Gua Shas and Jade Rollers — Are they actually worth it?
I guess we’ll see.
So I am very late to the trend for very good reason — I thought they were a waste of money and overhyped. Why would this piece of stone pressed against my face be a game changer in my skin care routine? Getting a good one costs a pretty penny and was I really ready to invest in something I was skeptical about?
If you don’t know already, the gua sha is an ancient Chinese tradition to improve blood cirulation and is said to have many other health benefits. When reading into it, there are claims of “stimulating the lymphatic system and blood circulation, brightening complexion, tightening pores, helping reduce the appearance fine lines” according to a blog post I read by lovely lady named Lauren Conrad (link to her post here). Some even claim to have anti ageing properties and skin clearing too.
My skin care has always been very simple, a moisturising cleanser for when I feel I need and moisturiser everyday. I am super lucky have skin that doesn’t break out often and alhamdullilah lucky to not really get scarring when I do. On top of that , I never really had the time, especially during exam (or in my case assessment) season. Also, I’m a big believer in just using your hands for everything (I definitely need to stop believing that because they make eye shadow brushes for a reason). For me, it’s more flexible, straightforward and easier.
A couple of days ago a wonderful friend of mine got me a set including a jade roller and gua sha as a late Eid present. So since I have one in my possession now, I thought it was a good time to try and test it out.
So I’ll be trying out the products for a week and see if I can actually see if they are worth the money and hype.
Day 1
I woke up feeling super tired (probably the lack of sleep and tiredness of a week long trip just a few days before) and I immediately noticed the puffiness around my eyes. I don’t tend to get redness around my eyes like some people likely because of my skin tone but I thought it was the perfect opportunity to test them.
The tools were chilling in the fridge from the night because the videos and articles I read recommended that. Before I did my skin care routine I watched a bunch of tutorials and videos on the “hows” of using, storing and cleaning the tools.
The general conclusion was that I can use the jade roller twice a day and the gua sha once every other day. A lot of people also said to use oils but I find oils clog my pores and breaks me out so that wasn't an option, so instead I used my moisturiser. They also said to make sure to keep things clean because the tools really help absorb the products into the skin.
Next, I used an abundance of moisturiser so the tools had a smooth surface to run over.
There was a bit of confusion as to which to go in with first so I used the gua sha board. It was cool to begin with from the fridge but lasted only a few seconds of before going room temperature which I expected but also was surprised as jade tends to be cool according to google. After doing my neck and whole face I put it down for a couple minutes and picked it up again just to see if it went back to relatively cool.
After doing the motions all over a few times I did notice my puffiness in my temple go down a lot! I have no idea if it was just me wanting it to work or something that genuinely happened. Not so much around my eyes though.
The roller was straight forward enough, that was however cold the whole time so I’m not really sure what was up with that. I found that more soothing especially around my eyes more than anything appearance wise. I did LOVE the two sides to it where one is smaller to concentrate on certain areas.
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At the end of the day I did just the roller and again, wasn’t really much difference again. However, I think the actual jade is pretty cold so I realise that the fridge isn’t that necessary since the tool is a decent temperature anyways.
Day 5
So at this point I have been using the roller and gua sha for a couple of days. Did I notice much change on my face? MAYBE.
I do have relatively high cheekbones but I think it did accentuate them a little bit more, even if it was only a short while.
I also did notice my hijab tan line blur our quite a bit too. Before there was an obvious sharp line between my tan and natural skin colour but it was definitely less noticeable. This for me was the most shocking because I had spent the whole week before in the sun so my face really was literally fifty shades of brown. However, I’m not sure if it was the roller and gua sha or the fact I haven’t left my house for a few days.
See here’s the thing, I’m not sure if those observations are because I want it to work or because it actually does. I asked my family but because they see my face pretty much everyday, I’m not sure if they noticed.
Something that happened when I used the gua sha for the second time I realised one of my cheeks went a little pink. I did make sure to be gentle and didn’t have an issue the first time so this was strange. I stopped using it straight away in case I damaged anything.
A few other general comments to make at this point is that I do feel like it’s pretty time consuming. I might just feel like this because I’m used to having a routine that lasts 2 minutes and not 10 — I think with my lifestyle I would struggle to keep up with it. I found that if I wanted to make to make it to my lessons on time, I would have to wake up extra early and if I want to get my routine done at night I’d have to stay up a bit later too.
One last observation, is that I found my hand getting tired and cramped — to be fair, it might just be because I am weak as well but it’s just another thing of do I want to waste energy and time on something that might or might not work?
Day 7
Last day of using it, I did the gua sha board and the roller. Pretty much the same to be honest. Not much change, relaxing for sure but not much change.
I did do it after a face mask this time, so my face did feel softer and the gua sha and roller were able to move a bit smoother but honestly that was it!
The Verdict
I think it very much depends on the person you are and what your lifestyle is like time wise.
Would I use it? Yes, definitely. I wouldn’t be able to use it as a daily thing because as I’ve mentions, I don’t think I have the time for it. However, definitely would use it when I’m having a self care day.
In terms of whether it is doing anything for my face, I don’t know! I’d like to think my face it slimmer but I don’t think this tool does that, except for maybe temporarily. If I kept this going for a little longer I might notice some permanent changes but I think for now it hasn’t changed much.
I’m not sure if I would recommend every single person to get one, but I do think you should if you want to give it a shot and you have the time to implement it into your routine.
If you have used these tools before, let me know how you got on with it and if you haven’t would you get one?
