What is dry body brushing? And what does it do for your skin?
If you're new to dry body brushing like me, you're probably wondering; what on earth it is, how to do it and why you should. So, let's dive in!
Prefer videos? We recommend this one here.
What is dry body brushing?
As the name suggests, dry body brushing or body brushing is a skincare and wellbeing method where you gently wipe a natural bristle brush up your skin towards your heart while the brush and your skin, is dry.
This practice has been around for hundreds of years, if not more and has been a feature in many historical civilisations.
Benefits of dry body brushing
Carving out a little time each day (or each week, let's be real) for self-care rituals has been shown to improve our overall wellbeing.
Ideally, body brushing is recommended daily but doing it as often as your schedule allows is better than nothing, so don't stress if you can only manage it once a week or so (like me!).
Dry body brushing helps to
- exfoliates the skin, unclogging pores and reduces ingrown hairs
- increases circulation
- improves lymphatic system performance
- provides a sense of wellbeing and energy boost
How to dry body brush
Get nekid!
Hold the brush in the palm of your hand and starting at your feet, use gentle, long and brisk strokes towards your heart. A typical pattern is feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, bum and hips.
You can be a little rougher on areas like the heels that are pretty tough but never rub too hard on your skin or press firmly enough to scratch - you should be gentle and use a pressure that feels comfortable and natural to you.
Continue to work towards the heart by brushing up your abdomen and chest, then brushing your arms, starting at your hands and all the way up to your shoulders. Do as much as you can reach of your back and very gently on the neck.
When done correctly, your skin should feel tingly, warm and energised and look a little pink in some areas.
Once you've dry brushed your body, you can jump into the shower and wash off any dead skin cells and dirt that the brushing has stirred up with a good quality soap.
When dried off, you might like to apply a light lotion or rich moisturiser/oil, depending on your skin type, the season and personal preferences.
A word of caution - avoid sensitive areas of the body such as the genitals and face and never brush over broken or irritated skin.
Cleaning your brush
Your brush is removing dead skin and dirt from your body so you'll want to clean it on a semi-regular basis with hot soapy water and allow to dry in the sun.
Soap, water and sunlight are one of the most effective ways to clean natural brushes.
I tend to avoid antibacterial sprays as they aren't as effective as good ol' soap and water and can stain and reduce the longevity of your brush.
Just keep your washing routine simple and you'll have your brush for a long time!
Conclusion
Dry body brushing is an eco-friendly and cost-effective way to care for your skin. It removes the reliance on body scrubs and avoids sending unnecessary exfoliants down the drain, not to mention the packaging.
Even natural scrub materials can cause havoc in the sewer system and water treatment processes so keeping those materials out of your greywater is a win-win for the planet.
Check out our new range of natural body brushes. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
