You brush your hair. You brush your teeth. But are you brushing your skin? Called dry brushing, this lesser-known brushing technique may just be the thing your skin’s been asking for.
If you’ve never heard of dry brushing, don’t worry; it’s not like you’ve been missing out on something as critical as brushing your teeth everyday. But it is a highly beneficial practice that often accompanies detoxing (more on that later), but it can, and some experts say it should, be done on the reg for optimal health—not just for glowing skin.
What is Dry Brushing?
Dry brushing is simply using a firm bristled brush on dry skin. It’s often done before a bath or a shower, and can be an energizing and invigorating daily ritual (with super health benefits, of course).
Benefits of Dry Brushing
Facial skin can become congested and inflamed for a number of reasons, but the most common is the excess dead skin cells. The same is true for the rest of the body—the skin is a major detox organ, pushing out toxins—about one-third of toxins exit the body through the skin.
This is precisely why skin brushing is recommended during a detox—it helps to get rid of the excess toxins pushed out through the skin layers.
Lest we forget, the skin is our body’s largest organ—and often a canary in a coal mine kind of warning as well. Rashes, eczema, psoriasis, breakouts, etc can all be indicators of deeper underlying issues.
Dry skin brushing also helps to stimulate the lymphatic system, which is located just underneath our skin. This system comprised of lymph nodes, glands, and vessels need our assistance in doing its job—it doesn’t work like our blood system, which is controlled by the pumping heart—it needs us to stimulate movement. We do this most often by exercising, which helps to move the lymph fluid, but dry brushing can also aid in moving toxins through the system and out of the body.
Just what exactly are the toxins being moved out of the body by dry brushing?
It’s a little scary to think about—all these chemicals and pollutants invisible in our food and organic body care products, in our air and water—but this is the modern world and it is loaded with unsavory elements. The liver, gut, and kidneys work to remove harmful toxins from the body—pesticides, phthalates, BPA, heavy metals, harmful bacteria, etc – and so does the skin.
Aside from the removal of toxins, dry brushing may help to exfoliate skin, improve circulation, reduce cellulite, and decrease fluid retention.
Ready to give dry brushing a try?
How to Dry Brush Your Skin
Don’t use your hairbrush (or your toothbrush!). And be sure to get a brush with natural bristles, not plastic. Skin brushes often have long handles so you can brush your back as well.
The best time to dry brush is before a bath or shower. It should only take a few minutes.
It’s important to brush toward the heart, even though it might feel good to brush away from the body.
Brush gently—your skin is much more delicate than you probably think, and even mild pressure may be too much. So brush gently in long and sweeping motions. You can go over the same area a few times.
In the belly area, brush in a very gentle circular motion from right side up to the left and down and around.
Get your toes, fingers, heels, tush, breasts—get it all! Dry brushes are generally too harsh for delicate facial skin, so stick with a good exfoliating regimen or give a face brush a try.
Have you brushed your skin before? Let us know on the Zatik Natural Facebook page!
