Ask the Expert: Gua Sha for Skin Barrier Support

In winter, the skin's defense barrier becomes the focal point for maintaining healthy, strong, youthful-looking skin. We work with a lot of top spas and estheticians, and there's one practice that has gained huge popularity for barrier support: Gua Sha.

What Is Gua Sha?

Gua Sha means "scraping away illness" and involves using a smooth-edged tool — typically made of jade, onyx, or quartz — to massage the skin. The technique is rooted in traditional Chinese medicine and is believed to stimulate the flow of energy (Qi) along the body's meridians. While Gua Sha is a technique many professional estheticians use in their practice for visible results, it's also something you can do at home to support your defense barrier, which is why we love it.

There are countless Gua Sha videos on social media, but we wanted the techniques for optimal results — so we asked one of the best, LA-based celebrity esthetician Katie Sobelman (@theorganicesthetician).

Katie's Top Three Benefits of Gua Sha

1. Improved circulation + lymphatic drainage. Gua Sha helps increase blood flow to the skin, remove waste, and promote skin oxygenation — all of which support healthy skin function for optimal barrier health.

2. Enhanced product absorption. Gua Sha works to infuse the skin with lipids from your facial oil, supporting the building blocks of your skin's barrier: cholesterol, fatty acids, and ceramides.

3. Tension release. It helps release muscle tension, particularly in the jaw and neck area, for a more relaxed, youthful appearance.

How to Prep Skin for Gua Sha

Start with clean, hydrated skin. I always recommend applying a toner or essence to balance pH and add hydration, followed by an organic facial oil of your choice. This allows your tool to glide seamlessly on the skin and infuse it with the oil's lipids.

3 Simple Steps for Proper Gua Sha Technique

1. Hold your tool at a 45-degree angle, keeping as much of the tool's flat side touching the skin as possible.
2. Work from the base of the neck up to the forehead and back down, moving from the midline toward the ear.
3. Go slow. The slower you move, the better your results.

Common Gua Sha Mistakes to Avoid

When it comes to Gua Sha, it's important to think about what you're trying to achieve. Do you want to drain fluid and de-puff the face? Or carve out cheekbones to lift and sculpt? Your movements — and how you hold your tool — will differ depending on your goal.

The biggest mistake is using the edge of the tool instead of the large, flat surface. While the edge can be useful for stimulating blood flow over targeted areas, it isn't designed for use over the full face. Instead, get as much of the flat surface touching your skin as possible, then glide.

Best Products to Pair With Gua Sha (and What to Avoid)

Hydrating, lipid-rich products pair best with Gua Sha — I personally love performing it over facial oil. Depending on the formulation, you can also Gua Sha over serums and moisturizers.

Since the main focus of Gua Sha is draining, detoxifying, and improving circulation, it's best to avoid active ingredients that could cause irritation when stimulated, like retinol and AHAs.

How to Choose the Right Gua Sha Tool

There are so many Gua Sha tool variations on the market. Ultimately, you want a tool that feels comfortable in your hand and is easy to move across your face — so choose one that speaks to you. When it comes to materials, gemstone tools can offer additional skin benefits, while stainless steel tools are ideal for sensitive or reactive skin.

How Often Should You Gua Sha?

Gua Sha can be performed daily, and results can be seen almost immediately. The more you do it, the healthier your skin becomes. It's sneaky — you might feel like you're not doing anything special or complicated, and then suddenly you have the best skin of your life, all thanks to these simple movements.

The Right Technique for Skin Tightening and Barrier Support

I'm a big believer in draining, then sculpting. By slowly and gently draining the face, you remove stagnant fluid, lymph, and toxins, creating a fresh slate for the next step. Follow draining movements with sculpting movements at slightly more pressure to increase circulation, delivering the nutrients and oxygen tissue needs to maintain firm skin and a healthy barrier.

What Age Should You Start Using Gua Sha?

You're never too young to start. Gua Sha can help address acne in teens and support a healthy skincare routine in your 20s. And you're never too old to start, either — you can see improvement well into your 70s.

Fast Facts: Katie Sobelman, The Organic Esthetician

Favorite wellness practice or beauty ritual: Microcurrent and Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy for improving cellular health and mitochondrial support. Contrast therapy, infrared sauna, and cold exposure for improved circulation, cardiovascular health, inflammation support, stress reduction, and an elevated sense of wellbeing.

One wellness item or practice she can't live without: Mouth taping — Katie tapes her mouth every night to ensure she breathes exclusively through her nose while she sleeps. Internal hydration increases up to 42% when you stop breathing through your mouth, and nose breathing also improves sleep quality, prevents chapped lips, and supports overall immunity.

What she's reading/watching right now: Reading Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza, and The North Woods by Daniel Mason. Watching the new seasons of Fargo and True Detective.

Favorite place she's been: The North Shore of Kauai, where she spends a lot of time with family — it's a second home. When she's not dreaming of heading back to Limahuli Valley, she's dreaming of Rome, quite possibly her favorite city.

Favorite restaurant/café/coffee shop: Valley Bar + Bottle in Sonoma and Erewhon in LA.

Current desert-island skincare products or devices:

• Furtuna Skin Micellar Cleansing Water
• Luzern Labs The Essence
• Le Prunier Plum Beauty Oil
• Solara Suncare Fortune Teller (all-time favorite SPF!)
• Fitglow Beauty Night Lip Treatment
• Ziip Haelo Microcurrent

Note: Katie Sobelman is a licensed master esthetician and entrepreneur with a large, loyal client base in-studio and on Instagram at @theorganicesthetician. Ask the Expert tips and interviews are for informational purposes only, and any practice, product, supplement, or dietary recommendation is personal to those featured in this blog post only. Always consult your trusted medical practitioner and personal esthetician to determine the best options for you.