You may have seen friends, beauty gurus, celebrities, and the like parading gemstone facial rollers around, hailing their ability to provide facelift results in minutes. This is the practice of Gua Sha – the traditional Chinese healing technique that’s taken the beauty world by storm. With A-listers such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Kendall Jenner, and even Justin Bieber preaching its praises, we’re here to give you the 411 on all things Gua Sha, what it is, and how to use it.     

What is Gua Sha? 

Tried and tested over thousands of years, the practice of Gua Sha aims to achieve that glowing rosy contour characteristic of a freshly scrubbed or treated face. The word ‘Gua’ denotes the tool (it translates as “scrape”) while the word ‘Sha’ refers to our petechiae (those little red or purple dots on the skin that appear as a result of bleeding). It’s sometimes called “skin scraping”, “spooning” or “coining”. 

The whole process is deceivingly simple; however, this practice holds some serious skin-revitalizing capabilities. In fact, studies have shown that the ritual can boost blood circulation by up to 400%, helping to banish toxins and flood the skin with oxygen and essential nutrients. 

Each tool is specially shaped to adhere to the curves of your complexion, allowing you to glide it across the skin firmly with comfort. Their clever structure allows you to tone, tighten and revitalize every corner and contour of your face.   

How Gua Sha Works 

Whether it's jade, rose quartz, or other earthly crystal, Gua Sha involves gliding and pressing gemstone tools across the face to relieve muscular tension. The practice results in better blood flow, lymphatic drainage, and banished bloat. In other words – an instantly healthier, more youthful-looking complexion.  

By performing gentle, massaging strokes, you’re kickstarting your skin’s collagen regeneration, which we all know is the secret to looking younger. The practice also helps smooth out facial connective tissue, resulting in a beautifully subtle lift in the face. 

How To Use Gua Sha 

You must never use the tools on bare skin – opt for water, a soothing oil, or serum to make for easier gliding and more effective results. It’s worth noting the practice will increase absorption of your skincare products – time to whip out the luxury moisturizer! 

Work the roller or stone in short upwards motions from your collarbone to your chin, then from the center of your face towards your jaw. Gently move the stone upwards towards your forehead, repeating the process about three times in every area. 

You can work your roller in short horizontal movements across your brow and lid area, or hold it in one place, pressing upwards to drain tension. And if you’re prone to rosacea or puffiness, you can hold the tool flat over your eyelids or any other sensitive area to calm and cool.   

How Often Should You Use Gua Sha 

The practice of Gua Sha is so easy, there’s no excuse not to implement 10 minutes of it into your daily routine. Celebrity facialist and skincare expert Pietro Simone reveals his practice, “I would Gua Sha very simply in the morning with my serum in order to help my lymphatic drainage and revitalize the face. 

“During the night routine, I love to use Gua Sha post-cleanser and toner, and would suggest also doing an exfoliation. Prior to the application of the serums and creams, I would suggest doing a Gua Sha routine three times before applying other products as a ritual.” 

Invigorate your skin with five minutes of practice in the morning, or relieve the tension of a long day by relaxing your muscles at night. Another tip to wake up tired skin: keep your Gua Sha in the fridge so when you glide it on, you get a cool, refreshing massage.  

Gua Shall We? 

Those ‘you look tired’ comments will be a thing of the past with just 10 minutes of Gua Sha face massage in the morning. A natural queue jump to fresher, more radiant, firmer-looking skin and an extra 10 minutes to ourselves in the morning? We’ll take it!