The Difference Between Face Rollers and Gua Sha Tools
Ever wondered what’s better for your skin? Keep reading to find out if Face Roller or a Gua Sha will suit you best.
Those with their fingers on the beauty pulse will be interested to find out about both Gua Sha and Face Rolling tools. Although you may have heard of these products, not everyone knows how each of them works. If you have always been interested to find out, then you have come to the right place.
In this article we will be discussing the difference between Face Rollers and Gua Sha tools. What are they, what do they do for your skin, and are there any side effects? Let’s find out.
What is Gua Sha?
Before we begin comparing the two, we should probably start with the basics. What is Gua Sha anyway?
Modern Day Gua Sha
Gua Sha is a process that has been used by the Chinese as a holistic medicine since ancient times. It is believed that the process helps the body in several different ways. Practitioners state that it can boost the immune system, help the user control pain, and can ease inflammation and swelling.
Gua Sha is the name of the tool that practitioners use during the process. During a session, the practitioner will place oils on your body in the areas you wish to tackle. Typically, those areas would include your back, your neck, your arms, your legs, or your rear end.
During the treatment, your technician will scrape the skin using the Gua Sha tool. They will do so in long sweeping strokes, applying more and more pressure as the treatment goes on. By the end of your session, the practitioner will have drawn the tool over the body applying as much pressure as you are able to take. What you are left with is a relaxing feeling in your deep tissue and small dots all over the areas worked. These dots are known as Petechiae and are harmlessi.
To the Ancient Chinese, it was these dots that signalled a successful treatment. They believed it drew
blood to the surface of the skin and therefore improved circulation.
Modern beauty lovers have taken this tool as their own. When pressed into the skin of the face and chin it is said to do all the above – but also adds sculpture and definition to the face. It is believed to draw out impurities, eliminate toxins, and even help with fluid retention.
Gua Sha performed on the face is usually done at home, without the intervention of a practitioner. When used as a beauty tool, Gua Sha is said to:
- One study found it improved liver enzymes in a man with Hepatitis B.
- It soothes headaches
- It can help when the breasts are too full of milk
- It can treat neck pain
- And it can fight Tourette Syndromeii
Not bad for a little massage tool.
What is a Face Roller?
You may have seen the face roller tool advertised since Jade rollers are popular in the east and rose quartz rollers are popular in the west. A face roller consists of a handle on one end and wheels or a found crystal on the other. They were used by the ancient Chinese elite to protect and enhance the delicate skin on the face.
The face roller has more than one job. It can be a soothing tool used to apply your ointments, it can be run over the face to massage it, and it also brings the magic of crystal healing to those that wish to opt for a crystal one. Be warned that the crystal face rollers have not been scientifically proven to add any extra benefits to the skin.
There are limited studies into whether the face roller works on any medical aspects of your face. It is said to:
- Reduce anxiety by relaxing you
- Treat puffiness of the skin
- Make your face appear temporarily slimmer
- Increase blood flow to the face
- Brings oxygen to cells which helps to amplify skin’s brightness
- Sculpting your cheekbones
- Lifting the jawline and brows
- Strengthen underlying tissue
- Stimulate drainage to counteract puffiness
Face roller is the recipe for a healthy looking glow. Vital for skin’s circulation, elasticity and tone.
Face rollers mimics the action of an expert facialist’s knuckles, brings oxygen to cells which helps to amplify skin’s brightness, while the rolling behaves like a workout in the gym for your muscles, sculpting your cheekbones, lifting the jawline and brows. Strengthen underlying tissue, stimulate drainage to counteract puffiness and minimise breakouts, and also enhance the absorption of topical skin care. Massaging your favourite facial serum into the skin with the roller promotes better absorption for a natural glow.
Face rollers typically come in plastic, crystal, or stainless steel.
Why Stainless Steel?
Stainless steel face rollers come with a few advantages. Some of these include:
- Anti-bacterial – As opposed to jade and rose quartz, stainless steel is non-porous, which prevents bacteria buildup that can transfer to your skin
- Durable – it will last forever as opposed to the Jade or Rose Quartz gua sha that easily break if dropped.
- Eco-friendly – 100% recyclable, made with recycled material.
- Self-cooling – Naturally cold to the touch, you don’t even need to put it in the freezer
The Difference Between the Gua Sha and the Face Roller
Now that we know what each product is and what it does, we can look at what the differences are between them.
The main difference, of course, is that Gua Sha comes from Ancient Chinese medicine, while the face roller comes from Ancient Chinese royalty. The roller was something attributed to rich women, it was a luxury. Gua Sha was available to anyone who could afford to pay the medicine man.
A second difference between the two is that Gua Sha comes with a variety of health benefits, some of which have been scientifically proven. The face roller’s health benefit is that it reduces anxiety. The increase of blood flow to the face has been proven by science, but it’s not really any competition when compared to helping the user control Tourette Syndrome.
Asides from the differences in the way they look, face rollers can be made of plastic, crystal, or stainless steel. Stainless steel rollers are cooling, whereas crystal rollers will chip or crack if dropped too often. Plastic is durable and long-lasting but not as effective. Gua Sha tools can be made of silicon, stone or stainless steal. In ancient times, it would always have been stone.
Choosing between Face Rollers or Gua Sha tools based on your Beauty Goals
If your beauty goal is to add definition to the angles of your face while simultaneously relieving inflammation and toxins, then the Gua Sha tool is the one you want.
If your beauty goal is to relax the skin, soothe out puffiness, and enjoy a sensual way to add lotions, creams, or balms, then the face roller will work those into the skin for you.
Where to Buy a Gua Sha Tool or a Face Roller?
If all this talk about beauty rollers and Gua Sha tools, has you salivating, don’t panic. We know exactly where you can buy both to try them out for yourself. The Nanshy Website has both products for affordable rates, so you can indulge in a little relaxation for your face without feeling guilty. After all, we want to take away some of that stress, not add to it.
