Dry Brushing: Why & How To Do It

Dry brushing is one of the easiest, do it yourself, refreshing spa techniques out there.

It involves two things – your body and a brush.

No fancy products, soaking, applying, waiting, or any of that typical beauty ish is required.

If drying brushing is so damn easy, then how come more of us aren’t doing it. Well – here’s why I held back when it became a trend.

• Unsure of what brush to buy
• No idea how to properly dry brush
• No understanding of the benefits
• And a jaded misconception that it eliminates cellulite, don’t worry it’s still a benefit.

During my yoga teacher training, I had the opportunity to learn about Ayurveda (the sister science of yoga) and different cleansing rituals to help detox and purify the body. The rituals that became part of my daily routine are:

• Dry brushing – of course.
• Tongue scraping.
• Rinsing & massage the face, ears, and mouth with water.
• Warm lemon water upon waking.

Okay back to the topic at hand – dry brushing & why you should start.

Below is why your body will love a good brush down:

The Benefits –

• Dry brushing helps shed dead skin cells which results in smoother, brighter, younger skin.
• It aids in improving blood circulation and lymphatic drainage.
• It rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings.
• Dry brushing increases the circulation to the skin which can help reduce the appearance of cellulite.
• And most importantly – it’s a moment to love your body & do something kind for yourself.

How to Dry Brush –

I dry brush in the bathroom, before getting into the shower, and completely naked. For the sake of the below photos and not publishing nudity, I do have my clothes on.

However, I don’t recommend clothes…for dry brushing or really many things…but that’s another topic in of itself.

• Rule of thumb – long strokes over the limbs & circular movements over the joints.
• Always brush towards the heart.
• Start at the feet, then move to the ankles, shin & calf, entire thigh, fronts of the hips, and the glutes. Spend some extra time on the upper legs and the booty if reducing cellulite is a goal – also use circular motions for this action.
• Continue with this pattern moving up to the neck – hips, belly, chest, collarbone, and neck.
• Moving to the arms – start at the tops of the hands, then move to the wrist, forearm, elbow, and again end at the neck.
• Move to the backside body – start at the lower back, middle back, and then switch the grip and do the upper back & neck area.

This entire routine takes all of five minutes, it could be done quicker if needed. I absolutely love the sensation of waking up my skin and starting the day with an energizing, detoxifying practice.

It’s  a quick, easy pick me up with loads of health benefits.

If the idea of adding one more thing to your morning routine is absurd, then start small. Dry brush 2x a week and then slowly add it to more mornings. Trust me friends, it will become a morning must-do before you know it.

What questions do you have for me? How many people dry brush already? What do you love about it and what suggestions do you have for newbies?

As always, please comment below with any questions, suggestions, or general beauty ritual love. Until next time -xoxo.

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