5 anti-aging gua sha moves you can add to your skincare routine today.
A gua sha stone is something I utilize often for lifting my face/neck and preventing sagging. I also love gua sha for fighting fine lines and smoothing the skin, creating a more youthful appearance. In my video today I’m highlighting 5 of my favorite anti-aging gua sha movements that you can easily add to your skincare routine!
scrub me secret: want to give yourself a professional spa treatment at home? Perform each of these anti-aging gua sha movements on yourself after you perform the de-puffing facial gua sha massage (in my last blog) on yourself. I get the best and ultimate results for facial contour and lifting when I de-puffing first and then lift/smooth.
My top 3 tips for fitting gua sha into your routine:
Something that I often hear from my clients is that adding facial massage into their skincare routine seems like a daunting task. I get it! We already have so much to do in a day, it seems like a hard task to carve out time to massage your face with a gua sha stone. But trust me, it’s SO worth it to find the time and it’s a little bit easier than you think to fit gua sha massage into your skincare routine. Here are my top 3 tips:
Choose a few targeted massage movements that will take 5-7 minutes
A full gua sha routine that takes 20 minutes sounds really daunting to have to fit into your already busy schedule. Instead, I recommend asking yourself what your main skincare concerns are. Eye wrinkles? Puffy eyes? Lifting the neck? Whatever your concerns are there are gua sha movements that target your specific goals. You can choose 3-6 different gua sha movements that you can fit into your skincare routine daily or a few times a week. Having minimal movements means it won’t take you more than 10 minutes, much more manageable to try to add to your daily routine.
In my blog post “Important gua sha tips for beginners” and “Lymph drainage movements” you can learn some individual gua sha movements that you can use to make up your own short facial massage routine.
Write it down in your planner or to-do list “gua sha today”
I find this to be a really helpful tip. If I have something written down in my planner or on my to-do list for the day then I know it’s going to get done. It’s great to have it there in front of you to remind you that you’re planning on making time that day to gua sha.
Gua sha while you watch TV, listen to a podcast, or listen or a book on tape
I like this tip for those who usually use the hour or so before bedtime to relax. I find a really good time for gua sha massage is in the evening while I’m doing a hands-free activity like watching a TV show or listening to a podcast. Cleanse your face with your usual PM facial cleanser. Apply facial oil or facial balm for your gua sha massage and then sit down, relax, and gua sha for 10-20 minutes. After this, use your toner or a dry cotton pad to remove leftover oil or balm, and apply your PM serums and moisturizer.
scrub me secret: sometimes I keep my PM routine super simple and I cleanse my face, apply hydrating rose water, facial oil, and then perform gua sha on myself. I leave the facial oil on my skin and don’t apply any other skincare that night. I would say I do this about once a week.
Gua sha stones I like:
scrub me secret: I recommend choosing a gua sha stone with a “comb” edge. This means it’ll have one side of the stone that looks like a little comb or has small textured ripples. This edge will give you more options for fighting fine lines.
My go-to gua sha stone:
Great gua sha stone for beginners:
Unique and beautiful gua sha stone:
Facial oils for gua sha massage:
Facial oil or balm is important for any facial massage because the right amount of slip and glide is needed. We want our product to give us the ability to glide along the skin with facial tools or hands without tugging at the skin. I love products with non-pore-clogging oils and added antioxidants/nutrients.
scrub me secret: an oil-based product is recommended vs. a facial lotion or facial cream that is oil-free because an oil-free product will absorb into the skin while we massage and not give us the ability to massage the correctly.
nourishing serum, facial oil:
The nourishing serum is the facial oil I make by hand. I love jojoba oil for all skin types because it mimics our skin’s natural oils and doesn’t clog the pores. It’s also a lighter-weight oil. To the jojoba, I add a small amount of argan and fractionated (liquid & non-pore clogging) coconut oil for antioxidant and skin softening benefits. Carrott seed is a must-have ingredient for my facial care routine because of its amazing anti-aging properties. Carrott seed essential oil is blended with a small amount of soothing lavender essential oil and added to this oil. It’s a wonderful blend for any skin type.
Blue Cocoon, facial balm:
This luxury plant-based balm is a real treat for the skin. Especially dry and aging skin types. This rich and concentrated balm is made with anti-inflammatory and skin brightening blue tansy oil, marula seed oil, and other oils. It has a creamy moisturizing texture and the most lovely spa-like scent. My skin always glows after using this balm! I talk about it more in my “skin care items to splurge on” blog post.
Ice Queen, facial oil:
The pomegranate seed oil in this facial oil blend is really what makes it one of my favorites. Pomegranate seed oil is super lightweight and rich in antioxidants which makes it great for both antiaging and healing skin. This product also contains other berry oils that contain similar properties to the pomegranate seed oil. This oil also has a great unscented, scent…if you know what I mean. No fragrance or essential oils for those who like a non-scented item. I would recommend this for acneic or really sensitive skin types.