Dry brushing: using a body brush to gently massage your body in an upward motion. If you're new to this practice, here's a helpful little body map to guide you through the process. The whole thing should take about five minutes so it's a fairly simple and non-committal health boosting ritual. Do it a few times and you'll be map free!
Note: When purchasing a dry brush look for one with firm, natural bristles.
(source: Circuelle Foundation)
Pros of Dry Brushing:
- Lymphatic drainage (To learn more about this, check out our last blog post)
- Detoxifying/immune strengthening
- Improves circulation
- Brightens skin
- Exfoliates and softens skin
- Makes your moisturizer more effective
- Reduces appearance of cellulite
When/How to Dry Brush:
- Pre-shower - make sure your skin is completely dry before starting
- 5-10 strokes over each area
- Use gentle firm pressure
- Stroke towards the heart following the direction of lymph flow
- Aim to dry brush 1-2x a week however, if your skin is sensitive try once every other week
Basic Dry Brush Map Guide:
- Do lower body first - start at the toes and work your way up the legs
- Upper body is second
- Raise arm above the heart then start at the hand working toward the shoulder
- Go over torso in clockwise circles
- End at the neck, use fingertips to gently stroke from the neck to collarbone
Aftercare
- Post dry brushing, rinse all of the dead skin cells off in the shower
- Moisturize your whole body after the shower
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated
