With all the talk surrounding facial tools lately – especially jade rollers and gua sha stones – we’ve been getting so many questions:
What are their specific benefits?
What’s actually the difference between the two?
Do you really need both?
Don’t worry, we’re about to break down all the details in this post. Here’s everything you need to know about these two facial tools – and why you might just want to make both a staple in your beauty routine.
JADE ROLLERS
Jade rollers have quickly become one of the trendiest facial tools around – especially in the world of Instagram and beauty vloggers. These precious gemstone rollers have become famous for their ability to boost the natural glow of the skin by:
- stimulating lymphatic drainage
- detoxifying skin tissue
- waking up a tired complexion
- increasing blood flow to feed skin from within
But with all the hype surrounding gua sha stones, why would a jade roller be a beneficial addition to your skincare routine?
This tool and technique is a bit more simple than gua sha, but still provides similar benefits (and a much-needed boost!) for your skin health. Since jade rolling doesn’t require tons of time or expertise, this is the perfect tool if you’re tight on time, need a quick morning pick-me-up, or are a mama who’s got her hands full. Plus, with the specific properties of the stone itself (rich in trace elements and energetic benefits), facial rollers offer a holistic approach to support your skin and overall sense of wellness.
For even more beauty benefits, keeping your jade roller the fridge/freezer is a quick + convenient way to:
- brighten your complexion
- decrease puffiness (especially around the eye area!)
- calm inflammation
- enhance product absorption
- encourage circulation
- tighten + tone skin
- help you feel ready to face the day ahead
Because of the simplicity of this gemstone roller (and its visible benefits for your overall appearance!) we suggest giving jade rollers a permanent place in your skincare routine – and refrigerator. 😉
Tool Tip: As the final step in your skincare routine (after applying your skin-specific serum or Beauty Cream), start at the neck and move upwards using light/short strokes. And be sure to look for a roller with ridges to wake up skin by stimulating even more lymphatic flow and circulation.
Shop our Green Jade, Rose Quartz and Yellow Nephrite Ridged Facial Rollers here!
GUA SHA
We’ll give it to you straight: with gua sha, you’re going to get all of the same beauty benefits as above. But. Because this facial tool is more targeted and takes a bit more time and intention, the results are even. more. transformative.
Let’s start with the shape of the gua sha stones first.
Different from facial rollers, these gemstone tools are specifically designed to hug facial bones, contour curvatures of the face, iron out fascia to smooth fine (and even well-defined!) lines/wrinkles, and release muscle tension. Each part of the tool has a unique purpose in rejuvenating the skin by:
- promoting lymphatic drainage
- decreasing discoloration from sun damage and acne scarring
- detoxifying/depuffing (say goodbye to undereye bags + dark circles for good!)
- clearing blockages + buildup of toxins and excess fluid
- calming the nervous systems + minimizing effects of stress
One of the main differences + biggest benefits of gua sha is its ability (with the proper technique paired with a healthy lifestyle) to move out waste material and sluggish lymph to create fresh pathways of blood flow, oxygen and vital nutrients. Think of gua sha like yoga for the face. It’s through movement that the skin is fed and the muscles are strengthened – creating a more toned, lifted, and sculpted appearance. Better flow beneath the skin supports:
- restored mobility and elasticity in the tissue
- relaxed muscle tension and tightness (a dream for TMJ)
- softened depressions in the skin
- repatterned pathways from repeated facial expressions
- increased circulation + collagen production
- a seriously healthy glow!
Depending on the specific results you’re working towards or how much time you have to commit to your skincare routine, you can incorporate your gua sha practice as a part of your AM routine to visibly diminish puffiness (especially around the tired eye area!) and give skin a more firm, lifted look for the day ahead or as a part of your PM routine to unwind after a long day, melt away stress + muscle tension, and sedate the sympathetic nervous (fight/flight) system for a solid night’s sleep.
With benefits like all of these listed above, we definitely suggest doing gua sha as a part of your daily skincare routine (okay, fine, we know life can get full – try for at least 3-5x/week 🙂 ). Plus, since this holistic technique impacts so much more than just the skin, incorporating gua sha regularly is a powerful way to support a calm, quiet mind and balanced state of being.
Tool Tip: As the final step in your skincare routine (after applying your skin-specific serum or Beauty Cream), incorporate light, downward strokes to drain, detoxify and depuff and gentle, upward strokes to lift, firm and tighten. Shop our pure jade Gua Sha stones here!
So, there you go! Jade rollers vs gua sha.
After breaking down their benefits and their differences, our final verdict? Both have earned a well-deserved place in our daily skincare routine. Whether alternating between the two throughout the week or incorporating one technique in the morning and one before bed, both facial tools have become our go-to for skin that GLOWS.
What facial tools are your favorite? What benefits have you experienced? Tell us in the comments below!
Great post! This makes me excited to use both of my jade stone tools! I am curious though, how often and with what, should we clean our jade tools? Thank you.
Hi Jenny! We’re so excited to hear you’re incorporating both facial tools – they’ve been game changers for our whole team. 🙂 I suggest washing your facial roller or gua sha stone after each use with warm water and non-toxic soap. My favorite non-toxic soap that I use for absolutely everything (especially washing my facial tools!) is Branch Basics. XO
Can you suggest where to buy a jade roller?
Hi Michelle! We recently launched 3 new gemstone Ridged Facial Rollers on our site 🙂 You can shop them here: https://primallypure.com/collections/ridged-facial-rollers. XO
Hello! I’m a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine and just read your article. For future blogging on gua sha, please reference and look into how gua sha is rooted in East Asian medicine. It was not originally used for lymphatic drainage, healthy glow, etc. I appreciate on your blog how you have mentioned other industries, like fashion, green washing and misusing power. In these types of articles, this is misusing power. It would be great if you partnered with a TCM doctor or acupuncturist to teach the true roots of this practice. Thank you!
Hi Brianne! We sincerely appreciate your feedback on this post and the practice of Gua Sha. Since publishing this post last year, this has definitely been brought to our attention and is something we’re actively working towards for future communication + education. We deeply admire and respect the roots of Gua Sha and are intentionally seeking individuals to partner with to dive further into the roots of this ancient ritual. We realize there is greater opportunity for us to make this more evident our messaging and are making steps in that direction. As always, feel free to reach out to our team at hello@primallypure.com where we welcome any additional feedback that you have (especially as a TCM student!) as we continue to grow and work to improve. XO
Courtney!! Just happened across this awesome article and scroll down and was shocked I knew the author!! It’s been a long time, I lived two doors down from you when your mom was at Western!! Hope your doing well!!
Aww Angela, HELLO! 🙂 You’re so sweet and how wild you stumbled upon our blog – hope it was helpful! We’re all so obsessed with Facial Gua Sha 😉 Hope you and your family are doing well too! XO