Gua Sha or Jade Roller?

You’ve learned that the Gua Sha originates in Traditional Chinese medicine and has been used for centuries, just like the Jade Roller. But what are their main differences? What do they have in common and which one is better for you?

The Gua Sha

The Gua Sha was originally used as a scraping device to literally scrape away blockages or bruises which is where the name comes from ‘Scraping sha-bruises’ or ‘Scrape away illness'(Chinese: 刮痧; pinyin: guā shā). Coming in all sizes and shapes it was initially used on the body and is still used on the body today as it can help release a lot of tension in the muscles which allows for better blood flow.
BUT
You never want to use it the same way on your face as you don’t want to scrape the thin skin on your delicate visage. You can see a lot of practitioners use the wrong technique using the sharper end of the Gua Sha to scrape down your face. This should be avoided at all costs since you can damage your skin or blood vessels and actually achieve the opposite of a toned sculpted face.
See it more as a deep tissue massage rather than scraping your skin off with the edge of the tool.

How to

• wash your hands, face and Gua Sha (avoids unnecessary breakouts from the get-go)
• do your regular skincare routine and apply what pleases your skin the most
• use a facial oil to get the Gua Sha sliding, you never want to do it on dry skin, just like on a body massage, as it avoids building creases or pulling on the skin
• lay the Gua Sha flat to your skin NOT at a 90° angle, the flatter the better that basically only your thumb while doing the movement fits between your skin and the Gua Sha while doing the movements
• glide from the middle of your face towards the bottom of your ears since there is a vital lymph node
• wiggle the Gua Sha a little while you reach the ear area to active lymphatic drainage down the neck

The Jade Roller

The Jade Roller on the other hand functions primarily to support Lymphatic Drainage more than increasing blood circulation. The rolling movement will allow access lymph fluid to drain and will then run through the pathways of your face, the Lymph Nodes. Therefore you are able to improve a double chin, depuff your eyes and nose and look more awake.
BUT
Caution also must be paid while using the Jade Roller, vigorous rolling back and forth without any technique won’t do much to your face. You can hurt yourself while using too much pressure on the tool and should not move back and forth but only in one direction.

How to

• wash your hands, face and Jade Roller (yes, we also want to avoid potential breakouts here)
• do your regular skincare routine and apply what pleases your skin the most
  you can already here start using the Jade Roller to work in your serums, hyaluronic acid or moisturiser
• of course, you can use a face oil here as well after your skincare routine to seal everything in
• use the weight of the tool only as a pressure guide as you don’t want to literally squeeze your skin beneath
• glide from the middle of your face towards the bottom of your ears since there is a vital lymph node
• wiggle a little while you reach the ear area to active lymphatic drainage and roll down the neck

There is a Ga Sha or Jade Roller for everyone

Some Gua Shas or Jade Rollers are smaller which makes it easier to treat the eye or nose area. Some are bigger to treat your cheek area or neck area. So it really comes down to your facial shapes and what you will feel most comfortable with. The material isn’t necessarily as important as the right technique. If you still want to make sure your facial tool consists of real jade or other stones, then we highly suggest looking up their attributes. Real Jade or Rose Quartz will feel cooling for longer even when applied to the skin. Be cautious though when dropping these precious stones as they might break easily – It’s a stone at the end.
Stainless steel or other materials might be the better option if you travel a lot or belong to the more clumsy people of us which helps to avoid breaking your skincare buddies too quickly.

So which one is better for you?

This really comes down to your personal preference. If you like the cooling sensation in the morning to depuff and wake up your face, you can even place your Jade Roller or Gua Sha in the fridge, just make sure to clean them properly before you use either one of them on your face. A jade roller will give slide lymphatic drainage and help your skincare penetrate that bit better while the Gua Sha will enhance your lymphatic drainage as well but due to the deeper tissue massage, it will also support proper blood circulation. This will help to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to your skin and make your skincare absorb better. However, the correct technique with a Gua Sha is much more important, so chose your weapon wisely.