What Face Oil Should You Use for Gua Sha Based on Skin Type?

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There are so many face oils yet not every one of them will suit your skin type and its peculiarities. When you want to treat your face to gua sha, you need to carefully pick the oil you use on your skin.

Applying oil to your face before gua sha makes the massage process easy and takes off the risk of wear and tear on your skin. Moreover, it allows the tool to glide smoothly and without any pressure.

Gua sha is very good for the facial skin and the body in general. This article details everything you need to know about gua sha and the oils that are good for your skin.

What Is Gua Sha?

Gua sha is a Chinese term coined from the two words “gua” which means “to scrape” and “sha” which means “sand”. It is a therapeutic body massage that the Chinese use to improve blood circulation and relax the muscles.

Cosmetology found gua sha and it became handy for facial massage. The process of gua sha uses a quartz stone, jade roller, or even the hands to apply gentle pressure to the face.

These tools work on your face to improve the appearance and texture of your skin. Furthermore, the gua sha tool is applied to your skin, and gentle short and/or long strokes are made to stimulate your muscles and relax them.

Back in the day, the Chinese used it to promote skin healing and relieve stiff muscles.

What Face Oil Should You Use for Gua Sha for Dry Skin?

Dry skin needs face oils that will help address the woes of dry skin which include dehydration, flaking, and the development of fine lines and wrinkles. Your skin type needs hydrating oils that will smoothen and plump it back to its youthful glory.

Examples of such oils include rosehip oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil maracuja oil, and avocado oil. To add fragrance to your oil mix, you can add essential oils like lavender essential oil or sandalwood essential oil.

What Face Oil Should You Use for Gua Sha for Oily Skin?

Oily skin naturally produces double the oil secreted by other skin types. Therefore, you do not need heavy or comedogenic oils that will add to your sebum level or clog your pores.

Your choice of oils for gua sha should check the list of lightweight, non-comedogenic, anti-inflammatory, hydrating, and oils that can mimic sebum.

Examples of oils that fill in these descriptions include jojoba oil, argan oil, squalene oil, marula oil, and rosehip oil. Also, you can add essential oils like tea tree essential oil, green tea essential oil, and lemon essential oil for scents.

What Face Oil Should You Use for Gua Sha for Sensitive Skin?

Do not be deterred by the sensitivity of your skin type and rule out a gua sha from your list of facials. Some oils are best suited for sensitive skin types. These oils have strong anti-inflammatory properties that soothe your skin and calm redness.

Moreover, they are gentle on the skin and very moisturizing, the key to biding skin irritations goodbye. Some of them are argan oil, evening primrose oil, moringa oil, hemp oil, apricot oil, chamomile essential oil, and lavender essential oil.

What Face Oil Should You Use for Gua Sha for Combination Skin?

Jojoba oil, pomegranate oil, sunflower oil, lavender essential oil, cedarwood essential oil, flaxseed oil, and neroli essential oil are some of the oils that suit combination skin.

These oils are lightweight, non-comedogenic oils, and hydrating oils that cater to the needs of the different skin types on your face. You do not need comedogenic oils because of your oily t-zone.

What Face Oil Should You Use for Gua Sha for Acne-Prone Skin?

If you have acne-prone skin, you need oils that can help unclog your pores and inhibit bacterial activity in your pores. Rose essential oil, rosehip oil, evening primrose oil, and retinol oil are great picks for acne woes.

When you use these oils for gua sha, it can help fade acne scars and control acne breakouts. Additionally, these oils have anti-inflammatory properties that help to calm your skin and reduce the breakout of inflammatory acne.

What Are the Benefits of Gua Sha?

There are so many things gua sha can do for your face and its goodness all the way. Every gua sha session leaves you with better skin. The benefits of gua sha include:

1. Stress relief

Facial skin carries a good deal of the expression of the stress you carry on your inside. A gua session can help calm your nerves, ease muscle tension, loosen tight jaws and forehead wrinkles, and even cure headaches.

2. Face sculpting

Gua sha enhances your facial features; they may not be permanent after a few sessions but after consistent sessions, your face takes on that shape. In addition, it tightens your skin and gives you a youthful appearance.

3. Enhance blood circulation

The downward strokes made with gua sha stone or roller can help stimulate blood circulation. And blood circulation is necessary for skin health and vibrancy.

Moreover, blood circulation can help detoxify your skin from environmental pollutants that may have penetrated your skin.

4. Goodbye to puffy eyes

Via improved blood circulation, gua sha can help to banish puffy eyes. Puffy eyes and dark circles may be a result of inadequate sleep, stress, skin blemishes, or even medication.

