icon-account icon-glass

Popular Searches

Popular Products

The Lean Protein
Whey protein powder for weight-loss.

CATEGORIES

Gua Sha: What Is It and what are the benefits?

20th July 2021

Health Life

20th July 2021

By Beth Shelper

From morning routines on social media to bathroom shelves lined with sculpted stone tools, gua sha has quickly become one of the most talked-about skincare practices of recent years.

It’s often described as a face-sculpting ritual and a way to define your jawline in minutes.

But what is gua sha, what are the real benefits. Is it actually worth the hype?

Here’s the science backed overlook of exactly what to know about gua sha!

 

What is a Gua Sha?

Gua Sha, also known as Kerokan (in Indonesia), has a hugely extensive history, and is a natural, alternative therapy that is part of traditional Chinese medicine. It’s meaning can be split into 2 parts:

  • “Gua” meaning “scrape”
  • “Sha” meaning “petechiae” - this refers to the tiny, red or purple-coloured spots on skin created by the technique.

Historically, it was used on the body as part of traditional healing practices. The facial version seen today is a modern adaptation, designed for cosmetic massage and lymphatic support.

Traditionally, Gua Sha tones were made of stone, but this later transitioned into precious stones such as Jade and Rose Quartz – both of which are renowned for their healing benefits. The technique has been implemented for centuries in Asia, but now everyone else is catching up.

While the body technique can be intense, facial gua sha is much gentler. The goal isn’t to create redness or bruising - it’s to encourage subtle fluid movement and muscle release.

Dating back 475BC, Gua Sha techniques focus on a person’s back, bum, neck, arms and face, and include massages that invigorate the blood flow and stimulate immune responses to improve skin appearance.

What are the benefits of gua sha?

Studies show that gua sha has a positive effect on a range of areas. We’ve rounded up some of the most notable benefits below:

Enhanced circulation and radiant glow

One of the most noticeable effects of gua sha is the immediate flush that appears after use. This happens because the gentle scraping motion stimulates surface-level microcirculation - increasing blood flow to the upper layers of the skin.

Improved microcirculation can temporarily enhance oxygen and nutrient delivery to skin cells. As a result, skin may appear brighter, slightly fuller and more energised. This is often what people describe as a “post-gua sha glow”.

Minimised fine lines, wrinkles and perimenopause effects

Research by the Menopause Journal have found that there is evidence to support the reduction of perimenopausal symptoms following Gua Sha techniques, with The Journal of Chinese Medicine confirming that Gua Sha facials result in improvements in skin texture and reduction of wrinkles.

Treatments

Academics have highlighted that Gua Sha therapy demonstrates ‘potential therapeutic benefits’ for various conditions, including pain reduction, inflammation mitigation, and enhanced flexibility. As such Gua sha is commonly used to treat ailments and illnesses and is suggested to reduce symptoms of:

  • Hepatitis B
  • Migraines
  • Breast engorgement
  • Neck pain
  • Joint pain
  • Carpel tunnel syndrome
  • Inflammation

Reduced facial puffiness

Gua sha aids in something called lymphatic drainage.

The lymphatic system plays a key role in moving excess interstitial fluid through the body. Unlike the circulatory system, it doesn’t have a central pump like the heart - it relies on muscle contraction and movement.

Facial massage techniques, including gua sha, may support this natural flow when performed correctly.

Improved product absorption

Gua sha is often said to improve product absorption. While massage can help distribute skincare more evenly and increase surface-level circulation, absorption is primarily determined by the formulation itself - including ingredient size and composition.

What gua sha can do is enhance application.

Using a facial oil allows the tool to glide smoothly, encourages even coverage and promotes a slower, more deliberate routine. This can help products sit more uniformly on the skin and reduce unnecessary friction.

How to use gua sha? 

Historically, Gua Sha has been performed by a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner, but today many have turned to the technique as a form of self-care.

It’s incredibly important to follow the instructions on your Gua Sha tool, but the technique is simple. The main aim is to scrape (Gua) your skin in both short and long strokes in an upward and outward direction only – and don’t press too hard. This can lead to light bruising and bleeding, and we definitely don’t want that.

Below we have included our step-by-step guide on how to use a gua sha:

How often should you Gua Sha?

Don’t overdo it here.

Generally, it’s advised to engage in Gua Sha techniques once a week. Our skin (and particularly our face) is delicate, so it’s important to ensure you are being careful to avoid any unwanted side effects.

Maybe you could make it part of your Sunday pamper routine? We know we will be.

