At Common Heir, we’re all about honoring and reimagining rituals that we’ll want to pass on. This holiday season, we created the perfectly luxe, heritage-inspired complement to our award-winning serum duos: our NEW brushed-gold, stainless steel Gua Sha Facial Sculptor.
TRADITIONS THAT TRANSCEND TREND
Self-care trend, meet ancient healing practice. Gua Sha has its roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM). The phrase gua sha means “to scrape,” and it works through applying pressure to the face and body in ways that help with lymphatic drainage, boosting circulation, and other bodywork benefits.
Gifted a gua sha tool from her grandmother during a visit to China, our co-founder Cary Lin grew up using it to relieve muscles sore from sports. Her mother, an acupuncturist and TCM practitioner, later passed down techniques to ritualize her skincare routine.
BREATHE IN, SMOOTH OUT
Our Gua Sha Facial Sculptor is a modern-day descendent of Traditional Chinese Medicine-based tools and techniques long used for its benefits (see below!)
Glow the extra mile and massage in your favorite Common Heir serum capsules with gua sha to stimulate circulation, reduce inflammation, and promote collagen production.
Benefits:
- Stimulates circulation
- Detoxifies
- Reduces inflammation
- Promotes collagen production
Results:
- Firms, lifts, sculpts
- De-puffs
- Releases tight facial muscles
- Increased relaxation
GUA SHA VS ROLLER
While the stone rollers took social media by storm several years ago, the Gua Sha is fairly new to the social scene. So the question is, what makes the Gua Sha the right choice? Both the roller and the Gua Sha promote lymphatic drainage. The stone roller is a more shallow soothing tool for the upper layers of skin and muscle. The Gua Sha however, provides a deeper approach with greater results in relieving neck and jaw tension as well as sculpting with a contoured shape designed to fit your face and neck.
HOW TO USE
So we know why it’s beneficial, and you’re ready to jump on the Gua Sha train, but how exactly do you use it?
First, your skin should be clean and well lubricated with an oil based serum to prevent damage to the skin. We recommend Common Heir Vitamin C Serum capsules or Common Heir Retinol Serum capsules for a night time ritual. The Gua Sha should be held at a 30-45 degree angle, you’ll rotate the edge of the Gua Sha depending on the part of the face and what feels like the most natural contour to you. Repeat each pattern on your face 3-5 times applying medium pressure, think of this as a nightly deep tissue massage, you decide what feels best.
- Forehead & Brow Line: Apply medium pressure with the smaller concave edge and sweep from the inside point of your brow outward into the hairline. Turning the Gua Sha to the long convex edge for the forehead and between your brows up into the hairline.
- Mid-Face, Cheeks & Eyes: Pull with the long curved side down with the bottom of the Gua Sha at the tip of your nose, across your cheeks and eye area rotating the Gua Sha as needed to the smaller concave edge up towards your hairline.
- Chin & Jaw Line: On the lower half of your face using the side of the Gua Sha with the longer concave edge, moving outwards towards your ears always at an upward angle.
- Neck: On the neck you want to work up using the longer convex edge, again make sure that you’ve used a serum to help the Gua Sha glide over the skin without irritation. At the base of the neck working upwards in a system of lines toward the chin.
You may experience some redness right after use due to increased circulation, it will reduce within a few minutes. Most importantly do not rush the process. Use the Gua Sha when you have the time to slow down, listen to your skin and enjoy the ritual.
GOLDEN GIRL
Gua Sha tools typically vary in material, shapes, and sizes. You can find them made out of jade, quartz, stone, and even animal bone (although not a material of choice for us, as we are proud to be a cruelty-free brand.)
Here’s why we chose stainless steel as the perfect option:
- Break-proof: We wanted our facial sculptor to be worthy of passing down as an heirloom, so it needed to be strong and durable (and to pass the drop test!)
- Anti-bacterial: Unlike other more porous materials, stainless steel is anti-bacterial and easy to clean, making it an excellent choice for regular and consistent use.
- Ideal for all skin types: It’s great for sensitive as well as mature skin.
As for that golden touch? We were inspired by gilded vintage vanities, heirloom treasures of the past, and wanted to add that little touch of luxuriousness you deserve to your self-care routine.
WHEN YOUR LOVE LANGUAGE IS GIFTING
Our legacy is luxury beauty as it should be: intentional, sustainable, and inclusive. We share what we love with you, in hopes you’ll take that tradition and pass it on, too. With the holidays around the corner, this special launch hits close to home and heritage for us, and we hope you’ll find this a ritual you’ll love gifting to yourself or a loved one.