Used in traditional Chinese medicine, gua sha involves scraping a flat, rounded tool over the skin.
⚡ Quick Answer
Gemstone gua sha tools and facial rollers are smooth, hand-held stones — often jade, rose quartz, amethyst, or onyx — used to massage the face and body. Rooted in traditional Chinese practice, gua sha uses gentle scraping strokes while rollers glide over the skin, and both are used to relax facial muscles, ease tension, reduce puffiness, and support circulation and lymphatic flow for a healthy glow. Use them with a facial oil or serum, always in gentle upward, outward strokes. Scroll down for how to use each tool and their benefits.
Translated, gua means press or stroke, and sha refers to a rash or redness, but while traditional Chinese therapists work hard and deep – skin can be left bright red – for its beauty benefits, you need a lighter touch on the face.
“Even if you have a facial once a week, you still need to do something every day,” says Katie Brindle, who has been working with Chinese medicine for more than 15 years and who created the Hayo’u Method, which makes use of gua sha tools. “Gua sha treatment relaxes the muscles, gets the energy and blood moving and shifts any puffiness. It boosts the circulation – studies show up to 400 percent – which takes away toxins and brings in oxygen and nutrients.”
Best described as a hands-on mix of massage and workout, it helps release tension ( amazing for headaches and tight jaws) and leaves skin instantly more supple, glowing and healthy-looking.
“You are also creating a controlled trauma [that short-term flush of redness], which the skin then starts to repair by making new collagen,” says Brindle.
How To Use A Gua Sha Tool
- You can use a gua sha tool on the face, body and scalp, and it’s best to use with water or an oil – but never on bare skin.
- Hold the gua sha tool with the curved side to your face and glide it gently up and out, starting with the neck, jawline, chin and around the mouth, between three and five times per area. Always take short strokes in just one direction, not back and forth.
- Work the tool in small horizontal strokes over the brow bone to lift, or hold and press upwards between the brows to release tension.
- Stroke down the neck, never upwards, to drain fluid.
- If you want to reduce puffiness, work lightly, then more firmly, to relax muscles.
Facial Rollers
Facial Rollers are designed to be used to gently massage the face and stimulate the lymphatic system to get rid of toxins, ease muscle tension, decrease puffiness and stimulate blood-flow to increase your skin’s glow. This act of a face rolling massage over the skin (always with an oil or serum for slip) is key to draining excess fluid from the face and, with regular use, will tone and lift the skin.
Some face rollers have two ends: one with a large-sized stone – intended for the forehead, cheeks, jawline and neck – and one with a smaller stone, which snugly fits under the eyes.
It's recommended you keep your face roller chilled in fridge. While most crystal face rollers stay cold naturally, using an extra-chilled tool tightens pores and wakes up a weary face at the end of a long day (or early in the morning), making it particularly good to use before an event. It’s also great to use for headaches. Use it two to three times a week, for at least five minutes, and you’ll see the difference to your face in a couple of weeks.
How To Use A Crystal Face Roller
- Always do face rolling upwards and in one direction – never roll up and down.
- Repeat up to five upward rolls in each area. First, roll outwards under the jawline.
- Next, use the face roller to roll out, towards your hairline, under the cheekbones and then along them.
- Lastly, roll flat along the brows, and then upwards on the forehead.
- Work more slowly over the neck and jawline, but be brisk to firm over and under the cheeks, advises A-list aesthetician Joanna Czech.
If you're building a crystal self-care ritual, explore our companion guides on how to use a gemstone gua sha and how to use a gemstone face roller, along with the two classic tool stones, Jade and Rose Quartz.
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