Each Quartz Crystal Gua Sha stone is parceled in a muslin bag for carrying and storing the Gua Sha tool. While Gua Sha implements can be comprised of a variety of materials, Living Libations prefer the smooth, cool beauty of crystal quartz. Quartz stones are prismatic crystals of silicon and oxygen compressed by geologic forces into hardened, sparkling light. Throughout history, the innate enchanting and reflective colours of quartz stones have attracted healers and humans because quartz naturally amplifies energy and seems to transpose its own light onto the human receiver. DESCRIPTION Living Libations Quartz Gua Sha stone’s scalloped design has a long smooth side to capture gentle curves on the face and body, and the scalloped edges are perfect for sculpting the jawline, brow, and eye area. Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese therapy originating from Traditional Chinese Medicine in which lubricated skin is scraped or rubbed with the edge of a smooth, hard tool to improve skin and health conditions. The tradition and the tools of Gua Sha have been passed down through families for centuries, and only recently have cultures outside of Asia become familiar with its therapeutic benefits. In Chinese, gua means “to rub” and sha is the slight reddening of the skin that occurs after the treatment. Gua Sha scraping differs from other cultural scraping methods, such as the ancient Greek and Roman strigil, in that it transcends hygiene, beauty, and bathing practices. The tradition began when Zhang Fengkui, a physician in the Ming dynasty, discovered that scraping meridian points on the skin was therapeutic for the skin and underlying tissues. A hot water or steam bath followed the scraping. Living Libations Quartz Gua Sha stone’s scalloped design has a long smooth side to capture gentle curves on the face and body, and the scalloped edges are perfect for sculpting the jawline, brow, and eye area. HOW TO USE This Gua Sha tool is an excellent implement for massaging cellulite areas and fascia in general. To bless your body with a therapeutic Gua Sha body treatment, scrape oiled skin with the flat edge of our Gua Sha stone using significant pressure until the there is a feeling of tissue release. Traditionally, the skin on the body is scraped vigorously enough to leave red marks or little red bumps. Gua Sha facials, though, are usually gentler. Our favorite way to Gua Sha is to first wash the face and neck or spritz it with Rose Tonic or Frankincense Tonic, and smooth on a generous squeeze of a lubricating serum (Rose Glow, Soothsayer, Open Sky, or any Best Skin Ever), for great glide. Then, simply select the perfect curve in the implement to hug the area you are rubbing. Be sure to move the tool upward and outward to effectively sculpt and smooth the skin. Begin with the base of the neck and glide upward in long, slow swipes until the whole neck is scraped. Then move to the jaw, the cheeks, the eye area, the forehead, the nose, and the lips, always gliding up and outward. With 60 Traditional Chinese Medicine meridian points on the face, a Gua Sha facial is thought of as meridian massage. QUARTZ GUA SHA CARE Wash the stone with hot water and a little lather from our clay bar soap, or a little dash of Living Libations shampoo and dry it thoroughly. Store it in the muslin bag in a protected location. TRIED AND TESTED I am a big lover of gua sha. I personally love to use it on my body each morning after getting out of the shower with a lather of body oil on my legs and butt cheeks. I use the gua sha tool quite vigorously on this area. For the face, I love to gua sha when I'm in the sauna. Especially on my jaw line which gets quite tense (but a more gentle gua sha action on my face than I do on my body). It's a beautiful way to relieve stress that we hold on our face. Love it!
