Gua Sha for Facial Slimming, Skin Health & Self Care
At FACE, we take a holistic approach to skin health and well-aging—which means we love skincare that is also self-care. We stand behind tools and techniques that help reduce the signs of aging by increasing health and wellness. That is why we want to share more about one of our faves: the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment called gua sha.
WHAT IS GUA SHA?
Gua sha is a traditional Chinese healing technique that involves gently scraping or pressing a smooth-edged tool, typically made of jade or rose quartz, along the skin's surface. This practice aims to stimulate circulation and reduce muscle tension, helping to release built-up toxins and promote skin health while relaxing overworked muscles.
This versatile practice also has potential benefits for facial rejuvenation and skin care because it improves blood flow and lymphatic drainage, leaving skin looking refreshed and revitalized.
Traditional gua sha facial massage relaxes tight, tired facial muscles and helps drain toxins. When we clench our jaws, it prevents blood flow from the neck up to the face and contributes to the visible signs of aging. Try this relaxing well-aging treatment and see why It is the perfect low-tech facial slimming and self-care solution for a high-tech world.
GUA SHA BASICS
Gua sha has been practiced in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years.
Perfected over many centuries, gua sha tools have a firming, lifting effect on the skin.
The process involves sweeping or gently pulling a flat stone or crystal along oiled skin to release toxins.
A regular gua sha routine helps keep skin healthy, plump, and glowing—with no risks or downsides.
HOW DOES GUA SHA WORK?
Traditional Chinese Medicine realized that movement is the key to healthy, glowing skin, regardless of age. Healthy, beautiful skin depends on the free flow of energy (qi) through meridian points in our body, also called acupuncture or acupressure points.
Movement is the key to beautiful skin, whatever age. When we experience stress or unease, our circulation can become impaired. This means that rather than releasing toxins, they get stuck in our muscles and tissues.
“Gua” means scraping, and “sha” denotes the redness of your skin post-treatment. Yikes! But rest easy—this well-aging treatment works by activating your body’s natural protocols for healing.
The redness after skin scraping is a sign that your body is asking your skin to go into healing mode. This happens because pressure from scraping activates an immune response, which brings fresh new blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the skin so it can repair itself faster.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND SCRAPING THERAPY
Stress can increase inflammation, delay recovery and wound healing, and exacerbate existing skin conditions. According to Chinese Medicine, stress causes blood circulation and energy flow to slow, so toxins get stuck in the muscles, leading to dull, congested skin.
For instance, you might unconsciously frown if you feel stressed after a hard day. When you do, blood gets stuck in the muscles and can no longer deliver nutrients to your skin cells. Similarly, clenching your jaw prevents blood flow from your face to your neck.
Other muscles lose tone with age and need stimulation. Scraping generates friction and heat, stimulating collagen to define sagging cheekbones and tone a double chin. Muscle scraping also relieves tension around the temples and neck, which can cause headaches.
Gua sha is like a personal trainer: it loosens tight, stressed-out muscles while lifting and sculpting. Either way, your face is getting a good workout.
Eye Care Products
YOUR GUA SHA FACIAL ROUTINE
First, prep your skin with a facial oil for gua sha to avoid bruising.
Use the broadside of the gua sha stone to repeatedly sweep the skin in an upward-lifting direction from the center out. You can do this on your decollete, neck, jaw, cheekbones, forehead, and around your eyes.
Then, with the tapered end of your gua sha tool, gently sculpt your facial contours.
Finish with a combination of short and long strokes in the direction of lymphatic flow from the center of the face outward to encourage lymphatic drainage. Do this gently, as if you were stroking a baby’s skin since excessive pressure will crush the delicate lymph vessels just under the skin’s surface.
Remember to hydrate afterward to flush toxins—otherwise, they can stay trapped under the surface.
HOW OFTEN TO GUA SHA
Think of gua sha as an act of self-care after a busy day. Start with 2-3 times per week, building up to daily practice if it feels good for your skin.
The heart-shaped gua sha tools FACE offers are designed to depuff and sculpt your gorgeous visage: the indented side of the tool is designed to work deeply into the muscles, whereas the hollows are meant to help support drainage around the eyes, jaw, and nose.
As a reminder, do not gua sha over inflamed acne since that can spread bacteria, leading to further breakouts. Use a gentle touch since the skin on the face is thin and sensitive.
BENEFITS OF GUA SHA
Gua sha is the perfect low-tech way to lift and firm your features for a toned, sculpted post-facial glow. Plus, it is the ultimate green treatment since our quality gua sha stones last a lifetime.
