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Dry brushing.
Have you heard of it? Are you doing it? Or are you asking, what is it?
Dry brushing is when you take a natural bristled brush and gently brush your skin all over, from the bottom of your feet, up and around your legs, over your torso, and down your arms and hands. ALL over. The listed benefits include exfoliating dead skin, stimulating the lymphatic system, reducing cellulite, unclogging pores and even stress relief. While the process isn’t difficult, there are some overall rules that everyone seems to follow. One, you always brush in sweeping motions and/or circular motions toward the heart. And it also seems that you start on the furthest points of the body (feet, hands) and move in. Simple right?
Does this sound like the latest crazy body fad? Maybe, but I love it. I can’t say I’ve noticed a huge difference in cellulite or toxin removal (which is what I think most of the big fuss is about–the stimulation of the lymphatic system) but I love how it makes my skin feel. With the dry winter weather really doing a number on my skin this year I feel like dry brushing works like a natural lotion. I always dry brush before getting in the shower (which I believe is recommended) and before I even get in, my skin feels so much softer and smoother. While I haven’t noticed a big difference in cellulite, I have noticed that the bumps on the back of my arms (or KP) have diminished significantly. Which is fantastic as I was using a very expensive body scrub specifically formatted for KP before dry brushing. I also just love the way it feels… you know like a gooooood back scratch, when someone just gets the right spot? It feels like that every time… just a nice overall, body scratch. OK “body scratch” doesn’t sound great, but seriously I love the feeling.
There are a lot of tutorials out there like this one from Goop. (You KNOW Goop is all about the dry brushing) But this one is a little more in depth. There are also lots of great charts that show you how and where to dry bush as well like this one here. I use this dry brush and it works well, but I’m actually in the market for one with a long handle so I can reach my back easier. I like this 3-in-1 option.
Are you a dry brusher? If so what do you love about it? Do you actually notice a difference with your lymphatic system? Have you thought about dry brushing, wanna try it, not sure about it? Tell me everything!
I’ve tried it and agree – I like the natural-ness of it vs. adding another product to my skin. I’d read that you brush, aiming toward your heart, so I started out doing that (but find that’s hard in spots). I do it before my bath while the tub is filling and have tried to get more mindful doing it, vs. just zipping through it. My bath is my sacred “me” time…