The beauty of jade roller massage and gua sha

Ancient beauty techniques are making a comeback and gaining popularity alongside new, cutting edge beauty tools and products. Two of these are Jade Rollers and Gua Sha Scrapers and both are believed to have enormous benefits.

Jade Rollers have been used by Chinese Women since the 7th century for their healing and anti aging properties. Jade rollers consist of a larger stone at one end for the cheeks, forehead, chin and temples and a smaller stone at the other end for the under eyes and around the nose.

Jade has the property of staying cool even on contact with warm skin and this allows it to help minimize pores giving the skin a younger and more flawless look. When done with the proper technique the rolling of the Jade over your skin helps push lymphatic fluid along on its way. This increased drainage of the lymph carries away excess fluid that is causing puffiness and also toxins such as free radicals that may have built up in the skin. This will ultimately lead to your skin looking brighter and younger. Massaging regularly with a jade roller will also improve blood circulation to the skin of the face providing it with more nutrients and making it healthier.

The rolling motion of the jade over the face will also help disperse the product more evenly over the face. The massaging action will prove soothing to your face and help your facial muscles relax leading to less wrinkles in the long run.

Another Ancient Chinese practice that helps stimulate drainage from the face and improve blood circulation is Gua Sha. This is the practice of scraping a blunt hand-held tool made of bone, jade or stone along the skin on any body part. On anywhere other than the face it is applied with more force as the skin is thicker and more force is needed to stimulate blood flow. On the face gentler force is used.

The facial gua sha is a tool used in a massage technique that, much like the jade roller, promises to make your skin look brighter and healthier. It promotes blood circulation and natural drainage of the lymph nodes.

How do you use the facial gua sha?

The basic technique involves scraping, usually in an upward motion. For the face, the scraping is a long stroke, going upwards and outwards.

Start by placing the flat side of the tool at the base of your neck and stroke upward at a 45 degree angle to the face. You can also place the flat side of the tool on your shoulder or chin and stroke upward to where your jaw and ear meet. Repeat the steps across your complete face continually in an upward motion. While jade rollers are soothing and can certainly help with depuffing and promote skin elasticity, gua sha goes deeper.