The Lowdown on Dry Brushing

On La Petite Rose, I talked a lot about many kinds of methods and techniques for dealing with dry skin and especially about exfoliating to remove those dry, dead skin cells altogether. But recently, a body exfoliation technique has really caught my attention-- dry brushing. As much as it seems to be a trending topic, the practice of dry brushing dates back to ancient times, spanning across many cultures everywhere from Ancient Greece to traditional Chinese medicine and Ayeruveda in India, and Native Americans. The beauty and health benefits of dry brushing are thought to be numerous but can be a tiny bit misleading, and as with many more medicinal beauty techniques, there are a few definite "shoulds" and "should nots" to keep in mind.

At its core, dry brushing is a very intense form of physical exfoliation, but it is physical exfoliation s deep that it can also help to improve muscle tone and skin firmness along with the removal of surface-level dead skin. But the effects of dry brushing are more than just cosmetic. It has also been shown to help the body to relax and de-stress and to aid with lymphatic drainage This stimulation of the lymph has been thought to be a key component in promoting wound healing and also helping the body rid itself of disease. This is why dry brushing sometimes gets called a detoxification practice, but many aleopathic doctors caution against this language, citing that the only detoxification systems in our body are the liver and the kidneys. Even so, most health experts agree that the increase in bloodflow and muscle movement that comes from dry brushing greatly helps the body in its healing processes and its immune function. So, really, either way of looking at it, it still can only do a body good.

From the beauty side of things, dry brushing is not only just a neat way of scrubbing of dead skin cells, but research has shown that the the widespread, if not total, body increase in blood flow can help many chronic body skin ailments such as eczema, keratosis pillaris, and even body acne. And while things like cellulite and sagging skin can't be cured with dry brushing, it can certainly help to tone the skin and firm the appearance. Dry brushing can also be a way of softening body hair and even helps prevent the likelihood on ingrowns!

For all its benefits,, though, there are definitelysome do'ss and don''ts when it comes to dry brushing. As a warning it may feel a bit rough and scratchy at first, but the feeling usually becomes more comfortable over time. Even at first, however, dry brushing should always be done (as the name suggests) on dry skin, and most people prefer to do it before a bath or in the shower before they turn the water on, Following up a dry brush session with a steamy soak or shower is said to help encourage even more bloodflow, doubling the positive and skin and body rejuvenation. Also, to maximize the benefits it is always best to work in upward strokes on each body part, moving out an inward towards the heart in slow and gentle movements so as to get a deep massage and not scratch and irritate the skin.

As far as tools go, there are a great many dry brushes coming onto the market. Some dry brushes are disks that are easy to hold in the hand to work over the arms and legs while those with longer handles are particularly good to work on the back. Natural bristle brushes are usually recommended as they provide both a deeper stimulation and on that is more gentle to the surface of the skin than ones made of plastic or a synthetic fiber. It is also important to never dry brush over skin that is cut, bruised, or broken. Wait for such injuries to heal completely before dry brushing again.

In the beauty world, their always seems to be a new product or method out their to exfoliate our skin, But dry brushing is certainly a case where what was old is new again, and it may just be the very thing that I try next.