How to Gua Sha Face

If you haven’t heard of this before, you’re probably thinking “what the heck is a gua sha?” I can assure you that we’ve all been there before… For starters, gua sha is an alternative Chinese healing method that involves scraping your skin with a massage tool or body shaper to improve your circulation. 

According to practitioners, gua sha is intended to address stagnant energy, called chi, in the body which is believed to be the culprit of inflammation. By rubbing the skin’s surface, it helps to break up this energy and reduce inflammation, as well as promote healing - also referred to as ‘lymphatic drainage’. Our Body Shaper is suitable to use all over! With light pressure move the body shaper over the skin with a long stroke to reduce puffiness. Focus on areas that you feel tight muscle tension to release the area and increase blood flow. 

More specifically, we’re going to teach you how to do a facial gua sha! BHSc Acupuncturist Dr Mark Horsfield teaches us how to do it correctly. 

  1. Using the curved edge of your body shaper, glide it gently up and out starting with the neck, jaw, chin and around the mouth working towards your hairline. 
  2. Use short strokes in the same direction, going over each area 3-5 times with a pause at the end of each stroke. 
  3. Using the same technique, swipe across cheekbones to your ear. For the brows, apply the smaller corner at the inner corner of your eye and sweep along the eyebrow line towards the temple. 
  4. Follow with using the body shaper just above the eyebrows working the tool upwards towards the hairline.
  5. Finish with a big sweep, from the centre of your forehead, under your hairline, down and over your temple to your ear and then down the side of the neck to the terminus area.

Please note: Remember that the eyes are a delicate area, so do not pull or drag around the eye, simply glide slowly or simply soothe and de-puff.

If you’re a visual learner, Sandra Lanshin Chiu, an acupuncturist and herbalist who specialises in treating and rejuvenating skin using the genius of traditional Chinese medicine, can show you how to do it here. 

You can also get your hands on one of our very own Body Shapers! The girls at Ritology recommend using it with warm water, oil, serum or your favourite moisturiser to ensure a smooth glide over your skin. Stay up to date with @RitologyDaily to endure more fantastic skin care rituals.