You may have seen the latest crystal Gua Sha beauty tools circulating social media but crystals have actually been used for centuries by ancient civilisations. Traditional Chinese medicine have used the powers of Gua Sha Crystals to treat a whole myriad of ailments. BUT, before we go rubbing our faces with rocks in the name of self-care let’s talk about why these tools are going to elevate your beauty routine to a god like level of skin glowing flawlessness.
WHAT IS GUA SHA?
As we mentioned, Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese method of circulating energy flow. The technique can be used all over the body and is based on the concept of qi or chi. Many people believe that a person’s qi must be balanced and flowing freely to ensure their health and wellbeing. Gua Sha practitioners believe that stagnant qi is the root of inflammation and chronic pain. By vigorously massaging the skins surface until red with Gua Sha tools it is thought that the stagnant energy can by broken up, promoting circulation and alleviating the inflammation. In fact, the name Gua Sha literally means: ‘gua’ scraping and ‘sha’ redness.
DOES IT REALLY WORK?
In short, YES! As modern-day science has proven, whether you believe in qi or not, the Gua Sha technique is also perfect for circulating and draining the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a large network of lymphatic vessels, organs and tissues that carry a clear fluid called lymph towards the heart. The main function of the lymphatic system is immune defence through waste drainage. Lymph, much like blood plasma contains waste products, cellular debris, bacteria and proteins from the body. As lymph passes through the system it is cleaned and drained. What does this have to do with Gua Sha? Well, Gua Sha is particularly helpful for lymphatic drainage in our face because we don't move the muscles in our face all that much. The intentional movements of a facial massage will help move the lymph through the system and result in a more toned and sculpted appearance.
Using Gua Sha crystals has also proven to enhance the potency of your go-to skincare products by increasing the absorption of certain key actives as well as improving skin elasticity by boosting blood flow in the skin driving oxygen to the area as a natural form of anti-aging as it increases collagen and skin elasticity.
HOW DO I IMPLEMENT IT INTO MY SKINCARE ROUTINE?
There are so many options! To avoid irritation, there must be enough moisture for the Gua Sha to slide along the skin with ease. For best results we recommend using your crystals with an oil such as our Skin O’lixirs as a final step in your routine. Holding the tool at a 45-degree angle, scrape against the skin in an upwards and outwards motion. Start from the centre of the face and work around. For maximum results, try doing this every day for about one to three minutes.
At ECOCOCO we have a few crystal options. First is the Crystal Roller, perfect for a gentle facial massage, use cold to combat puffiness and help lift the skin. Next is our Rose Petal Gua Sha Crystal unlike a crystal roller, your Gua sha tool shouldn't be cold. The cold tends to constrict blood vessels so warm it up first in your hands for a slightly deeper facial massage. Finally we have our eye crystal, shaped perfectly to fit the contours around your eyes and brows for depuffing and circulating the more sensitive area.
All our crystals are available to purchase on their own or as a duo with your choice of one of our three Skin O’lixirs.