Whether you’ve slept too little and have awoken with puffy eyes, or slept too hard and greeted
the mirror with a pillowcase print on your face, we’ve all experienced skin’s sensitivity to the
struggles of college life. Dehydration and late schedules can leave us looking for something
soothing to enhance our beauty routine. Gua sha has recently become widely recognizable on
social media, including one Tik Tok of a girl trying gua sha that has gained over 3 million likes
and 20 million views. Gua sha has also been widely appropriated into the beauty industry in
general, but it’s important to remember the heritage of gua sha and how best to practice it.
Gua sha has been found to stimulate circulation to facial tissue, as well as decrease puffiness,
inflammation, and dark circles. It also aids lymphatic drainage, which can ease bloating of the
face and skin. It also just feels really nice, simply speaking. Gua sha has adapted to become a
facial treatment in which one glides a flat stone purposefully across the skin. One often uses a
specific curved gua sha tool to apply light pressure in specific repeated motions. Sandra Lanshin
Chiu demonstrates proper use of gua sha in a Youtube video that has also gained popularity,
amassing over 9 million views.
Gua sha originates from an ancient Chinese tradition dating all the way back to 220 CE,
according to David Peters, practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. It is important to
recognize gua sha’s heritage and its proper practices, so as to honor those who have maintained
its practice and those who created it.
One can purchase gua sha tools from AAPI-owned businesses such as Mount Lai and Pink
Moon. Peters also notes the most important thing is the motion and technique over the type of
tool chosen, though different stones do have different properties. He says, “You could even start
with a rice spoon if you wanted.” So, the next time your skin gets puffy or redder than your
manicure, a gua sha may be the next great addition to your morning or night routine.