Are Gua Shas Worth the Hype?

Beauty

| LAST UPDATE 12/13/2021

By Lia Thomson
gua sha facial tool
@ada.ooi via Instagram

If you scroll through your TikTok or Instagram feed it's pretty likely you will see at least one influencer talking about gua sha. Usually, they showcase their before and after pics and it's clear their face has become more snatched. Here's how you too can also get your face sculpted.

Now, you may be have been wondering where did this stone-looking face tool come from? Well, it actually dates back to more than 70,000 years ago. It originally was used as a form of Chinese medicine. Gua means scraping, and sha means sand. This is fitting since the tool is used along the skin in a scraping motion. This type of movement helps revive and loosen inner imbalance, by doing so the blood can flow easier throughout the skin.

chinese medicine gua sha
ullstein bild / Contributor via Getty Images

The benefits of this practice are numerous. Not only will help lift your face, but it can also remove knots and stubborn wrinkles. Ada Ooi, a facialist, and acupuncturist said to Elle, "[Gua sha] have significant brightening, lifting, and sculpting improvements for your face. It stops the face from holding tension and softens the look of any fine lines that may have occurred as a result." With more blood is being circulated, the face looks healthy and plump - in just 10 minutes!

But that's not all! Gua sha won't just make you look like a glowy sculpted goddess, it also has internal effects. Massaging your neck area with the facial tool can remove unwanted toxins from your body since the lymph nodes(the system that drains fluids) are located under your ear. Ooi continued gushing over the benefits of Gua sha, "[It] helps in sending signals to our nervous system, alleviating overall stress and aligning our mental health. Because it drastically improves your blood circulation, it boosts detox and metabolism, encourages new cell growth and most importantly, you are stimulating the Chinese meridian network that connects to our organ systems, helping to regulate our bodily functions and support overall health."

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You can check out these gua shas on Amazon!