Nowadays, every spa salon adds gua sha treatments to its beauty routine. However, if you do not want to spend your time in expensive salons, then you may practice this type of self-care in your own home. What matters is that you follow the right safe practices so that there are as few side effects as possible. Here is a short guide that will teach you the basics.
Before you begin scraping with your guasha tool, you must apply pre/post treatment moisturizing. Gua sha tools have sharp edges – and if you do not moisturize the skin properly, you risk injuring it. The gua sha will simply get stuck on your skin and scrape more of the skin than you need to – causing excessive bruising.
Still, when the skin is moisturized, each stroke will go smoothly over the skin – not getting stuck on any of the dry areas. This way, the massage will start encouraging lymphatic drainage as well as the other benefits, without actually adding to the redness of the skin.
Pressing randomly is not recommended when it comes to gua sha. Instead, certain areas will require different pressure. For example, areas such as your neck will require gentle pressure, as you have more arteries and veins there. Make sure to always remain in lateral with the movements, as it should help you improve your blood circulation much better.
After each stroke with the gua sha board, you should always end with a small wiggle. This will aid in moving the lymph and promoting drainage. For better effect, you should always repeat the strokes 3-7 times. Don’t freak if you hear crunchy sounds now and again. That’s your gua sha tool breaking down the fascia so that it promotes proper blood circulation.
Gua sha tools have a natural ability to keep cool. However, to reap the stone’s benefits to the fullest, you might want to ensure proper storage. Keep it in a dark place – or if possible, in the fridge. This will add to its de-puffing properties.
Before you use your gua sha, make sure there aren’t any cracks or sharp edges that might hurt the skin. Your technique might be good, but if you end up adding too much pressure and cutting your skin, it might lead up to infection. This is why you should always check that there aren’t any defects.
This should be particularly done if you just bought a cheap guasha. If it's fake, it may have cracks or jagged edges that can make tears in the skin. This will add to the redness, in which case your potential bruises will not heal as fast anymore.
Like with every DIY routine, you have to be very careful. If not done properly, gua sha can leave some nasty marks that could have otherwise been avoided. Hopefully, our tips proved to be of good use to you.
