You've probably seen the Instagram posts for jade stone and rose quartz facial gua sha tools. But you've no idea how to use them, or why. Order online and the tool comes with no instructions. What's a girl to do?
We're here to show you how and why Gua Sha (pronounce gwar shar) is on the cusp of becoming the most wanted, must-have facial treatment — and it may be your most therapeutic facial ever.
Gua sha is an Ancient Chinese massage typically done here on the body by herbal, acupuncture and holistic medicine practitioners to circulate blood flow to help with tight muscles and body pain.
Take that to the face and Gua Sha becomes a toning and smoothing technique that not only enhances beauty but improves the health, texture and condition of your skin, helping to minimize puffiness, fine lines, breakouts and even acne.
"It's a full facial treatment that's easy and inexpensive to do at home with great results," says Sandra Lanshin Chiu, L.Ac., whose high-end Treatment By Lanshin holistic healing and wellness studio in Brooklyn — offering holistic skincare, gua sha, face training, acupuncture, Chinese herbs and more — is a popular spot for magazine beauty editors and those in-the-know to get their Facial Gua Sha fix.
It's also an easy, inexpensive at-home, morning and evening facial treatment to add to your beauty routine.
"All you need are your hands, a jade or rose quartz Gua Sha tool, and a facial oil for smooth contact," says Chiu. "Done morning or night as part of your beauty routine, gua sha can take on any filler, Botox or modern medical anti-aging procedure. But the best part is, unlike those medical procedures, Facial Gua Sha will actually elevate the health of your skin while creating lift, improving texture and glowing your complexion.
"It's our gentleman's scotch," she says with a coy smile. "A little product, some Gua Sha, and we're good for the evening — not cranky anymore."
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