Gua Sha Rituals: The Power Of Black Obsidian
Written by Lauren Nicoll | Photo by Hanen Souhail
Celebrities and beauty bloggers are doing it. Supermodels, leading homeopaths, and top facialists are doing it. Everybody's raving about Gua Sha, a natural age-old lymphatic drainage therapy that assures to lift, sculpt and tighten skin with its effortless gliding motion. Its tools' energetic properties are also known to help melt away stress.
First came Jade and Rose Quartz facial rollers celebrated for their natural cleansing and energy balancing benefits along with de-puffing, elastin-promoting skincare pros. Then came the intriguing Gua Sha eco-tools, also known for their unique energetic properties and skin stimulation to firm up skin and spark radiance. From Rose Quartz, Green Jade to mineral-packed Bian historically used in traditional Chinese medicine, the latest integrative stone on the block to prioritize self-care and enhance wellbeing is Black Obsidian- but why?
What Is Black Obsidian?
Black obsidian is Volcanic glass known for its protective and predictive properties formed by powerful volcanic eruptions that solidify fast. The stone's powerful energies contain elements of Earth, Fire, and Water. It is a deep detoxification stone that releases tension and works well to clear away suppressed toxicity in the system and deeply suppressed emotions.
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Photo by: Content Pixie
How To Use Gua Sha?
Gua Sha is an ancient natural Chinese technique that offers rewarding results and can be used to refresh your skincare regime and address chronic pain. It's often practiced weekly to maintain its visible benefits.
Gua sha on bare skin is a no-no, so your first step is to choose your favorite oil, moisturizer, or serum to apply to your skin to facilitate a gentle gliding motion.
Apply light pressure when using the curved part of your Gua Sha tool. It's a non-invasive scraping technique that gently drains lymph out via the right and left lymphatic ducts, so don't use heavy pressure.
All scraping motions need to be applied in an upward motion 3-5 times on different areas of your face except the forehead (downward movements are a no-no, except when draining into the lymphatic ducts- see the last point)
Glide in an upward motion from the center of your forehead above the brows and out towards your temples. Stroke the middle of your brows up into your hairline.
Start from the side of your nose, below the area where eye bags appear. Make a sliding motion towards your temple into your hairline. For cheeks, make the same motion on the side of the nose, across the cheek towards the middle ear.
Repeat this motion for the mouth area, with gliding motions to move lymph towards your ear. You would start from the middle, under your lower lip, and glide your tool towards the earlobe in the chin area.
Position your tool under the soft area of your chin. Glide the motion to the bottom of your ear.
Work the scraping motion from your jaw and earlobe down to the middle of your collarbone when you reach the neck area.
Lastly, collect all the lymph moved to the sides of your face by sweeping from the center of your forehead through the hairline, beyond your temple, beyond your ear until you reach your neck region – do this several times slowly to place into the lymphatic ducts.
Benefits Of Black Obsidian Gua Sha
Traditionally, and now in modern times, Gua sha as a technique has proven to have rather impressive results. The motion to cause short-term redness on the skin, in turn, causes a "controlled trauma" that the skin then begins to repair by making new collagen, thus firming and tightening sagging skin. These results, coupled with obsidian benefits like muscle inflammation relief, improved lymphatic drainage, promoted detoxification and prevented fluid build-up (it also assists with vitamin C and D absorption). You can be sure that your skin will have a significant circulation boost, deep detox, and massage for a healthy, contoured finish with a radiant glow.
Shop the EDIT
Black Obsidian Gua Sha Tool $37
Furtuna Skin, Due Alberi, Biphase Moisturizing Oil $225
The Organic Pharmacy Stabilized Vitamin C Serum $45