Are your social media feeds being flooded with crystals that claim to lift your face? Let us share with you what they are. Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese practice that is known to reduce wrinkles, brighten your skin, de-puff your face, and give you a natural face-lift.
Speaking of unconventional facial massages, there is another technique, Facial Cupping. If you have seen videos of body cupping, you might wonder why anybody would want such bruises on their face. However, Facial Cupping is a milder version of it, that generally does not leave bruises or marks behind.
Is Facial Cupping Effective?
Yes, facial cupping has its own set of perks. It can de-puff your face, plump it up, and smoothen wrinkles. It also has other benefits – it increases blood flow to your face, motivates your lymphatic system to move, lifts your face.
A typical cupping session looks like this –
Cupping works by increasing the blood circulation to the cupped area. Apply thick oil (like coconut oil) before cupping.
The general process is to squeeze, suck and move the cones. You squeeze the cone a little, place it over the cheek, and glide it over towards the hairline and remove it.
Repeat the process on your jaw and forehead.
Please do not pull the cup; it might hurt your skin. Don’t squeeze on pimples.
Avoid the eye area unless your facial is being done by a professional. Excessive tugging on the delicate under eye area will cause wrinkles.
Facial Cupping Pros and Cons
Let’s compare the perks and downsides of cupping to understand which technique suits your needs better.
A few perks of Facial Cupping -
Great for lifting your face and getting rid of wrinkles.
Involves simple to use tools. The kit usually includes two big silicone suction cups and two smaller ones for the eye area.
It is notably effective for skin regeneration, acne reduction, and face lifting.
Reduces puffiness and plumps up your skin.
Smoothes wrinkles and lines.
Possible downsides -
The technique is difficult to master for most beginners.
If you get too rough with the cups, you might end up bruising yourself.
Not suitable for sensitive or fair skin.
Gua Sha vs. Cupping
Just like Gua Sha, you can do facial cupping at home. However, cupping involves some complex procedures.
Gua Sha massage is usually done with a flat crescent shaped crystal. In contrast, cupping has multiple cup tools. For beginners, this might come across intimidating. If you don’t do it right, you might get some bruises.
Excessive cupping in the eye area can lead to sagging. However, if you gently roll the Gua Sha Mushroom tool, it can reduce puffiness and mitigate wrinkles over time. You can just place the jade over the eye area. The coolness of the jade is enough to de-puff eyes.
At Guashaco, we offer several tools that can be used on the eye area to reduce dark circles, eye bags and puffiness. The Imperial Jade Deluxe Kit includes several tools such as the Jade Gua Sha, Eye Massage Mushroom and Mini Ball Roller.
Gua Sha is associated with detoxification, lymphatic movement, and improving blood circulation. Gua Sha is good for overall skin health and enhances its appearance.
Similarly, Facial Cupping is useful for skin regeneration, lifting, and smoothing out wrinkles and fine lines.
Gua Sha is a safer alternative for sensitive skin. Rose Quartz is known to be suitable for sensitive and acne-prone skin.
If done incorrectly, Facial Cupping might irritate your skin and even give you rashes. If you want to give cupping a shot, we would recommend getting the massage done by a professional for the first few sessions.