Gua sha for the face stimulates blood flow to the skin around your eyes and gives you brighter eyes.

5. Clears hyperpigmentation

This may not happen so fast, but it is a consequent action of lymphatic drainage. It promotes sin healing from acne scars and at the same time improves the appearance of hyperpigmentation.

6. It helps aging skin

The gentle strokes ease your skin and help to smoothen out fine lines and facial wrinkles that may have set in due to the formation of free radicals or worry. Gua sha for the face improves the appearance of these signs of aging and restores your skin to its youth.

7. Better penetration of skincare products

A facial massage relaxes your skin, and this can help to increase the rate of absorption of products and enhance the effectiveness of the ingredients. If your products absorb well into your skin, you can be sure to achieve your dream skin.

8. Improved complexion

Gua sha can foster the fading away of scars and improve the complexion of your skin. It gets rid of skin problems, enhances blood circulation, and helps to glow up your skin. Also, detoxification gets rid of toxins that can alter your complexion and skin texture.

How to Do Gua Sha With Face Oil

The first step to a productive gua sha session is picking the right oils. When you have your oils, you can mix them before you go on to the application.

While you massage, locate your acupressure points in areas like under your earlobes, undereye area, between your forehead, in between your nose and upper lip, and tap those areas gently.

Follow these steps to perform a gua sha at home:

  • Wash and dry your tools (gua sha stone, jade roller, and hands) before you begin
  • Any skincare process that will be effective begins with cleansing your face first
  • Cleanse your skin with a mild facial cleanser to remove any debris of oil, dirt, and makeup
  • Then, dry your face with a clean towel
  • Thereafter, take drops of your face oil in your palm
  • Apply the oil all over your face with gentle taps on your skin to stimulate your nerves
  • Then, in gentle circular motions, massage your face in outward motions
  • Begin massaging from your forehead and then unto your temples and cheeks
  • Work with gentle pressure on your face. Only put in a little more pressure when the need arises
  • Afterward, move on to your undereye. Use your tool to work upwards to your eyebrows
  • Work your way downwards to your chin and up your cheekbones
  • Repeat the above steps three times to relax your muscles well
  • To clean the oil off your face, do not use a face wipe or cleanser. The chemicals in these products can interfere with the oils and render your effort ineffective
  • Rinse your face with warm water and you’re good to go

When Should You Do Gua Sha?

You can do gua sha at any time of the day. Doing gua sha in the evenings, after the day’s job, can be more productive because it helps to ease off the worries and stress of the day.

Moreover, it helps to detoxify your skin and remove the environmental toxins your skin absorbed.

However, you can do a gua sha in the morning to awaken your muscles and make your skin look tighter for a beautiful day ahead.

Does Gua Sha Work for Double Chin?

Yes, it does. The facial massage with a stone or roller stimulates collagen synthesis and gives you more elastic skin. Elastic skin minimizes the prominence of a double chin. It realigns the shape of your chin and better highlights the curves on your face.

Gua sha helps the appearance of a double chin and the results are visible within 5-7 days.

How Often Should You Do Gua Sha With Face Oil?

Do a gua sha once a day and two to three times a week for maximum results. It is a therapeutic massage that does not need compulsory daily practice before you see results. The pressure from the stone may be too much for your skin.

In addition, not every skin type can tolerate the pressure and the process can be time-consuming. Above all, you should do a gua sha according to the needs of your skin.

FAQs

Can you use your hands for gua sha?

Yes, you can use your hands if you do not have a gua sha stone or facial roller. However, before you use your hands to massage your face, you should wash your hands clean to avoid putting germs on your face. Furthermore, gentle pressure is all your need from your hands.

Will gua sha slim your face?

No, gua sha does not help to make your face slimmer. Facial massage does not get rid of facial fat or shrink the skin. Gua sha can only help to enhance your facial features and highlight the curves, where they are.

Does gua sha tighten the skin?

Yes, it does. Gua sha makes facial muscles relax, realigns them, firms them, and improves already saggy skin. This way, consistent gua sha can help to improve the appearance of fine lines and facial wrinkles.

How long does it take to see results from gua sha?

After a session of gua sha, you should see impressive results on your skin. Your skin will glow, and look smoother and plump. It eases the muscles on your face and this ease penetrates your whole body and eases your mind.

Conclusion

Gua sha is very therapeutic and good for skin appearance. It improves blood circulation and enhances the texture of your skin. To make the most of the massage experience, you need to do it with face oil.

Skin types differ with people and for every skin type, there is a face oil that will deliver the best result. Identify the oils that work best for your skin type and use them for your weekly gua sha routine. While you get your oils ready, get your tools (gua sha stone or your hands) clean too.

Thanks for reading.

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