Gua Sha: My At-Home Self-Care Ritual with Wildling
The thing about self-care is that it's not just about the occasional manicure or massage. Self-care is a lifestyle and can be boiled down to a few simple habits. One of those habits, for me, has been gua sha facials! Gua sha is a Chinese medical technique that involves the use of a tool to scrape the skin in order to stimulate blood and qi flow. The article describes how you can use this traditional method of healing on yourself at home with a few simple tools, including The Empress Collection a complete facial gua sha system, inspired by traditional Chinese Medicine, that includes the Empress Tonic, Empress Oil, and our patented Empress Stone.
Table of Contents
The original form of at-home self-care: GUA SHA
Last year, I discovered the heavily trafficked gua sha hashtag on Instagram, a feed featuring smooth, pore-less faces, and pretty stone tools, not only unmarked but supposedly de-puffed and contoured. Elegant facial rollers and flat, grooved tools made of jade, rose quartz, and other divinely polished stones. A form of soothing, meditative, and even luxurious at-home self-care experience.
Like any millennial, I was intrigued and wanted to try it out for myself. I wanted to see what the hype was all about and test it out to see if it would help with my puffy face in the mornings and diminish wrinkles that have appeared in my 30's.
Little did I know, that a jade roller would be a part of my CAUSEBOX. I was excited yet slightly disappointed after giving it a go.
A jade roller is another kind of gua sha beauty tool made of jade or other stones that are used for face massage. As the name implies, you roll it, massaging your face. It made a rolling noise, it wasn't relaxing, and quite frankly, I was doing it all wrong. And perhaps the wrong Gua Sha tool for me.
Flash forward to a year later, I booked a facial appointment at Credo Beauty. I was introduced to Wildling and the right way to Gua Sha and their three-part ritual. Not to mention a different tool: The Empress Stone.
Like the jade roller, the Empress Stone is a facial gua sha tool designed to sculpt and reinvigorate the skin but a better well-made with groves and intuitive to use on my face and to hold in hand.
The Gua Sha Stone
Unlike other gua sha stones typically made from quartz, The Empress Stone is composed of Bian stone, an amalgamate of 40+ minerals known for their healing properties. Each edge of the tool is intentionally architected to enhance the practice of facial gua sha, which is a traditional Chinese beauty practice.
The facial benefits of gua sha were discovered by mistake for facial rejuvenation effects. Acupuncturists used facial pressure points to treat ailments in other parts of the body, it only made sense that there would be glowing benefits of facial Gua Sha. They had this aha moment when they saw that wrinkles were going away, too.
Benefits of Gau Sha Facial:
instantly firms and lifts
renew facial contours and reverse sagging skin
diminish dark circles and reduce puffiness
minimize the appearance of wrinkles (smoker, mimic and smile lines)
brightens and promotes a radiant complexion
reduce dark spots, blemishes and other skin problems
How To Use Wildling's 3-Part Empress Facial
Step 1: Hydrate and detoxify
Wildling recommends, that after cleansing your face, the Empress Sweet Fern Hydrasoothe Face Mist primes skin to absorb face oil. It's an essential step in activating the skin, preparing it for gua sha, and maximizing results. You never want to use Gau Sha tools on a dry face! This nutrient-dense mist helps stimulate detoxification, promote lymphatic drainage, and hydrate to amplify your gua sha practice.
Step 2: Active and nourish
This powerful whole plant Empress Balm of Gilead Barrier Repair Oilhelps elevate your gua sha ritual by boosting circulation, plumping, and toning the skin. The Balm of Gilead and our Resin Nutrient Complex nourish skin and can help stimulate lymphatic flow. Plus, the scent is lovely!
Step 3: Life, sculpt, and tone
This is where the magic happens with The Empress Stone! The Gua Sha facial protocol, outward, upward strokes with The Empress Stone help manually drain sluggish lymph stagnant fluid. This is the cause of most puffiness and inflammation. The strokes should be gentle on the face, especially around the eyes.
I like to interchange the Empress Stone with the Empress Wand, especially on those mornings when my face needs extra love. The Empress Wand helps with alleviating muscle tension in the face and jaw. This has helped me so much with TMJ.
Before and After taken 30-minutes part.
My Final Thoughts
I've been using the Empress Stone Duo 3-part system for about 4 months now, and I've noticed a BIG difference. Wrinkles on my forehead have been minimized, my skin seems a bit more youthful, and it's helped reduce morning puffiness. Not to mention, it's a very relaxing morning ritual to help start my day right. It’s so rejuvenating and repairs all your cells while fighting inflammation-which we always want. It’s an ancient Chinese practice and it just WORKS!
You can see visible results immediately. While it can take time to adopt an at-home gua sha routine, it’s essential for those wanting better, faster results. to be consistent. Plants such as Balm of Gilead in its Empress oil and tonic, as well as a traditional Chinese bian stone tool, help sculpt and lift to reap rewards naturally.
If you haven’t tried Wildling’s Empress Stone, tonic and oil… what are you waiting for? 😊
I can’t recommend Wildling Gua Sha tools enough and their products. The Empress Collection comes with the Empress Tonic (3.4 fl oz), Empress Oil (1 fl oz), and Empress Stone ($129). You can also purchase each individually.
A special thanks to Wildling for gifting me The Empress Collection and Empress Wand. As always, all opinions are my own. The article was published July 2020 and updated by our editors in May 2022.
