If you're a beauty or skincare enthusiast and follow the latest trends on social media, you may already be familiar with one of the hottest self-care and natural skin-boosting techniques: gua sha.
This ancient Chinese practice is making a major comeback, and it’s here to stay—thanks to its proven effects on skin health and overall vitality.
To reap the many benefits of Gua Sha, choosing the best gua sha shape for your needs is key.
Whether you’re looking to reduce puffiness, relieve muscle tension, or sculpt and lift your skin, understanding different gua sha shapes will help you select the perfect tool for your skincare routine.
What are the different Gua Sha tool shapes?
In ancient China, tools made out of ivory, bones, porcelain, or were jade used to perform the art of Gua Sha.
Now modern technology has made it easier and these tools are now made into gemstone materials such as rose quartz, amethyst, or blue spot jasper.
But what many people don’t realize is that gua sha shapes vary widely depending on your specific skincare and wellness needs.
To help you find the right Gua Sha tool shape, we have listed some of our favorite tool shapes along with their uses, advantages, and limitations.
Here are some of the most popular different gua sha shapes and how they work:
This tool shape is one of the most popular and commonly purchased Gua Sha tools available on the market. This adorable heart-shaped tool is a great beginner’s gua sha tool.
It’s easy to hold because of its small size and is perfect for contouring different areas of the face including the jawline, nose bridge, chin, and under-eye area.
Another thing to love about this tool is its ability to help stimulate the hand valley point.
Practitioners claim that applying firm pressure to the hand valley point can reduce stress, stop migraines, and stop pain in the shoulders, face, and neck.
While the heart-shaped tool is great for the face, neck and hands, it might be less effective to use in other parts of the body because its edges are not long enough to hold onto, and therefore less workable for applying firmer pressure.
If you want to maximize the use of one tool shape then this wave-shaped tool is perfect for you.
This amazing wave shape is one of the most versatile of all the shapes and has the greatest maneuverability.
The curved area on the edge of the tool is ideal to use in areas of the face that may be moredifficult to maneuver (e.g. brow bone and the areas underneath the eyes).
The wave shape is also ideal for massaging the jawline to relieve tension brought about by chewing, bite problems, physical and emotional stress, and helps us to avoid having jaw clenching or temporomandibular jaw (TMJ).
The long edge of the tool is great for massaging along the neck and working across larger areas like the arms and legs.
So this wave-shaped tool is very useful for both facial and body Gua Sha. However, because it’s so precise, it may not be the best gua sha shape for full-face massage.
This long, slender tool has 2 pointy ends that are best to use for targeted areas (i.e. acupressure therapy) where you want to apply pressure on the jawline and temples, and to relieve tension in the body especially in the hands, feet, laterals, back, neck, and shoulders.
This wand shaped gua sha tool is provides targeted relief to various acupressure points throughout the nasal cavity -- perfect for seasonal allergy or sinus congestion relief!
The challenge with this shape is the limited maneuverability around the face and smaller areas of the body.
This tool is very suitable if you are aiming to relieve tension throughout the body.
You may find it enjoyable to use when applying pressure on targeted areas because of the long smooth edges on both sides.
Just remember to use less pressure on the face as your skin can be very sensitive in this area.
Lighter pressure also encourages more movement of lymph, therefore improving lymphatic drainage.
For the face, the teardrop shape is also very ideal to use on larger surface areas, especially the forehead to help eliminate fine lines, and also ideal along the neck, shoulders, legs, arms to fight cellulite, promote blood circulation, and boost lymphatic drainage.
Like some of the other tool shapes, the teardrop-shaped tool may offer less maneuverability in the face area like the eyebrow bone, nose, and under-eye area.
Choosing the best Gua Sha shape for your needs
If you’re wondering, “What is the best gua sha shape for me?”, the answer depends on your skincare goals.
- For sculpting & contouring: Heart or wave shapes
- For deep muscle relief & TMJ: Wave or wand shapes
- For sinus relief & allergy support: Wand shape
- For lymphatic drainage & full-body massage: Teardrop shape
How to Mix & Match Gua Sha shapes for maximum benefits
One of the most exciting things about gua sha is that you’re not limited to just one tool!
Many skincare professionals and gua sha practitioners use a combination of different gua sha shapes to target various areas of the face and body effectively.
For example:
- Use a wave-shaped gua sha on your jawline and neck to release tension
- Switch to a wand-shaped tool for sinus pressure relief
- Finish with a teardrop-shaped tool for lymphatic drainage on your body
By having more than one gua sha tool in your collection, you can customize your practice for a well-rounded self-care ritual that addresses multiple concerns.
Preparing your skin for Gua sha
Once you choose the perfect shape for you and start using your gua sha tool every day or at least two to three times a week, you’ll learn to be a pro and start to experience the many amazing benefits of Gua Sha facial and body massage.
One final piece of advice is to never ever perform Gua Sha on bare skin. This is to prevent any rashes or irritation on your skin when doing a Gua Sha massage.
Using facial oils gives your skin a bit of slip, helping the gua sha tool glide smoothly and improve the glow of your skin.
If you like to make your experience more natural and authentic, we suggest you use a plant based skincare product to prep your skin for Gua Sha.
Which facial oil should you use with Gua Sha?
Before you start performing Gua Sha it is highly recommended to prep your skin using a facial oil to help your tool glide along the face and avoid any unnecessary friction or damage to the skin.
Depending on your skin type here are two recommended products for you to try.
With key ingredients including Japanese Camellia Seed Oil, Bergamot, and Apricot Kernel Oil, Glow is a lightweight facial oil serum that absorbs quickly into the skin, leaving it incredibly soft and supple during the day and night.
Benefits: Moisturizes, helps balance oil production, and soften rough skin patches
Best for: normal, combination, and oily skin
A lightweight yet deeply nourishing facial serum, Nourish contains Rice Bran, Marula and Jasmine oils to delight your skin (and your senses!).
Benefits: Moisturizes, evens skin tone and improves skin firmness and elasticity
Best for: dry, sensitive, mature skin
Benefits of a consistent gua sha massage practice
Experience the ancient art of Gua Sha and you will never be disappointed. Adding this into your self-care routine would definitely improve not only your skin’s health but your mental and emotional state as well.
Giving yourself some TLC will help improve your overall health. So, with the right tools and a consistent practice (watch my step by step tutorial on facial gua sha technique), you will see real and lasting results Gua Sha massage has to offer.
More gua sha shapes and styles
We hope that this guide has been helpful for choosing a shape that best suits your needs. Please keep in mind that we offer other shapes and gemstone styles as well!
Need help selecting the right Gua Sha tool for your needs?
Schedule a complimentary skincare consult with Patty!
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