Side note: It’s best to avoid the Gua Sha technique if you are currently taking any blood thinning medication, just due to the nature of the technique and it’s influence in blood flow and inflammation.

Step 1: clean the skin and slip

Before using a gua sha tool, cleanse the skin thoroughly. Any friction against dry or unprepared skin can lead to unnecessary dragging, irritation or barrier disruption.

Apply a facial oil or a well-formulated serum that provides enough slip for the tool to glide smoothly.

Step 2: begin at the neck

The next step is to hold the tool flat against the side of your neck and use gentle downward strokes toward the collarbone.

It may feel counterintuitive to start away from the face, but beginning at the neck supports directional fluid movement.

The lymphatic system in the face ultimately drains downward toward the neck. Starting here may help “clear the pathway” before working upwards.

Step 3: define the jawline

Place the curved edge of the tool along the centre of your chin.

Glide the tool along the jawline toward the ear using an upward and outward motion. The movement should follow the natural contour of the bone.

Repeat 3–5 times on each side.

Step 4: lift through the cheeks

Position the tool beside the nose and sweep outward across the cheek toward the ear.

The cheek area often holds fluid, particularly in the morning. Controlled outward strokes may reduce temporary puffiness and create a subtly more defined appearance.

Step 5: under the eyes

Use the smallest curve of the tool for the under-eye area.

Glide gently from the inner corner outward toward the temple.

Use very light pressure and limit to 2–3 passes per side. This area is delicate and doesn’t require intensity.

Step 6: move across the forehead

Start at the centre of the forehead.

Glide outward toward the temples in slow, controlled strokes.

Repeat 3–5 times per section. This can help release subtle tension held in the brow.

Step 7: finish at the neck again

Return to the neck to complete the routine.

Use gentle downward strokes toward the collarbone.

This reinforces directional flow and brings the sequence full circle.

Top tip: A lot of people place their tool in the fridge for a relaxing and refreshing cooling sensation. Ensure to use oils too, for a smooth experience.

How often should you Gua Sha?

Don’t overdo it here.

Generally, it’s advised to engage in Gua Sha techniques once a week. Our skin (and particularly our face) is delicate, so it’s important to ensure you are being careful to avoid any unwanted side effects.

Maybe you could make it part of your Sunday pamper routine? We know we will be.

When should you avoid Gua Sha?

Gua sha is generally considered low risk when performed gently and correctly. However, it isn’t suitable for everyone - particularly if the skin is inflamed, compromised or medically treated.

If you fall into one of the categories below, it may be worth speaking to a dermatologist or healthcare professional before incorporating gua sha into your routine.

  • Active acne or inflamed breakouts
  • A history of easy bruising
  • Rosacea or persistent facial redness
  • Recently had dermal fillers
  • Recently undergone laser treatments
  • A compromised or damaged skin barrier
  • Very reactive or irritation-prone skin
  • Open wounds, cuts or active skin infections

Side note: It’s best to avoid the Gua Sha technique if you are currently taking any blood thinning medication, just due to the nature of the technique and it’s influence in blood flow and inflammation

Does gua Sha work?

So, does Gua Sha live up to the hype? The short answer? It depends on what you are expecting.

According to the science, gua sha can work - but not always in the way’s it is discussed.

When used correctly, it may temporarily reduce facial puffiness, support surface-level circulation and help relieve muscle tension, particularly around the jaw and temples.

These effects are largely linked to fluid movement and mild increases in microcirculation, which can create a short-term glow or slightly more defined appearance.

However, there is currently limited strong clinical evidence supporting long-term sculpting, collagen stimulation or permanent contour changes.

In other words, gua sha may enhance how your face looks on a given day, but it doesn’t alter its structure. Approached with realistic expectations (and by avoiding the ‘hype’), it can be a useful, supportive addition to a broader skincare and wellness routine.

Can supplements also support skin health?

100%

While tools like gua sha treat the skin externally, skincare is also shaped by what you put in your body.

Collagen production, inflammation balance, hydration and repair are all influenced by nutrient intake, sleep quality and stress levels. Strategic supplementation can help support these internal processes.

Supplements like Innermost’s The Glow Blend combine ingredients selected to support collagen synthesis, protect against oxidative stress and promote overall skin resilience.

Skincare is health care, people!

