Gua Sha technique - the art of facial self care!

I discovered this self care practice a few years back during one of my many visits to my adored acupuncturists! As a huge advocate for acupressure and acupuncture I soon learnt the skills to apply these practices at home. Gua Sha facial massage is a form of self care practice that invigorates the skin and allows your skin to glow. Self care and Gua Sha facial massage truly complement one another - whether you start to incorporate this practice into your morning routine or you use it to finish your day with - either way your skin will thank you!

So what is self-care... It is defined by any activity you engage in to take care of your mental, emotional, or physical health and wellbeing. The best way to look at it, however, is making sure that it’s an activity or action that refuels or energises you, rather than takes and drains from you. Caring for yourself in this way means that you will have better quality of life. It means that you take the necessary steps to ensure your needs are met, so that you can then meet the needs of others.

Using your Gua Sha tool, you can use any sort of stone that fits well in your hand. I love to use rose quartz (and in the summer months I keep it cooled in the fridge) and following the simple technique below I follow the simple diagram below and apply a little pressure to the acupressure points in the face. Personally I love to do this practice in the morning and in the evening and I find it works after I have washed my face with warm water followed by a rose water spritz or another flower choice of hydrsol. Then using a simple carrier oil: like rosehip, sweet almond oil or apricot kernel I massage this oil in with a few drops of my Frankincense or lavender essential oils are ideal! You will start to notice the fascia move around - your skin will become redder as you bring the blood to the surface - you may even feel some bumps and this is just the blockage of Qi or any energy tension that you are holding onto. Remembering you are circulating your energy right now! The redness will subside and your skin will start to glow!

I hope you begin to love this self care practice as mush as I do! In Summary: + The Benefits of Gua Sha + Note I use a Rose Quartz. The oils I love for this are Frankincense, Blue Tansy, Lavender, Hawaiian Sandalwood and Jasmine (this is my preference and its taken me a while to figure out what my skin needs) Here are some of the many benefits of gua sha:

• improves circulation

• reduces wrinkles

• rejuvenates, tones and smoothes the skin.

• boosts collagen

• combats pigmentation, dark circle and puffy eyes

• defines jawlines

Gua sha is literally like massaging your way to healthier, glowier skin:)

Let me know how you go with this!

A x