How to Use Gua Sha: Steps, Oils and Honest Results for Dark Skin

By Online African Shop Team · Updated October 2026

Gua sha is a smooth, flat stone you glide across your skin, and it has gone from a traditional Chinese practice to a staple in bathroom drawers. Done gently, it is a calm, relaxing way to end your skincare routine and help your face look less puffy. Done too hard, especially on deeper skin, it can leave marks that take months to fade.

Quick answer: To use gua sha on your face, cleanse, apply a slippery facial oil, and hold the tool almost flat against your skin. Glide it outward and upward in one direction, three to five strokes per area, with very light pressure. Skip active breakouts and irritated skin. It may reduce puffiness for a short time.

What is gua sha?

Gua sha (say "gwah shah") comes from traditional Chinese medicine. On the body, practitioners scrape firmly to treat sore muscles, and that firm scraping often leaves red or purple marks on purpose. Facial gua sha is a different, much softer version. Cleveland Clinic describes it as being done on the face "using very light pressure." The goal is a gentle massage, not marks.

Does gua sha work? The honest evidence

Here is what the research says, in plain terms.

• Blood flow: A 2007 pilot study found that firm gua sha on the back raised surface blood flow for about 25 minutes. That was body gua sha with real pressure, not the light facial kind.
• Puffiness: A 2025 randomized trial of facial gua sha, as summarized by Dermatology Times, found small measurable changes in facial contours over 8 weeks, similar to professional lymphatic massage. The authors' read: these are temporary fluid shifts, not a lasting change in your face shape.
• Anti-aging: A 2023 systematic review concluded the evidence is not strong enough to back anti-aging claims.

Cleveland Clinic puts it simply: there is "not enough high-quality research to definitively declare the benefits." So think of gua sha as a soothing ritual that may help your face look a little less puffy in the morning. It will not lift, sculpt or slim your face for good, and gua sha before and after photos online are often lighting, angles and morning swelling going down on its own.

How to use gua sha on your face, step by step

1. Clean your skin and your tool

Wash your face and wash the stone with warm soapy water. Pat both dry.

2. Apply a facial oil or serum

The tool should glide, never drag. Cleveland Clinic recommends putting on a lotion or serum first so it moves smoothly. Use enough that you could slide a fingertip across your cheek with no pull.

3. Hold the tool almost flat

Keep it at about a 15 degree angle to your skin, nearly lying down. Holding it upright concentrates pressure on a thin edge, which is how bruises happen.

4. Start at the neck

Glide down the sides of your neck toward your collarbone, three to five times per side.

5. Jaw and cheeks

Use the notched edge along your jawline from chin to ear. Then use the long edge from the side of your nose out across your cheek to your ear.

6. Under the eyes and brow

This skin is thin. Use the lightest pressure possible, or skip it. Glide from the inner corner outward toward your temple.

7. Forehead

Glide upward from your brows to your hairline, then outward toward your temples.

Keep each stroke in one direction. As one Cleveland Clinic expert puts it: "Keep your tool moving in a smooth, straight line. Don't rub back and forth." A full gua sha routine takes about five minutes.

Best oils for gua sha

A good gua sha oil is slippery and suits your skin type. Thicker oils give more glide but can feel heavy on oily skin.

Skin type	Try	Notes
Dry or mature	Squalane, argan, a few drops of vitamin E mixed into a lighter oil	Rich glide, leaves skin soft-looking
Normal	Jojoba, squalane	Light and easy to wipe off
Oily or acne-prone	A hydrating serum or gel moisturizer	Thick oils may clog pores for some people
Sensitive	Fragrance-free moisturizer	Skip essential oils on your face

Patch test any new oil on your jaw for a few days first.

Gua sha tool vs jade roller vs ice roller

These three get lumped together, but they feel and work a little differently.

Tool	How it feels	Good for
Gua sha tool	Firmer glide, shaped edges for jaw and cheeks	A slower massage ritual
Jade roller	Light, rolling, very easy	Beginners, quick morning use
Ice roller	Cold, no oil needed	A quick, cooling feel on puffy mornings

Jade, rose quartz and stainless steel gua sha all work the same way. Stainless steel stays cool and is easy to clean. A real stone tool feels cool for a short time, but none of them changes the results much. Pick what feels good in your hand.

Gua sha on dark skin: be gentle

This is the part most tutorials skip. Deeper skin tones make more melanin when skin is irritated or injured, and that can leave dark marks behind. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that dark spots often appear after skin is injured, and that a spot a few shades darker than your skin can take 6 to 12 months to fade.

Dermatology Times warns that vigorous gua sha risks "capillary trauma and postinflammatory pigmentation." In plain words: scraping hard enough to cause redness, tiny red dots or bruises can leave darker patches on brown and Black skin.

• No redness should be the goal. Light pink that fades in minutes is the most you want to see. Tiny red or purple dots (called petechiae) mean you pressed too hard.
• Skip breakouts. Gliding over pimples spreads irritation and can deepen acne marks.
• Do not use it on existing dark spots to "break them up." Friction does not fade hyperpigmentation and may make it worse.
• Wear sunscreen every day. The AAD recommends a tinted sunscreen with iron oxide to help keep dark spots from darkening.
• Two or three times a week is plenty if your skin is sensitive or prone to dark marks.

If dark spots are already a concern, read our guide on how to get rid of dark spots on Black skin.

Who should skip gua sha

Cleveland Clinic suggests avoiding it if you take blood thinners, have circulation problems, diabetes, eczema, psoriasis, are in chemotherapy, or are pregnant. Also skip it over sunburn, open cuts, rosacea flares, and in the weeks after fillers or Botox. Ask your provider if you are unsure.

A simple routine to pair it with

Gua sha works best as the last, slow step of a routine you already like: cleanse, apply your oil or moisturizer, glide, then let the rest soak in.

FAQ

Does gua sha actually work?

It may help your face look less puffy for a while, and many people find it relaxing. Research is limited, and there is no good evidence it lifts or slims your face long term.

How often should you do gua sha?

Most people do a gua sha routine three to five times a week, a few minutes at a time. If you have sensitive skin or get dark marks easily, start with twice a week.

Can you use gua sha on dark skin?

Yes, with very light pressure. Avoid anything that leaves redness, red dots or bruising, because irritation can cause dark marks on deeper skin tones. Skip active breakouts.

Should you gua sha in the morning or at night?

Either works. Morning use may help with overnight puffiness. Night use fits better if you want a slow, calming ritual.

Is a jade roller or ice roller better than gua sha?

Neither is better, just different. A jade roller is easier for beginners, and an ice roller gives a quick cooling feel. Gua sha gives a slower, more hands-on massage.

What oil is best for gua sha?

Any slippery oil or serum that suits your skin. Jojoba and squalane are light. Oily or acne-prone skin may do better with a hydrating serum instead of oil.

Keep reading

Sources

• Source: Cleveland Clinic, Gua Sha: What It Is and How To Do It
• Source: Dermatology Times, Social Media Mythbusters: At-Home Facial Gua Sha
• Source: American Academy of Dermatology, How to fade dark spots in darker skin tones

This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you take blood thinners, have a skin condition, are pregnant, or notice bruising or new dark spots, talk to your doctor or a dermatologist.