If it didn’t occur to you, your Gua Sha needs a bit of a spa-like session once in a while. Because, yes, it’s not resistant to bacteria. Think about it—just like your blenders and brushes, this tool, along with your rollers, accumulate grime, dirt, and infection-causing bacteria on the surface. Apart from sculpting your face with a Gua Sha after slathering on your skincare formulas (enter build-up of residual product), the place you store your face-contouring device, most likely your bathroom, is riddled with bacteria that can settle on it—and thrive.
You don’t want to massage your face with a dirt-ridden tool like that, do you? That’s why we’ve put together a couple of methods you can use to cleanse your Gua Sha of deep-seated grime and dirt effectively.
5 Ways You Can Clean Your Gua Sha
Step 1: Soak It In Water
You can soak your Gua Sha in a bowl of lukewarm water and and soap. A couple of drops of an anti-bacterial liquid-soap or your go-to face-cleanser will do.
Step 2: Use Your Fingers
Go on to clean the Gua Sha with your fingers. If you’re short on time, you can skip to this step instead of soaking it in a bowl. Just wet your hands with lukewarm water, and lather it up with a soap before applying it to the tool for about 30 seconds to loosen up any product build-up, dirt, and grime. Rinse it off, and dry it with a cloth. Make sure the Gua Sha doesn’t slip out of your hands. This happens. If it slips, it breaks. Once you’re done, dry the device with a cloth. A microfiber towel is soft and gentle.
Step 3: Brush The Edges
If your Gua Sha has ridges or prongs, you might want to get in there to remove any build-up of oils, dirt, and grime that the previous two methods cannot quite do. All you need to do is run a tiny brush through those areas, and go on to soak or lather once again to be thorough.
Step 4: Disinfect With Alcohol
Gua Sha can host residual acne-causing bacteria that can trigger flare-ups on the skin. Just spritz the tool with an alcohol disinfectant after you’re done cleaning and drying.
Do You Have A Porous Gua Sha?
Is your Gua Sha is porous? That means that it allows more dirt, residue, and bacteria to seep into the device, and that warrants frequent cleansing.
Gem-stone infused Gua Shas and rollers are not porous—so cleaning them every day isn’t absolutely necessary (even though everyday cleansing is advised). A wooden Gua Sha, on the other hand, is porous, and you must clean it after every session. Make sure you’re layering the wood with a little bit of oil for lubrication—or it will crack.
And’s that all that there is to cleaning your Gua Sha. If you have a skincare fridge—or a designated space in your fridge for skincare—place your Gua Sha there instead of returning it to the bathroom.
Featured Image: Unsplash