How to use a rose quartz gua sha: a gentle 5-minute routine

The short answer: start with clean skin and a few drops of face oil, hold the stone almost flat and glide it outward and upward with light pressure. Five minutes is plenty.

Before you start

• Clean skin and clean hands. Wash both first.
• Face oil or a rich serum. The stone needs slip. Without it, it drags and tugs.
• Skip broken skin. Don't glide over cuts, breakouts, sunburn or irritated patches. Work around them, or wait until they've settled.
• Keep it light. A faint pink flush is the most you should see.

How to hold it

Hold the gua sha so it lies almost flat against your skin, at about a 15° angle. The flatter it is, the more surface it covers and the gentler it feels. Use the long curved edge on your cheeks and forehead, and the notched edge along the jaw.

The 5-minute routine

1. Neck, 1 minute. Glide downward from just under the jaw to the collarbone, 3–5 strokes per side.
2. Jaw, 1 minute. Fit the notch on your chin and glide out along the jawline to just below the ear, 3–5 strokes per side.
3. Cheeks, 1 minute. Start beside your nose and glide outward across the cheekbone toward the ear.
4. Under the eyes, 30 seconds. Very light. Use the smallest curve and almost no pressure, from the inner corner out toward the temple.
5. Forehead, 1 minute. Glide upward from the brows to the hairline, working across from the center out.
6. Finish, 30 seconds. A few more downward strokes on the neck.

What to expect

Most people like gua sha because it feels calming and leaves the face looking a little fresher and less puffy. That depuffing is temporary, much like splashing your face with cold water. Think of it as five quiet minutes of self-care, not something that changes the shape of your face.

How often is up to you. Some people do it every morning, others a few evenings a week. If your skin feels tender or stays red afterward, use less pressure or take a few days off.

Caring for rose quartz

• Wash it with warm water and a gentle soap after each use, then dry it with a soft cloth.
• Keep it in a pouch. Quartz chips or cracks if it's dropped on tile.
• For a cooler glide, keep it in the fridge, but don't move it straight from cold to very hot water.
• Don't share it, and replace it if the edge chips.

Fit it into the morning

Gua sha fits neatly into the time it takes the kettle to boil. Then make the cup: a scoop of Collagen Glow stirred into coffee. Here's the full morning cup.