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September 16, 2024
Beauty & Health Editor
Beauty & Health Editor
Hannah Frye is the Beauty & Health Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including beauty, women’s health, mental health, sustainability, social media trends, and more. She previously worked for Almost 30, a top-rated health and wellness podcast. In her current role, Hannah reports on the latest beauty trends and innovations, women’s health research, brain health news, and plenty more.
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September 16, 2024
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There’s a long list of benefits to using a gua sha—but only if you do it correctly. See, gua sha is one of those skin care rituals that can’t be taken lightly, and it takes time to learn how to properly go about it.
Not only will skipping the essential steps cut down your chances of seeing positive results, but it can actually cause you more skin problems—so here’s one quick tip to keep in mind.
Beware: This gua sha mistake may cause wrinkles
Gua sha is so much more than just a quick way to sculpt the jawline (though they can certainly help with that, too). As traditional Chinese medicine expert Debbie Kung, DAOM, LAc, once told mbg: “Facial gua sha is medicine in your hands. That tool you’re holding in your hands has thousands of years of ancient wisdom.”
And tools with ancient wisdom should be treated with the utmost care—aka, you should take time to figure out what you’re doing. Rule No. 1: Do not drag the gua sha too harshly across your skin.
“These are great tools; however, when draining the lymphatic systems, the key is a very light and gentle touch. You don’t want to drag the skin, which can create lines or wrinkles,” master esthetician Sarah Akram, owner of Sarah Akram Skincare once told mbg.
Instead, opt for a gentle glide, and always use some face oil to help the tool easily run across the skin. A bit of redness immediately following your gua sha ritual is to be expected, but if it lasts more than a few hours, you may have gone too far.
You should also keep your strokes to a maximum of 10 in each area of the face. However, “Five is a good middle ground,” holistic esthetician Britta Plug says. Too many strokes and your skin may start to get irritated. If you want a bit more in-depth instruction, check out this step-by-step guide from Plug to get started.
Of course, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles takes a holistic approach; gua sha can certainly be helpful, but it’s not the only way to prevent those folds from settling in.
The takeaway
If you don’t use your gua sha correctly, you actually run the risk of making fine lines and wrinkles even deeper. Remember to stick with a light touch on the skin, and always use a face oil—here’s a curated list of our top face oils for gua sha, if you’re in the market.