First, there was the jade roller. We got hooked on the quick lifting and depuffing results of the low-tech skincare tool years ago after our facialist here in LA turned us on to them. Since then, tools like jade rollers have reached peak popularity and we’ve explored skincare tools of every shape and size.
Our favorite of them all has become Wildling’s gua sha tool — a flat, black, unassuming stone we now don’t know how we’d live without. Over the past few months, we’ve shared tutorials galore with Wildling’s three female founders unpacking ways to use the gua sha to utterly transform our faces (this one is my fave).
Above, you’ll find Wildling co-founder, Gianna walking us through a therapeutic skincare routine for anxiety. Sit yourself down, strip down, and oil up your neck and face. This is just the kind of ritual that blends beauty with wellness so that, soon, you may not be able to tell the two apart. Lasting beauty comes from taking mindful and holistic care of ourselves every day. Here’s how…
A Gua Sha Ritual for Toning + De-Stressing
Instructions:
1. Apply Empress Tonic & Oil
2. Begin by using the Empress Wand to relieve tension in the neck, shoulders and jaw. The pressure is firm to release these muscles. These moves release the large muscle groups to help you feel better and increase the flow of blood & qi to the head.
3. Use the comb edge of the gua sha Empress Stone in upward strokes from the third eye to the hairline. This activates an acupoint to “calm the shen (spirit)”. Repeat gently several times to ease your anxiety.
4. Follow that with upward strokes with the comb edge over the entire face — this will lift and tone the skin while also resetting your nervous system. Use slow, gentle, calming strokes.
5. Use the comb edge to open the heart — from the sternum to the shoulder. Also, add a few gentle downward strokes down the front of the neck to drain the lymph and de-puff.
