What Is Gua Sha For Facial & Body Massage?

Gua Sha stone massage stems from the widespread belief that a good massage “removes evil from the body.”

It was a family remedy for any ailment in China and ancient Korea, where you can find jade resources in abundance.

Gua sha stimulates the flow of oxygenated blood throughout the body, promoting cell repair, regeneration, and recovery.

The massage was powerful and left severe bruises; that’s why, initially, modern medicine saw no benefit in this.

Of course – many conditions don’t get better with massage alone.

In addition, anything excessive or exaggerated is unhealthy. So, do with moderation.

What is Gua sha?

Gua Sha is an ancient technique of Chinese origin and is an increasingly strong trend in skincare routines.

It has become one of the favorite skincare accessories of celebrities and beauty lovers because it can provide various skin health benefits.

What Is Gua Sha Stone For Facial & Body Massage?

Gua Sha’s self-massage offers all the conditions for detoxification and anti-aging effects throughout the body.

The name Gua Sha has two meanings. They are Gua, which means scrape or rub, and Sha, which you can translate into bad energy.

The traditional technique has influences from acupuncture. For this reason, it must be performed by a trained professional.

However, there are easier versions of the technic that we can do at home using the popular gua sha stones.

The big surprise came by chance when people started to observe significant results on their faces.

Detoxifying or anti-wrinkle, the Gua Sha facial massage started to deliver improvements to the skin.

So this time, modern medicine has given up on skepticism and is willing to try it.

The Benefits Of Gua Sha

When you self-massage with your gua sha stone, you notice that it’s easy to do – it doesn’t tire your hand.

Second, the natural coolness of the stone is preferred in hand heat massage, especially when it comes to the skin.

From the observations so far, it is known that massage with Gua Sha can:

Stimulate the circulation of fluids under the skin,
Help produce collagen,
Blur fine lines and wrinkles,
Decrease the fluffy appearance,
Decrease inflammation,
Reduce dark circles,
Temporary skin stretching effect,
Adds radiance to the skin,
Sculpt the facial muscles,
Relieve local tension.

Basic Concept Of Gua Sha

Gua Sha (刮痧) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapy that applies a technique called “therapeutic scraping,.”

Using a tool such as a gua sha stone on the skin, you can immediately improve blood circulation.

However, gua sha is not limited to the traditional gua sha stones, as you can also use porcelain spoons, saucers, wood, and even coins for this purpose.

“Gua” (刮) means to scrape, brush, scratch. “Sha” (痧) is a word composed of two meanings; one means sand, and the other is illness or disease.

Therefore, gua sha consists of scraping an object on the skin to clear energy blocks.

How Does The Technic Work?

The technique consists of massaging the region, combining the scraping of the object in the worked area.

Using a gua sha stone you can scrape the body, allowing increased blood circulation and stimulating your skin.

The patient does not feel pain during or after treatment, and the skin itself is not injured.

Pigmentation usually disappears in 2 to 5 days, leaving no traces.

However, when you do it on the face you need to be very gentle so you won’t cause further redness and irritation.

Due to the action of stimuli on the skin, Gua Sha allows beneficial effects on connective tissues, blood vessels, lymphatic system, muscles, and especially on internal organs because according to TCM, the body’s Meridians (energy channels) are directly linked to Organs internal organs.

The simple gesture of shaving the skin has highly beneficial effects, and the Chinese grow up knowing its benefits and, therefore, use the technique frequently for various types of treatment.

Massage centers and hospitals also offer Gua Sha as a form of medical treatment for illness, which is due to the deep trust people have in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

What kind of Gua Sha stone to choose?

They can be of different shapes, and it is important to be aware of this when buying yours;

The best are the ones that have a curvature towards the sides of the face and even a “V” cut for eyebrows and chin.

Another popular form is the “shark tooth.” That’s because it has a useful shape:

It has an arched part that fits into empty areas of the body: armpits, neck, jaw, etc.
An inwardly arched part that adapts to every part of the body: limbs, cheeks, etc.
There are two rounded ends on the side that fits: the Achilles tendon, the jawline, eyebrows, etc.

But there are many different shapes that are designed to be multifunctional.

If you’re especially concerned about your skin, you can also use a face roller.

It can be one end or two sizes – the smallest is for the eye area.

You can also find rollers with a smooth jade stone for anti-aging massage at one end and a serrated jade stone for skin detox massage.

The Material

As for the material to choose for your Gua Sha stones or rolls – you have very varied options. They are usually jade or rose quartz.

Jade is the most popular and the most affordable. But it can break down easily and reach body temperature relatively quickly.
Quartz is often preferred. It is more resistant and the stone keeps cooler for longer.
Amethyst is divine. Nothing fades scars and wrinkles like amethyst.

Gua Sha Contra-Indications

Body massage is not recommended for pregnant women unless a specialist does it.

Do not use Gua Sha on sores, inflamed spots, and blemishes.

Do not use it if you are being treated with anticoagulants.

And don’t forget that Gua Sha instruments are made of hard rock and can cause bruising, so discern the pressure you apply.

Skin Reactions

Oftentimes, the gua sha will cause an immediate reaction on the skin.

If you do it on the body, it is normal to experience extreme redness in the area.

But if you do it on your face, avoid too much pressure as you don’t want to cause excessive redness in such a delicate area.

When the skin gets a pink-reddish tone that fades out straight away, you are healthy.

If the area gets purple-red, then you may be experiencing problems so you need to have a professional to continue with the treatment.

What Is Gua Sha Final Takes

As well as several holistic practices, which unite aesthetics, energy, and health, Gua Sha comes from an ancestral history of Chinese medicine, which uses stones for various treatments, rituals, and cures.

Gua means ‘scraping’ and Sha can be called ‘bleeding of the skin’.

It brings that classic idea of detoxification, cleansing, and purification.

In the beginning, it was done with a spoon made of stone, but today there are dedicated tools for the practice.