DOES GUA SHA WORK?
What Two Weeks of Trying the Beauty Trend Did to My Face.
Originally published on Vice.com by Koh Ewe
I knew gua sha as an intense procedure that leaves red marks all over your body. Now influencers say it’s the secret to glowing skin and no double chin.
About a month ago, Lizzo gave fans a preview of her beauty routine on TikTok. “Y’all, I got me a gua sha,” the singer announced as she slid what looked like a potato chip along her jawline.
The unassuming tool is making big waves in beauty spaces. Using a flat stone to gently scrape your face will supposedly help reduce acne and sculpt puffiness away while offering an ASMR-worthy tactile experience.
Google search numbers reveal that interest in gua sha increased about five times in April compared to February; it’s now also tagged in over 300,000 posts on Instagram.
What are the benefits of Gua Sha?
Most of gua sha’s supposed benefits are based on beliefs in traditional Chinese medicine.
“In TCM, gua sha is believed to move blood and qi,” said Yeo. The scraping motion is believed to stimulate facial meridians (energy channels found throughout the body), dispelling excess fluid from the face and helping to detox. According to Yeo, facial gua sha can give you a “natural radiant glow” by increasing blood circulation and aiding lymphatic flow.
Meanwhile, Teng provided a more spiritual perspective. According to traditional Chinese medicine wisdom, people with too much yang energy in their bodies are prone to getting “heaty,” which leads to reddish faces, while people with more yin energy tend to have pale and dull skin. It's believed that gua sha can help balance yin and yang.
How do you Gua Sha at home?
While gua sha for ailments like fever or muscle pain is best left to professionals, facial gua sha is super accessible as a beauty routine.
“The good news is, there is really no right or wrong way to facial gua sha. Do what feels good to you,” Yeo said.
She recommended placing the gua sha tool in the fridge overnight, so it’s nice and cool in the morning—ready for depuffing. You can also incorporate gua sha into your nightly routine after cleansing your face but before putting on any night creams.
“The improved circulation will help increase your products’ absorption,” Yeo said.
If you’re all set with a gua sha tool in hand, Yeo recommends the following steps for a simple everyday routine:
- Start in the middle of your forehead and work your way out toward the temples, all the way to the hairline. Repeat three times on each side.
- Gently press and hold the tool under each eye, then over each eye, with the eyelid shut. Sweep the gua sha tool over the under eye area gently and out to the temple, all the way to the hairline. Repeat three times on each side.
- Angle the tool at 45 degrees in an upward lifting motion, working it from your smile line and over your entire cheek. Do about eight sweeps in each direction.
- Gently guide the tool from the middle of your chin along your jawline toward the ear. Move the tool behind the earlobe, and then down the neck to drain excess fluid into the lymph glands. Repeat three times on each side.
Click here to read the full article.
EXCLUSIVE TCM PARTNER
