An Intro to Dry Brushing

 

There’s a wellness hack on the rise with a wide range of benefits called dry brushing. Dry brushing is essentially running a stiff-bristled brush across your skin in specific patterns/directions. The obvious benefits of dry brushing are to exfoliate the skin & remove dead cells while increasing blood flow. The brushes used for this typically have stiff, natural bristles and neither your skin, nor the brush should be wet when using. Hence the name, “dry” brushing.

Exfoliation is the most obvious benefit of dry brushing. It removes dead skin leaving skin looking and feeling smoother and brighter. With that, the increased blood flow to the skin will leave skin plumped and give you a healthy, youthful glow. The physical sensation of dry brushing can also be quite invigorating, which is why many choose to do it at home in the mornings or opt for this treatment at a spa for the energizing effects it can bring.

Dry brushing has roots in ancient healing practices, and the method is on the rise here in the US as both a beauty and health treatment. Not only is it great for the skin, but dry brushing in certain patterns/directions can act as a lymphatic massage. Lymphatic massages increase drainage of lymphatic fluids which assists in flushing toxins from the body.

Interested in trying it out for yourself?

If you’d like to try dry brushing, we recommend a brush with medium-firm, natural fibers. It obviously should not be so rough that it breaks the skin, and it also should not hurt. Some prefer long handled brushes for hard to reach places, and others prefer small, palm-sized brushes that are easier to grip. We recommend one of each for different areas of the body. Those with sensitive skin should start with a softer brush, and everyone should use a softer and smaller brush on your face than on the rest of the body.

Just as you shouldn’t use a tough exfoliant on your face daily, dry brushing should be done no more than one to two times per week, and never roughly enough to cause irritation.

If you’re trying this at home, be gentle with your brushing if it is your first time, and as your skin allows, you may work your way up to firmer stokes. To increase lymphatic drainage, you will want to make all motions toward the lymph nodes or heart, so keep that in mind as you work over your body.

Let’s get started.

To begin, start at your feet and slowly brush upward with small strokes towards the top of your thighs (where your lymph nodes are located).

Next, move on to the abdomen and brush in a clockwise, gathering pattern towards your navel, following with brushes up your mid-line, past your sternum, towards the heart.

For the arms, use the same method as the legs. You’ll want to brush from your hands upwards, towards your armpit. Next, move on to the chest. Here, you’ll want to brush gently toward the armpit to route towards the lymph nodes located there.

Now for the back, you’ll want to use a brush with a long handle. Start at the base of your torso and brush upward, and outward, again toward your armpits.

Let’s talk about the face:

For the face, you’ll want to select a smaller and softer brush that will be gentle on the more delicate skin. Again, we’ll start at the top, moving toward the heart. Start at the center of the forehead and brush toward your ears on either side. Move down your face in the same pattern: nose to cheek, to ear. Then center of the chin to jaw, to ear.

To finish, Brush from behind your ears, down your neck towards your collarbone. You’ll want to end your strokes just above your collarbone at the base of the neck on either side, where your lymphatic ducts are located.

What next?

The entire process should take three to five minutes minimum. For the ultimate skin treatment, we recommend taking a shower afterword to rinse away any dead skin cells and open up those pores. After the shower, follow up with a moisturizer or oil to nourish and moisturize your skin. We’d also recommend a daily dose of Beauty Tonic to help get that youthful glow and plumped skin to last! Dry brushing is on the rise for a reason, and we love any treatment you can do at home as a part of your self-care routine!