Kansa – Your Magic Wand for Maximum Health and Beauty
As some of you may remember, several months back, I suggested transforming your evening TV time into a time of power-packed beauty ritual. In that particular article, I suggested you purchase an attractive box of some sort and in it store a few of your favorite beauty products for use only during this evening downtime. You’re sitting there on your tailend anyway -just wasting time- so why not make wise use of it?!?
Mom and I created our beauty box a few years ago and every night finds us rifling through it: applying face masks, using lip exfoliant and lip balm, applying hand and body lotion, using teeth whitening strips, minding our cuticles, brushing our hair- all while vegging in front of the TV.
By the time we’re had our fill of ‘Gunsmoke’, an old movie or two on TCM and/or caught up on the daily news, we’ve spent at least an hour practicing beautifying, comforting self-care rituals we otherwise wouldn’t have time for during the busier parts of our day. It’s great! We also feel pampered most of the time and there’s a lot to be said for that.
Hopefully, by now, you’ve created your own beauty box and are making wise use of your couch time. If not, I urge you to begin. With that said however, as is not always the case with procrastination- should you still have yet to begin this delightful beauty box ritual, I now have something even more powerful to suggest you add to it: the amazing Kansa Wand.
There are a lot of newfangled products, treatments and fads out there these days but the Kansa wand, although experiencing a resurgence in the Western world, is NOT a newfangled thing.
It’s indeed centuries old. I like that kind of track record.
So just what IS a Kansa Wand?? Good question and I’m glad you asked!
The Kansa wand comes in several sizes (depending upon just where on the body it’s to be used) and is a massage tool used in the practice of Ayurvedic medicine. Kansa wands are cylindrical; having a wooden handle (that’s quite comfortable and comforting to hold) and a dome shaped head made out of a blend of pure copper and tin. This bronze is considered to be a powerful, ‘healing’ metal in the practice of Ayurveda. When used on the face and throat during massage, it gently warms, increasing circulation and the relaxation of tense facial muscles. It also stimulates the lymphatic fluid to drain away acidic toxins from the facial tissues. It’s heavenly. It’s also great for dull complexions, facial edema and inflammation within tissues, wrinkles and fine lines caused by stress and tension, and acneic skin conditions. It also tones facial muscles.
The wand is believed to normalize the skin’s pH when used in long massage strokes, allowing the ‘healing’ metal the work its magic.
Kansa Wand, where have you been all my life??!?? Holy Cow, I’m in love.
Usually a small to medium Kansa wand is used for facial treatments and the wand is always used with skin beneficial organic oils; namely an organic carrier oil such as jojoba or sweet almond oil. Oftentimes too, depending upon the skin condition being treated, a blend of organic essential oils can be added to the carrier oil to boost treatment efficacy. Think along the lines of Tea Tree oil for acne, Chamomile and/or Lavender for stress, Tangerine or Bergamot for fatigue, Rose for anxiety and hot flashes during Menopause.
There are, of course, a few caveats:
1) If you have allergies to metal, be careful about using the Kansa wand on your skin.
2) If you are allergic to botanicals or have essential oil allergies, be mindful of the ones you choose to use during the Kansa massage.
3) If you have an active infection like cold sores or pustules, do not treat yourself to a Kansa massage until the infection clears.
4) Keep your Kansa wand sanitary by gently cleansing it with a soft cloth after each use. Some Kansa practitioners apply a drop or two of tea tree oil to the head of the wand to kill bacteria.
With that said, a Kansa massage on its own is a powerful adjunct to any beautifying routine but there’s much more to it than just plunking down on your couch and rubbing this ancient tool over your face and throat. There are certain massage techniques to employ and the amount of pressure used during each stroke is important. It’s also wise to understand just why it is a Kansa massage is so beneficial and therapeutic. Knowledge is power….
Kansa wands are used during massage to stimulate what are known in Ayurvedic medicine as Marma points. Similar to acupressure points, these points are powerful and important for balancing the body’s energy pathways and it’s believed that each point corresponds to a different, specific organ within the body.
The Kansa massage action itself is highly beneficial on its own- but coupling your massage strokes with the treatment of these Marma points makes your beauty massage radically more powerful and beneficial.
The Marma points of the face are as follows:
The center of the forehead (where your Kansa massage should always start) is thought to be the Third Eye- the seat of our Inner Knowing, or Divine centeredness.
The junction where the eyebrows and bridge of the nose meet is thought to correlate with the liver and spleen.
The temples represent the colon.
The lower eyelids right above the cheekbones house the Marma points for our adrenal glands.
Center of the cheekbone represents the lungs.
Between the nose and the upper lip you will find the Marma point for stimulating the brain and cognition.
The center of the chin houses the Marma point for the reproductive organs.
The corners of the mouth are believed to stimulate the metabolism and last but not least,
The corners of the nose serve as Marma points for the sinuses- what else?
The Kansa massage technique itself is actually rather simple:
1) Always hold the wand so that it’s a comfortable position for you.
2) Always start in the center of your forehead and move the wand in clockwise circles, when not using a gentle zig-zag motion.
3) Always apply the firmest pressure on the outward wand stroke and ease up the pressure when stroking the wand back to it’s starting position.
4) ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use 5-6 pumps of your massage oil blended over face and throat before using the wand. The Kansa wand should glide effortlessly over your skin- and should NEVER tug or pull. If it drags on your skin, use more oil.
5) Use the Kansa wand approximately 4-5 nights per week, for10-15 minutes per face side and then rest the remaining nights of the week.
There are numerous educational videos on YouTube demonstrating Kansa wands in action and I encourage you to do your own research. You can also purchase a Kansa wand online through most Ayurvedic suppliers. They aren’t really that expensive. The Kansa wand massage technique is a highly personalized thing and you need to know how best to utilize both the wand, the oil selections and the massage techniques to suit for your beauty interests and goals and to fit your personality.
5 nights per week now, Mom and I can be found in front of our TV set -Kansa wand-ing ourselves silly- and the results have been just marvelous. We have no idea how we managed to survive this long without it! In our humble opinion, a Kansa wand should be in every single beauty box of every single Kalon reader. We hope you’ll give it a try- and will agree.
Abracadabra!
Copyright 2019 Carrie E. Pierce all rights reserved
Health and Beauty has been Carrie E. Pierce’s career focus for over 28 years.
Throughout her career, Carrie has served as: Guest and Corporate Makeup Artist for numerous major, international cosmetic companies and as a Hollywood film, TV and special effects makeup artist.
She’s provided skin care and makeup services for the fashion industry, as well as restorative make up procedures for burn and scar patients, cancer patients, domestic violence survivors and women suffering with self-esteem issues.
Carrie is a licensed Aesthetician, Certified Color Analyst, Menopause Skin Care Specialist, Author and Co Host of a nationally syndicated radio show.
Together with Life Coach Kris Cavanaugh Castro, Carrie has co created a coaching program created especially for Midlife women- and the men who love them. Called ‘Making Peace With Menopause’ this program covers the myriad health, beauty, emotional, spiritual and mental aspects of the Menopause journey.
It’s Carrie’s mission and her passion to help women be the best they can be – especially as they move through Midlife!
Author: Carrie Pierce
Carrie Pierce has worked exclusively in the Health, Beauty and Entertainment industries for over 30 years. She’s a Licensed Aesthetician, Certified Color Analyst, former Hollywood Film and TV Makeup Artist, syndicated Radio Talk Show Host and a published Author, specializing in Midlife Health and Beauty issues. It’s Carrie’s mission -and her passion- to help make Midlife the very best it can be- for women and men everywhere!
