The miraculous Gua Sha massage routine that completely eliminates morning swelling
I have a severe tendency for edema, so my face swells up every morning even if I don't eat ramen the night before. Not only do my double eyelids disappear when I wake up, but my jawline also looks dull, so I was incredibly stressed every time I looked in the mirror.
I tried drinking pumpkin juice, which is said to be good for swelling, and using a cooling roller, but the effects were only temporary, so I started looking for a fundamental solution and got into gua sha.
My go-to combination these days, used every morning as soon as I wake up, is Bioderma massage oil and The Body Shop wooden gua sha. I was worried that ceramic gua sha might break if dropped, but the wooden one is lightweight and has a great grip, making it perfect for beginners.
After washing your face in the morning, apply a generous amount of oil to your face and neck, then gently lift from the center of your chin to below your ears using the rounded part of the gua sha.
Next, stroke down the side of the neck from below the ears along the collarbone line; stimulating these lymph nodes is the key to reducing swelling. It was quite painful at first because the muscles were tense, but after doing it consistently for a few days, it felt refreshing and didn't hurt at all, perhaps because the waste products were being flushed out. Finally, if you gently comb through the scalp with the gua sha comb part, your head feels clearer, and it feels like the facial muscles that had stiffened overnight are completely relaxing.
If you invest just 5 minutes like this, your lost jawline will become slim and come back to life, and the puffiness around your eyes will subside like magic.
Perhaps because my blood circulation has improved, my complexion has become clearer, and the quality of my makeup is completely different on days I do Gua Sha massage compared to days I don't. If you are like me and look like a completely different person every morning due to puffiness, you should definitely try applying plenty of oil and starting a lymphatic massage; it is a total game changer!