Dry Body Brushing: The Wellness Benefits and How To Do It

what is dry body brushing

Many have claimed that dry body brushing comes with numerous health benefits, and I have definitely put it to the test. For the past 5 years, I’ve included dry body brushing into my morning ritual before my shower, and now I’ve always been obsessed.

This initial weird sensation has eventually turned into less than 10 minutes of my morning routine, and it leaves me feeling invigorated, bright eyed and bushy tailed. People have been using this at home clarifying technique for decades, and just recently I’ve noticed it gaining more popularity. One of the main reasons? To detox the largest organ in our body, our skin.

Individuals use a body brush for the same reason we plop down in saunas and steam rooms, to detoxify our bodies. And where does this gunk come out of? Our skin. So, on top of your bi-weekly sauna visit, amp up your daily detoxification by using this new grooming technique. Dry body brushing is simply moving the brush gently and slowly in circular motions over your body. You can do it twice a week, or every morning, it’s totally a personal preference.

How Dry Body Brushing Works

On top of unclogging the gunk in our bodies, here are some other ways that you will benefit from dry body brushing:

— It stimulates the nervous system and awakens your being and senses. By revving up the nerve endings on your skin and increasing circulation for improved blood flow, you’re giving your body that physical boost of energy. The perfect addition to your morning routine.

— Dry body brushing helps stimulate your lymphatic system  which helps remove built up toxins in your body. Want to know another way to help with lymphatic drainage? Try this lymphatic massage tutorial.

— The process of dry body brushing helps slough off dead skin cells which promotes greater exfoliation to improve the texture and smoothness of your skin.  Incorporate it into your beauty routine with this holistic weekend guide. Oh and bonus! It may also help with ingrown hairs.

— It also helps your skin absorb products from its exfoliating effects and the fact that it helps eliminate clogged pores.

How to use a dry brush

It’s not really rocket science, here’s how to use your dry body brush at home:

— Use your body brush before you shower, so you can then rinse off the dead skin.

— Use gentle/mild strokes in circular fluid motions  always towards the heart. You can start by doing circular upward strokes, then longer smoothing strokes.

— Start from your feet up. This is because your lymphatic system flows towards the heart, so you want to ensure that you’re brushing in this same direction to stimulate lymphatic drainage.

— If you are going to do your back, you can brush from your neck down.

— Make this a spa like ritual by keeping the atmosphere soothing with candles or aromatherapy.

— You can brush for 5 minutes, or go as long as 15-25 minutes for extra skin detoxification.

— Once you’re done, hop in the shower and continue your morning beauty ritual and always wrap it up by moisturizing your skin!

Avoid: Your breasts or irritated areas on your skin. Do not use a body brush if you’ve recently had a cosmetic treatment or have a sunburn.

As I said before, I have been doing this for years and have noticed an improved difference in my skin and it really jump starts my day and helps improve my focus into the afternoon as well.

Have you tried body brushing before? What do you think of it?

Sourcing Your Dry Brush

You want to make sure that you’re sourcing a brush with a natural bristle. If you want to include your back in this process find a brush with a long handle. I personally love the brush with a strap on it and no handle so that I can have total control of the pressure and what not. Natural Healthy Concepts has a great option that can also be used in the shower. If you are just starting off with dry body brushing, I recommend finding a soft bristle one like this! 

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