UPDATED May 2024

The Gua Sha has recently exploded in the beauty market, so I wanted to share a few thoughts and resources.

First, I want to stress the importance of investing in a high-quality tool bought from a trusted company.

Ever since writing my post on Gua Sha the Glow blog, I’ve been bombarded with emails from Chinese companies wanting to wholesale me their Gua Sha tools. 

Upon further research into these companies, I could not verify the quality of the stones or find any “real humans” behind the business, people who would talk to me, answer my questions and provide answers to my concerns about sustainability and best practices when it comes to mining crystals.

A high-quality Gua Sha stone is supposed to be made of real quartz or semi-precious stone but you’ll likely find that the cheaper tools are made of plastic. We don’t want that.

So, with the rise of this trend, I have concerns about quality and sustainability.

The Gua Sha Technique

Angling the Gua Sha tool as close to parallel with your skin as possible (you don’t want to dig the edge straight in like you’re chopping), place the fingers of your free hand close to the tool’s edge to provide some resistance, and then gently sweep the tool up and out toward the perimeter of your face.

At the end of each stroke, give the tool a little extra wiggle to help release the tension.

Repeat each stroke at least three times, concentrating on puff-prone areas, like the cheeks and under-eyes. The key is to be gentle, especially where the skin is thinner, like around the eyes.

Gua Sha & Rosacea

Since my journey to glow is all about healing my rosacea naturally and holistically, I researched to see if anyone was documenting the benefits or side effects of gua sha for rosacea.

As you know, going down the Google rabbit hole means you’ll find contradictory information. So, as always, you’ll have to use your judgment and listen to your intuition once you’ve done your own research.

If you find science-backed articles, please share! I will add them to this article.

Here’s what I found on Gua Sha and rosacea…

In a recent Vogue article, Britta Plug was quoted saying that she “has been using Gua Sha tools in her holistic facial practice for years, helping clients relieve nearly every skin condition from rosacea to dryness and adult acne.” She says, “With this type of treatment, we’re moving lymph, which carries away toxins or, in this case, blackheads, and stimulating the chi or prana.”

However, she advises against Gua Sha for anyone with inflamed skin (a.k.a. those with acne, rosacea, or sunburn). Likewise, she recommends that sensitive skin types and those prone to breakouts stick to less intense roller massages or seek out a pro to get personalized instructions for how to treat their skin properly with gua sha.

I’ve also heard Britta say in one of her tutorials on Instagram that it’s best to avoid areas with inflamed cystic acne, which is common sense really.

Intuitively, I have a feeling that gua sha would help relieve redness and stuck energy, which, for me, is on my cheeks. However, I would not gua sha on areas where my rosacea was unusually inflamed. Again, it’s common sense.

A Chinese Medicine Approach To Gua Sha For Rosacea

One of the more interesting articles I found on Gua Sha and rosacea was written by Diana Hermann, owner of Zizai Dermatology, a Chinese medicine clinic specializing in skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema.

In her article, Diana Hermann, a licensed acupuncturist and board-certified Chinese Herbal Medicine practitioner, explains that, when the technique of Gua Sha is used on the face, a much lighter pressure is applied than on the body to not raise the “sha” (the redness that appears when you Gua Sha the body vigorously).

The skin on our face is much more delicate and has more capillaries than elsewhere on the body, so there’s a greater risk of bruising, which we obviously want to avoid, especially with sensitive, rosacea-prone skin.

When performed correctly, facial Gua Sha is said to have wonderful, lasting benefits for the face and complexion such as reducing redness, inflammation, and blemishes.

Skin Types That Should Steer Clear of Gua Sha

Anyone with dermatitis or easily irritated, hyper-sensitive skin should be careful with Gua Sha, such as those who often break out in rashes or dermatitis-like skin irritation as a result of using new products or from their skin being touched or massaged.

Is Gua Sha Appropriate If You Have Acne, Eczema, Dermatitis Or Psoriasis?

If your skin is currently reactive — if you have dermatitis, eczema, inflamed acne or psoriasis on your face — it is recommended to wait until the skin is brought into a more stable state before trying Gua Sha.

Also, people who have had fillers or Botox should wait at least three months after their procedure to do facial Gua Sha on those areas where they received injections. They can do Gua Sha on other areas, or at least the neck. Releasing the neck is essential for facial work and can even help to create change and improve skin health.

The Gua Sha Experts

As with any skin care, you’ll want to be mindful of doing a little research or at least watch a few videos so that you know what you’re doing to avoid damaging or bruising the skin. Also, make sure you’re learning from trustworthy experts who’ve been using gua sha tools effectively and can guide you on how to gua sha safely.

I’m following Britta Plug, the creator of the Lanshin Pro, Sandra Lanshin Chiu and Cecily Braden. Cecily is definitely one to follow as she’s an American Spa Finalist, the originator of Gua Sha Facial Fusion, an expert in herbal poultice facial and a Gua Sha tool designer. 

Functional Nutrition & Herbal Medicine For Rosacea

As a Functional Nutrition Practitioner, Skin Herbalist, Certified Advanced Transformative Coach, and someone who’s personally been on a rosacea healing journey, I’m equipped to work with clients in a unique capacity.

My approach – which is personalized and designed to support each of my clients’ bio-individuality – enables me to get to the root cause(s) that brings about skin inflammation.

Once we’ve pinpointed the possible root causes (emotional, physical, or environmental), we work to support the body back into balance, so it can heal itself.

The result? Clear, glowing skin.

An interview with Journey To Glow Founder Caroline Frenette

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by one of my previous podcast guest and Functional Health Coach, Brigit Danner on why I created Journey To Glow!

In this video, Bridgit and I talk about:

1. Caroline’s story with rosacea and her inspiration for her new podcast
2. How to become a detective in your healthcare
3. How to listen to your internal thoughts
4. Bridgit’s recent episode on the Journey to Glow podcast, all about testing for toxic mold in your home, and mold detox techniques
5. The importance of taking care or your liver
6. Evaluating your mindset and its effect on your health and skincare
7. How stress affects hormones, skin and quality of life

Links & Resources

1. Nadine’s website livinglibations.com

2. Connect with Nadine on Instagram instagram.com/livinglibations

3. Living Libations on Facebook facebook.com/livinglibations

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