I Did Gua Sha For 21 Days And Here's What Happened

Gather around friends, and let me tell you the tale of the little gua sha stone that could. What could it do? Well, I’m so happy that you asked!

For the past 3 weeks, I’ve used this gem of a stone (pun intended) every day and it has come to my rescue in countless ways – making me a true believer in its abilities to totally cure my morning facial bloat. So, if you’re into the idea of being able to consume copious amounts of cheese (raw and grass-fed, of course) without the dreaded repercussions, you’ve come to the right place.

Let me start by saying this, don’t be intimidated to just start. Gua sha is something that, until a few months back, was completely foreign to me.

I was introduced at the PP HQ where Courtney, our in-house Holistic Esthetician, led our team through this practice, starting on one side of the face and then the other. Upon completing the first side, I looked around the room and was in complete awe. How was it that everyone had lost what looked like a pound of puffiness on one side of their face? I was intrigued and had to know more.

Being that I’ve raised my hand to be our team’s human guinea pig, when contemplating my next wellness trend to fill you in on (check out my experience with celery juice here!), it was a no brainer. I volunteer as tribute to see all the benefits of botox without being subject to muscle atrophy and botulism (if you’re confused by this statement, you’ll want to read this).

Here are my main takeaways from 3 weeks of implementing this practice into my routine:

• • Gua Sha is just as beneficial to my mental health as it has been to my skin’s health. I recently became curious how accomplished and happy individuals begin their day. Is there some sort of morning routine that ensures a more productive and fulfilling day? All research points to yes. And a huge part of what constitutes a successful morning routine has to do with clearing your mind and making space for meditation and flow – enter gua sha, a practice rooted in these things. I use this part of my morning to clear my mind and choose thoughts that are going to serve me and my day through positive affirmations or just deep breaths to lower cortisol levels.

• • I learned to make it my own! There are so many tutorials and step-by-step guides on how to effectively treat yourself to this type of facial, and having the fundamental guidelines is extremely important. Once you have the principle guidelines down, you can (and should!) make it your own. In this respect, I like to think of gua sha as yoga for the face – if it feels good to use more pressure in certain areas, then add more pressure. And if you want to spend more time in one area than the other, listen to your body. I tend to clench my jaw a lot in my sleep, so I personally spend a lot of time massaging out the tension. The relief I’ve experienced has been amazing.

• • You’re going to see results. I highly recommend taking a before and after photo! I noticed results immediately and they’ve only gotten better – it’s a lot like anything else you do that’s beneficial for your well being. Think about it this way, you might feel great after eating a nutrient-packed salad once, but imagine the compounding effect that’s experienced when you repeat this type of mindful eating over time. Doing gua sha here and there is great, but consistency is ALWAYS key to real and lasting results.

Some side effects of gua sha might include: keeping your stone on you at all times just in case you want to give friends, family members or the lady at the grocery store an impromptu facial. It’s almost as if you’re Oprah and EVERYONE gets a mini-facial now that you’re in the know. It’s no wonder this trend is making waves right now in the beauty and wellness worlds – how rude would it be to keep all that it has to offer on the down low? It’s like when someone “forgets” where they got their cute sweater from. Don’t be that person, Karen. 😉

All jokes aside, this practice will definitely continue to be a part of my daily skincare routine and I can’t help but feel more hopeful about the future of my skin’s overall health. I hope you enjoy incorporating this transformative regimen into your self-care practice too!

You can shop our pure jade gua sha stones here and stay tuned for my next beauty trend experiment! What topics should I try out and share about? Leave your suggestions in the comments below!