Dry Brushing
Have you heard about dry brushing yet or have you been stranded on an island? It’s the skin exfoliating technique that many aestheticians, your friend at brunch, and wellness pros like me can’t shut up about —it’s like the juice cleanse of the beauty world.
Many of us carefully tend to the skin on our face, regularly exfoliating, cleansing, and moisturizing. But when's the last time you tended to the skin on the rest of your body?
Your skin is your largest organ, after all, and there is one simple step you can add to your routine that can greatly improve its health – dry skin brushing. The benefits of dry skin brushing go beyond skin deep, offering whole-body benefits to your health.
“Carve out and claim the time to care for yourself and kindle your own fire.”
Benefits of dry brushing
Your skin is a complex system made up of nerves, glands, and cell layers that, when healthy, serves as a buffer that helps protect your body from extreme temperatures and chemicals.
It also produces antibacterial substances to protect you from infection and enables your body to produce vitamin D when exposed to the sun.
Another crucial role your skin plays is supporting optimal detoxification. If your skin is overrun with toxins, it won’t be able to eliminate wastes from your body efficiently.
7 Key benefits of dry brushing
1.Stimulate Your Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is responsible for eliminating cellular waste products. Hundreds of miles of lymphatic tubules allow waste to be collected from your tissues and transported to your blood for elimination, a process referred to as lymphatic drainage.
When your lymphatic system is not working properly, waste and toxins can build up. Lymphatic congestion is a major factor leading to inflammation and disease. By stimulating your lymphatic system and helping it release toxins, dry skin brushing is a powerful detoxification aid.
2. Exfoliation
Dry skin brushing removes dead dry skin, improving appearance, clearing your clogged pores, and allowing your skin to "breathe."
3. Increase Circulation
When you dry brush your skin, it increases circulation to your skin, which encourages the elimination of metabolic waste.
4. Reduce Cellulite
Dry skin brushing may help to soften hard fat deposits below the skin while distributing fat deposits more evenly. This may help to diminish the appearance of cellulite.
5. Stress Relief
The act of dry brushing has been described as meditative and may reduce muscle tension, calm your mind, and relieve stress. Many compare it to a light whole-body massage.
6. Improve Digestion
Dry skin brushing may go even deeper, helping to support your digestion and organ function.
7. It's Invigorating
Many people become "addicted" to dry skin brushing (in a good way) because it simply feels so good. Along with glowing and tighter skin, regular dry skin brushers report feeling invigorated after a quick session.
How to Do It
First you'll need a high-quality dry brush. Look for one with bristles made from natural materials. They should feel stiff but not painful. Ideally, choose a brush with a long handle so you can reach your entire back and other hard-to-reach spots. I recommend this Wholesome Beauty skin brush that allows you to use the long handle or remove the handle and use the palm brush.
Dry skin brushing should be done daily for best results. The brush and your body should be dry, I usually spend less than 5 minutes dry brushing before I jump in the bath or shower.
CLICK HERE to watch a dry brushing demo video performed by the MELT Method creator, Sue Hitzmann.
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