Ingredient Spotlight: Balm of Gilead
Piney and warming, its slightly astringent scent is unique—worlds away from the ubiquitous floral or unisex-woodsy fragrance of many popular face oils.
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What is Facial Gua Sha, Exactly? Here's Your Gua Sha 101 Guide
Facial gua sha is a form of gentle self-massage adapted from traditional gua sha that uses a stone to help improve the complexion and detoxify the body. Ideally, the stone is specifically suited for the contours of the face. The foundational practice of gua sha involves slow, steady strokes that, both immediately and over time, can create the appearance of lift, tone, clarity, and brightness in the face. Some have called facial gua sha a natural alternative to injectables like Botox, even though it works in the opposite way. Botox freezes the face and the muscles around it, while gua sha infuses the tissues with blood and chi (or “qi”), the Traditional Chinese Medicine word for energy, or “life force.”
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More than Skin Deep - The Full Body Health Benefits of Facial Gua Sha
As you’re using your Empress tool on your face and neck, you’ll feel the areas that the energy isn’t flowing as freely. These areas may feel tight or tender. Many people hold tension in the jaw or forehead, while others feel it more in the neck or the top of the shoulder. The tension you carry in your facial muscles can often go unnoticed until you give your face a little TLC. These tight muscles and the fascia that covers them contribute to fine lines and wrinkles. They also hold our faces in habitual expressions and cause signs of aging.
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