Dry body brushing is becoming a very popular and quite a common practice. You hear about it everywhere, but what does it really mean?
Skin, your largest organ, already does a great job of reducing any unwanted body waste, dry body brushing however, boosts your blood circulation and therefore helps with the elimination process, the body’s lymphatic drainage. Not only does it improve the appearance of your skin, the gentle exfoliating will obviously help as well (oh yes we like that!), most importantly though, it will improve your blood circulation and your immune system.
You know those pricy lymphatic massages? Well, you’ve just found a great way to do them at home by yourself! Who wouldn’t want to be super healthy with bump free skin!
I’ve been dry brushing every morning (or so) for a little over a year now and I have to say I love it in a ‘can’t live without it’ kind of way. Not only do I see the difference in problem areas (all us girls know what I am talking about), it also feels great. It feels like I give myself a quick massage each morning. I also make sure I reach my back properly, the area that’s usually tough to reach. You’ll feel tingles coming from your back that will completely awaken and energize you.
My skin looks healthier, smoother and has that glow, even if I do say so myself…
My tips (probably quite obvious ones but it’s always nice to write it down and motivate myself as well):
. brush in a circular motion, always towards the heart (towards the lymph nodes)
. the pressure must be comfortable for you, so adjust accordingly
My experience is that extremes are bad for your body so do not overdo it with severe pressure and harsh bristles. I believe that peeling/exfoliating shouldn’t be done every day. It takes a while -up to few weeks- for the skin cells to regenerate, so there’s no way you need to be harsh in order to get rid of your dry skin cells. Concentrate more on making proper circular motions instead of applying a pressure. That also brings me to the next step:
. always use a plant based brush with natural bristles that are not too HARSH, preferably with longer handle so you can reach to your back comfortably (unless you’ve got looooong arms, then you’ll manage with a short one). Oh and yes, there are short ones for travelling, I haven’t discovered a good one yet so let me know if you have a favorite brand! I still travel with the long handle brush, usually in my carry on, it does look funny when it goes through the X ray, I often get asked questions about my intensions with this long brush…
. start at the bottom of your feet with your toes and make your way up. The same applies to your arms, start with your finger tips and continue towards the core of your body
. always wash your brush after using it, tea tree soap is best
. brush each morning either before or after the shower. Myself, I like to do it after my workout but before my shower. Usually body brushing includes the face but I find all these brushes too harsh and avoid my face area all together (as you know for good face exfoliation, every few weeks I like to use a natural mask made of manuka honey and use grounded cinnamon to do the exfoliation work).
Happy brushing and glowy blushing!
Adela x
