Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Chinea Rodriguez, Retailer
I was riffling through a drawer of skin-care devices when Ora Method’s LED gua sha arrived. Despite owning several devices, I couldn’t find a single gua sha, which was exactly what I needed when I thought my face was looking just a little puffy. The LED gua sha aims to target that and then some. Here’s how it works.
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The Ora LED gua sha is a red- and infrared-light device that promises smoother, brighter skin and a sculpted face. Simply put, it has the power of a gua sha with the add-ons of LED and vibration. Unlike other LED skin-care products such as masks or panels, this one is pretty active; you glide it across your face to get the full effect.
It takes about ten minutes, and you can use it daily to sculpt the face. The device comes with a booklet explaining how to sweep it across your face using fairly simple upward motions from the center to your ears. The device also vibrates lightly while you do this; the company says it helps improve circulation.
From left: Using the device. Photo: Chinea RodriguezImmediately after. Photo: Chinea Rodriguez
From top: Using the device. Photo: Chinea RodriguezImmediately after. Photo: Chinea Rodriguez
As with most devices I’ve used, I assigned this to my nighttime routine, which is more extensive than my daytime. After washing my face, I applied a thin layer of Ora’s Vital Hydrant Toning Gel and worked in sections. I wanted an in-depth gua sha routine and picked one from TikTok user Skinfluencer as a quick refresher on techniques and lymphatic drainage. It’s easy, and you’re done in minutes.
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You can either wipe off the excess gel or rub it in to continue your routine. My skin did not like the gel, however, and broke out. After a few uses, I had to swap it for something else. Because the gua sha is meant to glide across the skin, you need to use it with some sort of serum or gel, but because Ora’s is an LED, you can’t use anything oil-based. I used the Dr. Althea Aqua Marine Jelly Mist because it was the closest thing I had to a gel moisturizer. It worked well enough when I worked in sections.
From left: Before (with makeup) Photo: Chinea RodriguezAfter about two weeks of using the device Photo: Chinea Rodriguez
From left: Before (with makeup) Photo: Chinea RodriguezAfter about two weeks of using the device Photo: Chinea Rodriguez
They weren’t dramatic, but I did think my face looked more sculpted after about a week of consistent use. As far as the LED goes, I typically love one for breakouts and do think it helped my skin recover from this breakout much quicker. I also liked being able to use something hydrating with the LED since you typically can’t use any skin-care products while wearing an LED mask. I did love how well this worked for the tension in my face. I carry a lot of tension in my jaw and forehead, and this was such a relief for targeting those areas with the side of the device. So even if I didn’t look like I had buccal-fat removal, this was a quick self-care moment.
