JADE ROLLING 101

With so much innovation and technological advancement dominating the beauty industry today, it’s refreshing to see age old practices like jade rolling in the spotlight. Yes, jade rolling while trendy now, has been in existence in ancient Chinese, Egyptian and Mayan (high) societies for over a thousand years. Most of us, however, only learned of it recently through magazine articles, celebrity testimonials and Pinterest. 

 

WHAT IT IS

Jade rolling is the action of using a special tool – the jade roller – made of green jade, black jade or rose quartz to massage the face. The tool looks somewhat like a paint roller and can be a single or dual ended wand. Over the last couple of years it’s gained popularity in the beauty world for its many claimed physical and emotional benefits. I was intrigued enough to want to try it for myself so I went ahead and got one from Sugar Punch Kenya a couple of months ago. 

HOW IT WORKS 

Jade rolling is essentially a ritual that’s meant to massage the face into better shape: inside and out. The jade roller is supposed to be systematically rolled over a clean face with moderate pressure in specific patterns (upwards or outwards from the center of the face). As with all things, the results come through with time and frequent practice. The main benefits attributed to it include:

• Boosting blood circulation which leads to brighter complexion
• Reducing swelling and puffiness especially under the eye
• Enhancing penetration of skincare products like serums and oils
• Minimizing the appearance of pores
• Improving lymphatic drainage hence detoxifying the face and neck
• Tightening facial muscles that have slackened to tone and define facial features
• Stimulating collagen production to increase skin elasticity
• Reducing the appearance of fine lines by massaging them out
• Getting rid of negative chi, healing anxiety and promoting relaxation

MY TAKE

I haven’t been the most diligent user of my jade roller so I can’t speak to most of the benefits I’ve listed above but whenever I do use it, I enjoy the feeling and the immediate results. Like most resources advise, I use mine cold (after storing it in the fridge like I mentioned here) and that gives my face the soothing it needs whenever it feels raw or tender. The cool stone gives me such great relief after makeup removal, exfoliation or over exerting my skin when using facial wipes. I also really love the way the motions of it all make me relax and feels like a mini mindless meditation of some sort. I usually use it to massage in my serums, aloe vera gel or to work in a sheet mask. I’m convinced that with daily use I’d be able to reap more of the lymphatic drainage or pore tightening benefits. However, I refrain from using it whenever my skin has active breakouts because I don’t want to risk spreading the germs around.

With all that said, I’m a fan. More on the mechanical aspects but also for the fact that crystals have influence over our moods. It really does calm me to get my roll on and it gets me in the mood for bed – but that just might be because my nighttime skincare has an almost Pavlovian effect on me indicating bedtime. In the morning, the coldness helps me wake up. And as these rollers are usually made from green jade, black jade and rose quartz which are said to have healing properties, my skin does feel better after using them. There are a lot of fakes out there which may do more harm than good to the skin (especially if they’re made from cheap plastics) so it’s good to verify the authenticity before making a purchase. This Kalon Glo one I got from Sugar Punch claims to be 100% real. According to this article, the price range this falls under seems like it’s legit.

I got this one for KShs. 2,500 ($25) and it came with 3 complimentary sheet masks and an instructional pamphlet which has a face chart. There are more expensive and authenticated ones out there, if you can splurge on them. I definitely recommend using a jade roller for beauty enthusiasts who are looking for a new (old) experience, an at-home spa facial feel or just some rock n’ roll time.

 

xo

Oshin