You may have seen it on Instagram or maybe in a magazine, but jade rolling is one of the newest trends in beauty. Jade rolling is exactly that: you roll a piece of jade on your face. In Chinese medicine, jade is supposed to have a lot of healing benefits and is a sign of power and immortality. It is also supposed to increase circulation, reduce puffiness and help with skin elasticity. Traditional medicine is being incorporated more and more into holistic wellness movements in place of western medicine with the popularity of techniques such as acupuncture and cupping.
To use the jade roller, you start at the center of the front of your neck in upward sweeping motions, moving up until eventually the roller passes over your face and reaches your hairline. The gentle pressure can supposedly relieve any tension that the muscles in your face may be holding—from simple stress to regular teeth grinding—making it incredibly useful for anti–aging. To have even more of a calming effect, place the jade rolling in the freezer in order to make the stone extra cool to the touch. Jade rolling is often done once in the morning and again at night, in order to maximize the benefits at both the start and end your day.
Jade rolling may sound like a lavish, expensive treatment but it is actually fairly accessible, with rollers starting in the $10 range. You can purchase them from Walmart ($8.99), Nordstrom ($63), and even Free People ($18). Many rollers come in a basic form with just one long roller on the end attached to a handle. Others are fancier, with double rollers of two different sizes to better fit the different parts of your face.
So, does it work? All signs point to yes. Huffington Post says it’s not BS. Vogue says that it will tighten your face in minutes. If Vogue says it, it must be good. We asked Penn students about their experience with jade rolling. John Vella (C ’18) tried jade rolling after seeing an Instagram influencer post about it and has been doing it for about 3 months. “My favorite result is that I have a lot of tension in my face,” says John. “It’s a really nice, refreshing feeling.”
Buying a jade roller is a fairly low commitment, but people who have taken the plunge love it and recommend it for all. We can’t wait to try.
