You brush your teeth, and your hair; but do you know you can brush your skin too?
Dry Brushing For Skin
You must have noticed, “dry brushing” as an offering on the menu at many SPAs in hotels. You might have wondered what does dry brushing means, what are dry brushing benefits and how it’s done. Read on to find out every thing that you should know about skin dry brushing.
WHAT IS DRY BRUSHING?
Dry brushing is exactly what it sounds like… It’s a process of brushing skin with a dry brush in a particular pattern, typically before showering.
In skin dry brushing, the skin is usually dry brushed toward the heart, starting at your feet and hands and brushing toward your chest. Actually, It’s a form of manual exfoliation that is used to get rid of dead skin cells and enhance the skin’s blood flow
Why Should You Be Doing It?
Skin Dry Brushing Benefits
Try dry brushing your skin, you will love it – because it feels great and will make your skin softer, but there are other benefits as well:
(i) Exfoliates: This benefit you will notice just at the first time you dry brush your skin. The process of rubbing your skin with a firm, natural bristled brush helps loosen and remove millions of dead skin cells, making your skin softer just within a few days.
(ii) Cleanses & Unclogs Pores (Even Smaller Pores): The added bonus of exfoliating the skin is clearing dirt, oil, pollutants and residue from the pores. Make sure to use a smaller, gentler dry brush for the face (avoid using stiffer Body brush on your face… ouch!).
(iii) Detoxifies: Regular dry brushing helps stimulate your lymphatic system (lymph flow within body) & eliminate metabolic waste from your body, and thus detoxify your body.
(iv) Boosts Immune System: As you age, the circulation slows down. Dry brushing enhances circulation.
(v) Itch-Relief: Since dry brushing removes the dead skin cells, the skin naturally feels so much lighter & calm.
(vi) Reduces Cellulite: Many people claim that regular circular dry brushing motions upward helps break up cellulite and flush it out. Though there is not much research to support this claim, there is no harm in trying – more so because it does have so many other benefits.
Choosing A Dry Brush
I prefer using a firm, natural bristle brush with a long handle. Long handle allows you to reach your entire back and easily brush the backs of your legs & bottoms of your feet.
If you have sensitive skin, select a softer brush.
Dry Brush Technique – How To Dry Brush Your Skin?: The Method
You just need to do it few minutes a day to reap dry brushing benefits. Try to do it every day over your whole body, preferably in the morning before you take shower or bath. Reason is that dry brushing will loosen the dead skin cells, which will then be rinsed off while taking shower.
Start with a gentle brush and soft pressure. Work up to a firmer brush and firm pressure over time.
Here is exactly how to dry brush your skin | Step-by-Step
1. Start at the feet – brush the bottoms of your feet and move up your legs.
2. Brush using gentle smooth, long strokes, going up one leg and then starting on the other. Since dry brushes are coarse & hard, begin with lighter strokes. Don’t brush so hard that it hurts. If it hurts, use less pressure. Also, at first time, it could be a bit painful, as your skin is not used to dry brushing. Be gentle for first few days, and your body will adapt to the new routine!
Note: Your skin can slightly turn to pink after brushing – it’s ok, but it should neither be red nor sting. If it hurts at all, apply less pressure.
3. A good thumb rule is to always brush toward the center of the body.
4. Repeat the process with your arms. Start at your fingertips and palms of your hands, brushing up and up the arms (including armpits toward your heart.
5. Move to your stomach/abdomen. Brush this area with circular, clockwise motions. The aim is to flush the toxins out of stomach area as well.
6. Now brush your back.
Tips:
(i) Avoid dry brushing your face or children because the skin is too delicate. If you want to dry brush your face, buy and use a brush that is specifically made for this purpose.
(ii) Always brush before showering, and apply a good quality body oil to the wet skin after showering.
(iii) Brush each section of the skin 8-10 times and then move up and on to the next area.
(iv) Replace the brush every six to twelve months because the bristles will wear out over time. Also wash the brush every 2-3 weeks to remove dead skin cells.
(v) Never dry brush the sensitive skin areas, and stop doing it if any discomfort sign occurs.
