When I was about 12 years old, I was playing on a swing in my schoolyard in Panama City, Panama. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the start of my skincare routine…
In every school in Panama City, whether public or private, the children wore uniforms. I went to IJA (Instituto Justo Arosemena) and my uniform was a white shirt with a patch. In the patch were the letters IJA in dark brown lettering with a dark brown square border. There was also a tan skirt with a dark brown belt, white socks, and dark brown shoes. Being out of uniform would merit detention or points taken off your grade.
I remember putting my stomach on the seat of the swing and releasing my feet. I went flying through the air. I did this twice. The third time, my balance was off. When I lifted my feet, I fell face forward onto the gravel and dirt. I did not feel a thing. But when I stood up the look on the faces of my classmates told me something was wrong. When I looked down, I saw that my shoulder was covered in dirt. My classmates rushed me to our classroom.
Classes weren’t scheduled to start for another 15 minutes. When we walked into the classroom our teacher looked up, his face dropped when he saw me. He said, “Dios Mio! Que Paso? (My God! What happened?)
The classmates filled him in. Because classes weren’t supposed to start for fifteen minutes and the nurse’s office wasn’t open. He gave me $3 and told me to take a cab home. I went straight home. It wasn’t until I entered the cab, and the drivers’ reaction to my face made me realize it was really bad.
When I got home, my grandmother wasn’t home. I went straight to the bathroom. Then I saw my face, I had scraped the top layer of the skin off of the right side of my face from my jawline up to my right eye. I started to cry and immediately had to stop because the salt in my tears stung my wound. When my grandmother, Nennen came home she was shocked that I was home early and when she saw my face she was speechless.
My cousin’s sister-in-law was a doctor. She came over and cleaned my face with peroxide.
The sound of the peroxide sizzling on my skin reminded me of the sound that pop rocks candy would make when you eat it. I was instructed not to touch my face and to clean it every day until it begins to scab. I was then instructed that once it scabbed over I needed to keep the skin moist (with vaseline) and massage the area daily. After it healed I continued to massage my face with Vaseline. It healed, and unless I point it out, you wouldn’t be able to notice the slight hyperpigmentation in that area. This was the start of my skincare journey.
Learning about Gua Sha was complementary to what I was already doing with my fingers.
Gua Sha is a Chinese tradition that was started for the relief of heatstroke and diseases like colds/viruses.
The word Gua means scraping and Sha means redness. My journey to Gua Sha was started with the increase of Jade rollers. You could not open your internet browser without seeing an advertisement for a Jade roller. Because I enjoy learning new things, especially around skincare, this was a no-brainer. I began to research the benefits of Jade rollers. I couldn’t find a downside.
As I saw increasing benefits from using my Jade roller, I was scrolling on Instagram and came across a video of Gua Sha.
My curiosity peaked. I began watching videos on YouTube.
Gua Sha tools come in a variety of shapes and stones. I decided on a pack with three different shapes made of Rose quartz. Some of the healing properties of Rose quartz are purifying, promoting love, healing, and a sense of peace. You can’t go wrong with whichever stone you chose.
I currently have a Citrine Gua Sha tool from The Sable Collective.
My How To Gua Sha 101:
- I start by washing my face thoroughly.
- I pat dry (always pat your face, never rub).
- I then use a rosewater mist spray and press it into my skin.
- I follow with a facial oil. I am currently using La Mer Renewal Oil.
- I apply a dropper full into the palm of my hands and rub my hands together.
- I use an upward motion as I apply it starting from my neck and cover my entire face including my eye area.
- To start with the Gua Sha, I use the longest part of the tool at the base of the front of my neck. I move the Gua Sha tool in one direction up to the top of the throat five times and down five times. I repeat this motion on the left side of my neck, the right side of my neck, and the back of my neck.
- I then use the curved part with a dent on my jawline from my chin towards my neck (repeat on each side). I use the long part on my chin and underneath my chin, the area between underneath my nose and top lip. Very gently under my eyes towards my ear. Hold your eyelid closed with it. and then use the Gua Sha up towards my forehead.
- I make the shape of an O with my mouth and Gua Sha across my cheek towards my ear.
- Lastly, I do my forehead. I start at my eyebrow and go up toward my hairline.
A word of caution: If you are going to use your Gua Sha tool in the bathroom over your sink. I suggest you place a washcloth or hand towel in the sink. The Gua Sha tool gets very slippery and could break once it hits your sink. Trust me, I have purchased several Gua Sha tools because they slipped and fell into the bare sink.
Before you use your tool on your skin. I want to remind you to be gentle with your skin.
Gua Sha is the act of helping to drain the fluid from underneath your skin. The weight of the Gua Sha tool helps move the fluid. You do not need to put additional pressure on the tool to remove the fluid.
If you are new to Gua Sha, start slow. Once a week is a good starting place and gradually work your way up to daily. This is a quick and easy routine to add to your morning or night routine.
Let me know if you will try this routine. Leave a comment about your routine.
