Gua Sha: The Ancient Skincare Secret You’ve Been Missing

Beauty begins within. But there are certain tactics we can take to help keep our skin beautiful on the outside, too.

One such tactic is gua sha — the Traditional Chinese Medicine facial fascia manipulation technique that is apparently as good as Botox, without the negative side effects. “When used for long periods of time without a break, Botox decreases flow in the face even more by immobilizing the facial muscles. With long-term use, the deadened facial muscles may atrophy, which can take on a gray and lifeless pallor,” says skincare expert Britta Plug.

It’s no secret that jade has been a buzz word in the beauty world this year. If there’s a natural alternative for nasty chemicals, I’m for it. I personally would rather spend the five minutes each day giving myself a facial with a cool jade board to move stagnant lymph, break up facial fascia, and increase blood flow to keep my skin taught, than inject myself with toxins. And gua sha is that natural alternative.

Benefits of gua sha include:

• Tones sagging facial muscles
• Smooths skin and reduces the appearance of fine lines
• Improves dark circles under eyes
• Lightens skin discolorations
• Complexion becomes more radiant
• Helps clear up acne, rosacea, and other skin diseases

So — how does one gua sha? First, purchase an affordable jade board. Second, pick an oil, such as organic jojoba to use during your practice. Next, start the gua sha massage using your jade board. This article and this article will show you how to actually perform the technique.

This video can give you a visual representation of how to perform the gua sha technique:

Do you gua sha? Let me know in a comment below!

Onward,

xx