How do we love thee, Gua Sha? Let us count the ways.
Okay, simply put, Gua Sha (pronounced gwa sha) is some of that ancient wisdom we love SO much. The Gua Sha technique originates from traditional East and Southeast Asian cultures where it has been used to relieve muscle tension, improve blood circulation, and stimulate the lymphatic system for a long, LONG time. A Gua Sha tool itself is a flat, business card sized stone often made of jade or rose quartz. It’s a pretty little thing — and powerful, too.
We started using it for the face, where we lighten our touch and gently glide the Gua Sha tool over a series of facial meridians. Basically, the idea is that Gua Sha releases tension and gets stubborn lymphatic fluid buildup moving.
Used regularly, Gua Sha practice promotes glowier, smoother, more toned skin. And a release of jaw and facial tension can mean less headaches, too. Score.
A few tips:
- Start with clean, supple skin. Cleanse first, then follow with your favorite oil.
- Holding your Gua Sha tool nearly flat, use quick, smooth strokes along the meridian lines. 20-30 strokes per meridian should do the trick.
- Start with your forehead, working down to your neck.
- Repeat daily, because you deserve nice things. Sometimes, we’ll sit at our laptop and sneak some Gua Sha time in, because #life.
- Repeat daily, because you deserve nice things. Sometimes, we’ll sit at our laptop and sneak some Gua Sha time in, because #life.