against dark circles.
• 10 Sweep over the eyebrows, there is a lot of tension here because of frequent facial expressions.
• 11 Sweep from between eyebrows towards the hairline and from mid forehead to the hairline.
• 12 Now finish the session by completely sliding all the collected fluids at the sides to the neck which assist in lymphatic drainage.

AFTER CARE

After the session clean the tool with a mild cleanser, dry and sanitize. You can recharge the stone by keeping it under the full moon. You can use this stone for lifetime unless it breaks. Store the stone wrapping it up in a soft cloth. Drink lots of water after the gua sha which aids in fast lymph movement. Also rehydrates your skin and body. You can do gua sha almost every day. Do it consistently to see the results. This helps in maintaining your skin health.