✨ Dry Brushing 101 ✨
The body care treatment that deserves a spot in your beauty routine!
If you've been browsing Instagram or TikTok recently, chances are you have come across repeated praises from your favorite beauty influencers for something called "dry brushing". You may be wondering what the heck this is and if you really need another step in your beauty routine. Here we'll break everything down from what it is, the benefits, how to do it, and when to incorporate it in your routine.
What is dry brushing?
Dry brushing is a massage technique. Using even pressure, you "brush" your entire body with a dry, natural-bristle brush in upward movements toward the heart and lymphnodes.
Benefits of dry brushing
There have been all kinds of claims circulating about the benefits of dry brushing. Some are true, and some you should be careful to put too much stock into. It can be especially helpful for managing things like lymphedema, but you mostly hear about the beauty benefits. Here's a list of benefits dermatology experts say are true:
Detoxifies the skin
Our body has many detoxification pathways. This includes the liver, kidneys, digestive tract, lymphatic system, respiratory system, and skin. The first thing to know about dry brushing is that it's incredible for exfoliation (plus more gentle than scrubbing in the shower). Exfoliation has many benefits: reducing that pesky dry, bumpy skin (say hello to smoother AND brighter skin), improving the look of discoloration by increasing skin cell turnover, and helping your skincare products penetrate the skin a little deeper instead of sitting on top- making them more effective. Another benefit to your newly unclogged pores? It makes it easier for the body to remove toxins through sweat (one of the main ways your body eliminates stuff that it doesn't need). The movement of dry brushing also promotes blood circulation and lymph node drainage, another significant detoxification pathway.
Stimulates the nervous system
You don't need to dig deep with this one... The nervous system is all about sending messages between your brain and other parts of your body. One of the things these messages regulate are your senses. The act of brushing the skin, much like a massage, stimulates the nerve endings in the skin, invigorating your senses.
Improves appearance of cellulite
No, no, no... read that again- it says "improves appearance," not magically makes them disappear. Cellulite is trickier than that, and also (in case you forgot), completely normal! However, there's nothing wrong with wanting a little something to help the appearance sometimes. Cellulite has everything to do with skin elasticity and fat deposits. Dry brushing can help to temporarily improve the appearance by supporting lymphatic drainage and stimulating blood flow, which can increase the skin's elasticity, plumping up the skin.
How to dry brush
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Find the Right Brush
First things first- get a brush on a long handle. You'll want to be able to get to those hard to reach areas, like your back. You will want to look for a natural brush with stiff bristles, but make sure they aren't too hard. You can damage your skin with bristles that are too rough; if you have more sensitive skin, opt for softer bristles.
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Find the Right Time
You'll find a lot of information about whether it's best to brush in the morning or at night. The best time is whenever it fits in your day-to-day, but it is best to do it on dry skin right before your shower, whatever time of day that is.
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Brush Towards the Lymph Nodes
You can start the brushing process in your abdomen, legs, and arms. Where you start may depend on the overall reason you've added dry brushing to your routine. If you're using this method to help with a condition like lymphedema, checking with your physical therapist is best. If you're just looking for some of the basic benefits noted above, choose wherever feels most comfortable. If you start at your toes, brush in an upward motion with short, gentle strokes. You only need to use a few overlapping strokes in each area- more than that or using too much pressure can cause skin irritation. Move up your legs, always brushing toward the lymphnodes. Once you get to your torso, you can use a circular motion around your belly button and lower back. Then stroke upwards again toward the heart and move to your arms, starting at your hands. When you get to the top, sweep the brush across your chest toward your underarms (don't neglect this area, a lot of lymphnodes sit here). Brushing toward the heart and into the underarms pushes toxins toward the lymphnodes so the lymphatic system can do it's job. P.S. It's best to steer clear of sensitive areas like your face unless you have a brush specifically made for that.
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Lock in the Benefits
Once you're done, hop in the shower and wash away all the dead skin cells you just removed. Then apply your skincare and moisturize.