Scraping your face with a stone. Strange you say? No, This gua sha technique has been performed as a traditional treatment in China for centuries. It has become extremely popular in the beauty world, but why?
Discover the benefits that gua sha has to offer and how to use it!
The benefits of gua sha:
1. Provides radiant and firm skin
Regular use of the gua sha tool ensures radiant and firmer skin. When you scrape your skin, you remove moisture, accentuating your cheekbones and jawlines. This way all the puffiness disappears from your face!
2. Relaxes your muscles
Scraping your skin with a guasha stone relaxes your muscles. The massaging movements ensure relaxation of both your facial muscles and those throughout your body. Extra tip: keep your gua sha stone in the fridge for an extra relaxing effect.
3. Promotes blood circulation
Gua sha is the technique for better blood and lymph circulation. This is important for radiant skin and the production of more collagen. In other words: mild acne, scars and existing wrinkles can be reduced with this tool.
Gua sha in your skin care ritual:
1. Preparation
Before we get started with the tool, it is important to prepare your skin. Start your skincare routine: clean your face and stone. To help the tool glide well over your skin, it is important that you use a facial oil. The new Glow Retreat Face Oil Stick is ideal for this! The final step in the preparation is to clear the lymphatic channels by pressing lightly on the parts that you will go over with the gua sha stone.
2. Gua sha do's & don'ts: 4 basic rules
Now the real work can begin. You can perform a ritual in many different ways, but it is important to keep these 4 basic rules in mind:
- Pull your skin with the movement, never downward.
- Hold the gua sha tool at a 45° angle. Work from the bottom up and from the inside out.
- Don't press too hard.
- Never work on broken or irritated skin.
3. Gua sha massage in 10 steps
1. Start with your neck and shoulder muscles . Make long upward movements.
2. Pull the gua sha from your chin to your ear to define your jawline .
3. Start at your nose and drag across your cheek . This is how you remove moisture.
4. Use a leg of the v-side to lightly massage under your eyes .
5. Make upward movements all over your forehead and stop at your hairline.
6. Scrape in the direction of your eyebrow and then make a light upward movement.
7. To reduce laugh lines , hold your lips and scrape the area where your wrinkles appear in small movements.
8. Contour your cheekbones by scraping them.
9. Don't forget your neck . Make long movements from bottom to top.
10. Do you suffer from neck pain ? Make long movements from bottom to top and press lightly.
* At the end of each step, pause with your gua sha. Press a little harder and make small circular movements.
Would you like to try out gua sha?