References

  • Domingues, A. L. B., Solinho, A. F. N., Sequeira, C. P. D. F. P., da Mota, D. F. R., da Mota, J. M. G., Campos, M. R. R., & Tavares, N. M. R. M. (2020). The Use of Gua Sha to Improve Facial Expression Lines and Wrinkles: A Case Study. The Journal of Chinese Medicine, (123), 38-42. Click here.
  • Meng, F., Duan, P. B., Zhu, J., Lou, Q. Q., Fang, Z. H., An, H. L., ... & Hu, Q. (2017). Effect of Gua sha therapy on perimenopausal syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Menopause, 24(3), 299-307. Click here.
  • Hamp, A., Anderson, J., Laughter, M., Anderson, J., Presley, C., Rundle, C., & Dellavalle, P. (2023). Gua‐sha, Jade Roller, and Facial Massage. 22(2), 700-703. Click here.
  • Chu, E., Wong, A., Sim, P., & Kruger, F. (2021). Exploring scraping therapy: Contemporary views on an ancient healing – A review. 10(8), 2757-2762. Click here.
  • Nielsen, A., Knoblauch, N., Dobos, G., Michalsen, A., & Kaptchuk, T. (2007). The effect of Gua Sha treatment on the microcirculation of surface tissue: a pilot study in healthy subjects. 3(5), 456-466. Click here.
< Older post Newer post >

Need Expert Advice?

Take the quiz

Take the quiz

If you're not sure where to start, take our 5 minute health consultation to get product recommendations tailored to your goals.
Read more

Other Insights

The Glow Blend: A Confession

The Glow Blend: A Confession

I need to tell you something I've never said publicly, and it's not flattering. When our product team first brought me a plan for a collagen supplement, my honest reaction was no. Not "let me think about it." A flat no. And if I'm being fully honest about why, it wasn't the science. It was that collagen felt, in my head, like a beauty category. Something for someone else's brand. Not ours. I built Innermost around performance and evidence. Protein, creatine, mushrooms, electrolytes. Things I could point to a study for and feel comfortable talking about at a dinner table full of people who workout regularly. Collagen sat in a different mental folder. Skincare aisle. Jars with gold lids and brand sponsorship by one of the Kardashians. I'd absorbed a version of what "beauty" meant without ever examining it. The argument in the room So we had the argument internally. A proper one. A few people on the team pushed back hard, and rightly so. One of them put it to me plainly: we started Innermost to follow the evidence wherever it goes, not to follow it everywhere except the places that feel awkward. That line stuck with me. Here's what changed my mind, and it wasn't a feeling. It was the research. What the evidence actually says Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It's structural, it's in your skin, your joints, your gut lining, and production declines steadily from your mid-twenties onward. That's not a marketing claim, that's basic physiology. The question was never whether collagen matters. It was whether supplementing it actually does anything, and that's where most of the category falls apart. Most collagen products on the market use whole collagen molecules, which are too large to be absorbed effectively when you drink them. The ones that do use hydrolysed peptides, which are broken down into smaller chains your body can actually take up, still run into a second problem: dose. A lot of labels list collagen content that sits well below the 2 to 10 grams used in the trials that show measurable effects on skin elasticity and hydration. You're paying for a placebo with good branding. The ingredient most brands leave out The third problem is the one that convinced me completely. Vitamin C isn't a nice-to-have alongside collagen. It's a required co-factor for your body to actually synthesise collagen at the cellular level. Without adequate vitamin C, the enzymes responsible for stabilising collagen structure don't function properly. You can take a perfectly dosed hydrolysed peptide and still get a fraction of the benefit if the product doesn't include enough vitamin C alongside it. Most don't. They sell you the raw material and leave out the one thing your body needs to use it. Once I saw the category clearly, laid out like that, the decision stopped being about how I felt and started being about what the evidence supported. That's the whole operating principle of Innermost. I couldn't defend saying no to a legitimate, well-evidenced product category. What we built So we built The Glow Blend properly. Hydrolysed collagen peptides at a dose that reflects the research, alongside vitamin C, hyaluronic acid for hydration, biotin and folic acid for hair and nail health. Nothing in it that doesn't earn its place. What surprised me after launch The part I didn't expect was the response once we launched it. A good number of the messages came from women, as you'd expect, and they were generous and specific about what they'd noticed. But a surprising number came from men. Customers writing in to say they'd felt exactly what I'd felt, that awkward little flinch at "collagen," and had quietly bought it anyway because the ingredient breakdown made sense to them. That response told me more about why this category needed an honest voice in it than any research paper did. I'm not going to pretend I have this fully figured out. I still catch myself, occasionally, hesitating slightly before I mention it in a room. Old habits sit deeper than good evidence sometimes. But I take it, and increasingly a lot of men I respect take it too, quietly, without needing to make a thing of it. If this sounds familiar If any part of this resonated, and you've felt that same small resistance to a category you assumed wasn't for you, hit reply and tell me. I'd genuinely like to know I'm not the only one who had to get over it. And if you know someone, a friend, a partner, who could use this exact reasoning rather than a tesimonial, forward it on. It might do more good coming from someone else's honesty.
Read more
Your Summer Survival Kit (From Someone Who Travels A Lot)

