Jade Rollers and Gua Sha Stones
A recent beauty trend is the use of jade rollers and gua sha stones, but what are these tools, how does one use them, and are they an effective addition to your skin care?
Jade rollers are beauty tools that date back to seventh-century China. Beautiful jade is relatively cool to the e we touch, and has the ability to stay cool even when it contacts the skin. This cooling, gentle massage helps reduce puffiness, stimulate lymphatic drainage, and promote blood circulation, which brightens the complexion. The cold jade crystal restricts blood flow to a particular area, and gentle pressure pushes fluid trapped in the skin, known as lymph, to the lymph nodes, which process it and filter out toxins.
Before using a jade roller, cleanse your face and gently massage one of our Ama oils into your skin. Then, with your jade roller, use three strokes of light pressure, working with one side of the face at a time. Start at the center of your chin, rolling out and up toward your ear. Then move the roller up to the side of your mouth and repeat. Repeat again, starting this time at the side of the nose. Roll it under your eye, moving it horizontally toward your temple, and repeat it on your eyelid. On your forehead, roll it up from your brow to your hairline. Then roll it horizontally out toward your temple. Repeat on the other side of your face. Use your roller morning and evening after cleansing.
Gua Sha massage, also Chinese in origin, officially dates back to the Ming Dynasty; however, the practice of Gua (meaning ‘scrape) and Sha (meaning ‘sand’) is assumed to date back to the Paleolithic Age. When people fell ill hands, stones, or household materials such as coins, were used to massage body parts to help reduce the side effects and symptoms of illnesses. Gua Sha can be made of many materials, but the most commonly used in North America are jade, rose quartz, or stainless steel.
Gently scraping a flat gua sha stone over the skin in upward strokes relaxes stiff muscles and promotes tissue drainage. This increases circulation and improves lymphatic function, resulting in a naturally dewy, glowing complexion. The action of gently scraping the Gua Sha tool across the skin also aids in serum/moisturizer product penetration, so beneficial nutrients go deeper into the layers of skin.
Before using a gua sha, cleanse your face then apply one of our Ama oils. Starting at the chin, sweep the gua sha tool along your jawline and up to the ear. Move the tool behind the earlobe, and then down the neck. Repeat three times. To reduce puffiness around the eyes, sweep the tool over the under-eye area and out to the temple, all the way to the hairline. Repeat three times on each eye, then work the tool from the inside corner of the brow bone out to the temple. To contour and de-puff the nose, lightly scrape the tool up the bridge of your nose. Then bring it down the side of the nose to the cheek. Repeat three times. Next, gently guide the tool from the middle of your chin along your jawline toward the ear. Repeat three times on both sides of your face. To relieve tension in your head, start in the middle of your forehead and work your way out toward the temples, all the way to the hairline. Repeat as many times as needed. Use your gua sha once per day if you have time; two to three times per week is fine as well.
Using a jade roller or a gua sha with one of our Ama oils provides many benefits – relaxation, reduction of puffiness, improved lymphatic drainage, increased circulation all of which help skin glow. These tools are a great addition to your skin care routine!
If you'd like to know more, call us Toll Free 1-877-422-3436 or email me, corinne@terra-supra.com!
With Love, Corinne