I Spent A Week With | A Kansa Wand

Beauty : Love

14 October 2021

Since I learnt how to use a Gua Sha from Jodi Fox, co-founder of Scotland-based wellness brand MODM, it's become an integral part of my morning routine. Every day after applying my morning skincare routine, I take my rose quartz tool and perform a facial massage that is equally an act of wellness as it is for vanity reasons. As well as the de-puffing, draining and contouring effects it has on my skin, starting my day off actively doing things that better my body has lifted my mood, especially during lockdown.

But other than my trusty Gua Sha, I've barely dipped my toe into holistic facial tools. Like Kansa wands, I'd never heard of them until given the chance to try one from ilody, and still haven't seen as much hype around it as the others have enjoyed. And yet, it promises to do so much more. Pre-existing all other facial tools on the market, it's been used within Ayurveda for over 5000 years. The magic behind this dubbed 'miracle wand' is in its domed shape which is coated in a metal 'copper'. This helps to balance your skin's pH which minimises breakouts and reduces inflammation, promotes lymphatic drainage, reduces toxins, de-puffs and sculpts the face. And no, this isn't some Goop-certified theory, but one that is steeped in factual history. Kansa was first used in the Bronze age in India, where they were able to get temperatures high enough to forge copper and aluminium, and became popular for its unexpected health benefits. "Back in the day, people ate their meals on a Kansa plate to help make the digestion easier and reduce the acid content in the food," explains Michelle Ranavat, the founder of Ranavat Botanics to Byrdie. They drank their water from Kansa cups because it was almost like a water filtration system, it would remove the acid content from the water. Eventually, they found incredible health benefits by applying the metal directly to the skin as well." For any skeptics who believe that there's no science behind facial tools, think again.

So, which did I prefer? In all honesty, both devices gave pretty equal results – which some may argue is more down to the massaging techniques rather than the tool itself – when it came to my skin, but I loved how the Kansa wand felt like it was made to fit in my hand. Rubbing the dome in circular motions worked as a quick headache relief when I needed it too, and I wasn't left with a rosy face that the Gua Sha sometimes may cause. In the same way that some people prefer oat milk rather than normal in their coffee because of the taste (guilty) my personal preference has swayed towards the Kansa. Forgetting the positive visual effects of these tools, they were made (and still are) as holistic tools, and I've found this to be the case more than I was expecting it to. And has it replaced my beloved Gua Sha? Now that would be telling.

Shop the ilody Kansa wand here.