Your Summer Survival Kit (From Someone Who Travels A Lot)

I'm putting the finishing touches to this post from an airport, which feels appropriate. By my count, I'll be going through three countries in the next six weeks. Meetings, a trip to see family including my niece and nephew, a supplier visit in Italy that I've been putting off for a year. And every summer the same thing happens. The carefully built routine, the one that took months to lock in, gets thrown into a suitcase and I hope for the best. Most people react to this by either giving up on the routine entirely ("I'll sort it out when I'm back") or overpacking so aggressively that half of it never leaves the bag. I've done both. Neither works. What actually works is deciding, in advance, which two or three things earn a place in my bag and which ones can wait until September. So here's mine. Not a wellness influencer's "what's in my bag" video. An honest list, built over about a decade of getting this wrong first. Why travel breaks routines specifically It's worth being precise about what actually changes when you travel, because it isn't just "less discipline." Three things shift at once. You sweat more and drink less water than usual, because you're distracted or the flight dried you out or the hotel room is warmer than home. You're outdoors more, often somewhere sunnier than wherever you live. And your meals stop being yours. You eat what's available, when it's available, and protein is usually the first thing to slip, because sugar, carbs and fat are what's on offer at 6am airport cafes. None of this is a discipline problem. It's an environment problem. The fix is making sure two or three specific things are in my bag before I leave home, so I’m not relying on willpower to begin with. 1. Electrolytes, non-negotiable Most people remember to pack sunscreen. Almost nobody packs electrolytes, and it's the one that actually catches up with you. Water replaces volume, not what you lose through sweat, which is mostly sodium and potassium and magnesium doing the quiet work of keeping muscles firing and fluid balanced properly. Miss that balance for a few days in the heat and you get the symptoms everyone blames on jet lag: the headache, the flat energy, the slight fog by 4pm that a coffee doesn't fix. It's usually not jet lag. It's electrolytes. I take The Hydrate Blend  for exactly this reason. Six electrolytes, no sugar, no synthetic flavouring, dissolves in a bottle of water in about ten seconds. One sachet on a travel day, first thing in the morning, does more for how I feel by evening than anything else in the bag. 2. Something for the sun you're actually going to get Here's the part most people don't think about until it's too late. UV exposure accelerates collagen breakdown, which is a slightly clinical way of saying that a week of proper sun does more to skin structure than most of the year combined. This isn't about vanity. It's a straightforward mechanism: UV generates free radicals that degrade existing collagen faster than your body can replace it. Sunscreen protects against the burn. It doesn't do anything for the collagen you're losing underneath. I've been taking The Glow Blend through summer for this reason specifically. Hydrolysed collagen peptides paired with vitamin C, which matters because vitamin C is a required co-factor for collagen synthesis and most collagen products leave it out entirely, then wonder why customers don't notice anything. It won't undo a week in the sun. It gives your skin something to rebuild with while it's under more pressure than usual. 3. Protein, especially when the meals aren't yours This is the one I've learned the hard way. When your diet goes inconsistent, protein is usually the first macronutrient to drop, simply because it's the hardest to find on the move. Airport food, hotel breakfasts, whatever's left at a conference buffet by 1pm, none of it is built around protein. And the honest science here is less dramatic than people expect: you don't need to train harder to maintain muscle through a disrupted period, you need to keep protein intake somewhere close to normal. That's the whole trick. I'll say this honestly because I'd rather be straight with you than pretend otherwise: my go-to for this is still The Strong Protein (whey based) and The Health Protein (vegan). They earn their place in my bag because they travel well, mix with nothing but water, and does the one job that actually matters on the road, which is making sure protein doesn't disappear from your day just because your routine has. The actual point None of this is about maintaining perfect discipline on holiday. Nobody does that, and if a brand tells you they do, they're not being honest with you. It's about deciding in advance which three or four things matter enough to bring, so the choice isn't being made for you by whatever's in the hotel minibar. If you've got a system that works for you when you travel, reply and tell me. I read every one of these, and I'm always looking to steal a better idea for my next trip. If this is useful, forward it to whoever in your life is about to live out of a suitcase for the next few weeks. It's the email I wish someone had sent me a decade ago.
Read more