Lymphatic Drainage
The lymphatic system is an important part of our immune system, defending us from infection by removing toxins and waste like an internal sewage system. Although it mirrors our circulatory system, it does not have a pump. If the stagnated fluid becomes trapped under the surface, it can cause facial puffiness and inflammation. A study on scraping therapy hypothesizes that gua sha works like a mechanical signal to elicit the skin’s immune function.
Circulatory Support
Gua sha is great when things get stuck. Traditional gua sha scraping uses a stone or coin to disperse the stagnant qi and divert the circulation back into the skin. One study showed that gua sha caused a fourfold increase in microcirculation for the treated area. Never underestimate your body’s ability to heal itself because our biology sometimes needs a helping hand.
Smooth, Plump-Looking Skin
Our muscles are covered in a web of connective tissue called fascia—think of it as the white part of an orange peel. When our fascia becomes tight, it is harder to release muscle tension underneath. The pressure from gua sha muscle scraping loosens the underlying fascia and restores circulation and energy flow.
Deeper Product Penetration
It is believed that gua sha can help with skin product absorbency. If your products penetrate deeper into the skin, the active ingredients in your skincare routine can have a more effective impact than using them alone.
SKIN ROLLERS VS. GUA SHA
Both traditions keep the lymphatic system running smoothly for clear, post-facial skin that glows. This is possible because these tools drain toxins from the skin that cause puffiness and dark circles.
Plus, you can expect deeper product penetration with both practices since face rollers and gua sha work on the superficial lymph vessels just under the skin’s surface.
But compared to skin rollers, gua sha takes it one step further. By working more deeply on the muscles and fascia, gua sha can relieve chronic tension as you lift and sculpt your contours—helping undo the unconscious patterns of stress that prematurely age the skin.
ELEVATE YOUR ROUTINE WITH GUA SHA & BIOACTIVE SKINCARE
Embrace body and soul—beauty and wellness—with a daily self-care ritual to heal and nourish the skin.
The current generation of gua sha tools has evolved from a coin to a polished stone, ergonomically designed to lift and firm your contours.
These handcrafted, authentic gemstone tools can be used to clear stagnation and allow qi to flow freely. In Chinese medicine, stones have different healing properties, so choose your stone depending on your skin concern.
Red Jasper Gua Sha by Native Nectar Botanicals ($22)
FACE loves female-founder brands like this one. Picasso jasper is believed to have a calming, soothing energy that helps us appreciate the beauty in ourselves and others.
Inspired by Chinese beauty rituals practiced since ancient times, this gua sha tool is said to promote healing connections inside and out.
Make it stand out
Make it stand out
Jade Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool by Mount Lai ($28)
Jade warms up to your body’s temperature, making it the perfect stone to calm your skin and disperse the negative energy for a good night’s sleep.
This protective stone symbolizes serenity, purity, and wisdom, keeping you safe and balanced - no wonder it attracts luck and friendship.
Ultra-Clarifying Facial Oil with Blue Tansy & GLA by The Sunday Standard ($68)
Chemical sunscreens can irritate the sensitive skin around the eyes and make your eyes sting, so try a gentle mineral sunscreen designed specifically for the sensitive eye contour. This 100% mineral eye cream SPF 35 will protect your skin from the sun and address dark circles, fine lines, and puffiness.
Make it stand out
Make it stand out
Restorative Night Oil with Rosehip & Sea Buckthorn by The Sunday Standard ($74)
The best way to avoid waking up with puffy eyes is to gua sha the night before. If you relax facial tension and release stagnated qi before sleep, the skin can repair itself overnight. Try this nourishing oil to promote cellular renewal, minimize scarring, offset free radical damage, and slow the visible signs of aging.
Antioxidant + Sea Buckthorn Age Oil by Lark Skin Co. ($48)
This antioxidant-packed oil fades acne scars while protecting skin from free radical damage and improving skin tone and texture for a dewy, radiant glow.
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TAKEAWAY
Gua sha for face slimming is based on the centuries-old tradition of facial scraping.
We love gua sha since it helps promote healthy, youthful-looking skin by triggering and supporting the body’s natural healing systems.
Whereas skin rollers work on the lymph vessels just under the skin’s surface, gua sha works deeper down on the fascia, releasing muscle tension.
Gua sha can be used in the morning to drain puffiness and dark circles and brighten the skin or at night to relieve tight muscles.
Written by
Charlotte Wilkes
Strategy by
Ella Marcantonio
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