WHAT THE HECK IS DRY BRUSHING?!

If you’re here, you’ve either heard of dry brushing & not 100% sure what it is or how to do it or you have no clue what I am talking about.

Either way, we’re going over it!

So what exactly is it??

Well, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Basically it’s a brush with very coarse bristles that you brush against your skin, DRY!

Ummm ow?? Why would anyone do that?!

It actually has a lot of benefits for you and your skin! It helps exfoliate dead skin so afterwards your skin feels super soft and smooth! It helps reduce the appearance of cellulite! When you dry bush you’re increasing circulation & plumping your skin, so cellulite is less noticeable (sign me up!) Not only does it increase circulation to make cellulite less noticeable, but because you’re getting the blood flowing, your skin will look more bright & radiant!

Okay, I can get with that! So how do I do it & when??

Personally, I like to do it right before the shower for 5 mins & I do it no more than twice a week! I like start at my ankles and work my way up! You want to do upward, circular motions. Always remember towards the heart because blood flow & remember to be gentle. You don’t need to press hard or be rough, it’s your skin, so just let the brush do it’s job.

After brushing, I take a shower to wash off the dead skin. Make sure you use a gentle body wash & also you won’t need to do any other exfoliating in the shower after this (no body scrubs, etc.) you just brushed off dead skin, so there’s fresh new skin coming through. You want to take care of it & treat it gently. After showering, I like to use a gentle, hydrating body lotion to keep my new skin soft & moisturized!

What if I have sensitive skin?

If you have sensitive skin, or suffer from eczema, psoriasis, or any other skin conditions, dry brushing is probably not for you. You don’t want to irritate skin & cause inflammation. Same goes for cuts and scrapes. The last thing you want to do is take a coarse, dry brush over these areas and bring bacteria into the area. MIND YOU, even if you don’t have these concerns & as I mentioned above, be gentle. Your skin may be red afterwards but if you notice abrasions afterwards, you’re being too rough!

Does it hurt??

Not really! I actually think it feels kind of good and you feel SO clean and 5 pounds lighter once all that dead skin is off!

What about cleaning it??

Yes! So because you’re putting the brush in contact with your skin and it’s brushing off dead skin, you’re going to want to clean it! They usually last 1-2 years too, so the better you take care of it, the longer it’ll last!

I clean mine by getting a level bowl of water with non-drying liquid soap and putting the brush in with the bristles facing downward. (JUST THE BRISTLES!!!! Make sure you don’t get the wood wet because this can cause the brush to ruin & not last very long.) I move it around for 1-2 minutes in the water and take it out to air dry on a towel. I do this every two weeks to make sure it’s clean!

So that’s dry brushing for you! If you dry brush, let me know your techniques. Or if you don’t & are going to try, let me know how it goes!