Dry Brushing: Benefits, How-To, and More

Dry brushing is a simple, effective way to exfoliate and detox the skin. It's also one of the most underrated and underused skin-care techniques.

Dry brushing can help detoxify and brighten your skin, clear up acne and prevent new breakouts from forming, promote lymphatic drainage and reduce cellulite, and stimulate blood flow for increased circulation — the list goes on.

If you've been wondering what dry brushing is or why you should start doing it yourself, keep reading:

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Dry Brushing Benefits

Helps in removing dead skin (Image via Pexels/Sarah Chai)

Here're some benefits:

1) Can help improve circulation, exfoliate the skin, and reduce cellulite.

2) Improves body health by encouraging lymphatic drainage and boosting metabolism. Additionally, it helps detoxify the body by stimulating blood flow and removing toxins accumulating in skin cells or fat tissue.

3) It's an excellent way to remove dead skin cells from the back with a natural loofah brush, making it easier to apply lotion after you dry off from a shower or bath. That's because moisturizers penetrate better into healthy new layers of skin instead of simply sitting on top of old ones that aren't capable of absorbing nutrients as efficiently.

This process also helps improve elasticity in areas where cellulite accumulates along with increasing circulation around those areas that promote lymphatic drainage throughout the body, including the legs and thighs.

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Dry Brushing Drawbacks

While dry brushing is generally a safe and effective way to exfoliate and improve the appearance of skin, there're some common side effects you should be aware of before trying it:

• Dry brushing can cause skin irritation or sensitivity in some people. If you have sensitive skin, it’s important to use light pressure when brushing — you should never brush so hard that you experience pain or discomfort. If a particular area of the body feels especially irritated after dry brushing, avoid using that area till it heals.
• Dry brushing can cause the skin to become more sensitive to sunlight over time. For this reason (and others), we recommend using SPF 50+ sunscreen every day for at least 30 minutes after washing up with soap and water before applying moisturizer after drying off from a bath or showering with water from the faucet.

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Dry Brushing Myths

Here're some myths:

Myth #1: You can dry brush anywhere on the body

Truth: You should only use dry brushing on your skin, which means you don't want to dry brush too close to your eyes or mouth. Otherwise, it might be uncomfortable and even painful.

Myth #2: Dry brushing is painful

Truth: This isn't exactly a myth per se — the bristles may be scratchy depending on the kind of brush you use — but there's no reason why you shouldn't try it if you're curious about the benefits and potential drawbacks of the practice.

Painful or not, it's certainly not going to hurt as much as waxing or plucking unwanted hairs.

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How to Dry Brush Your Skin

Effective when used before taking a bath (Image via Pexels/Tara Winstead)

To dry brush your skin, you will need a natural bristle brush with a long handle. Make sure the bristles are not too soft and that they're not coming loose from the handle.

Using circular motions, start at your feet, and work up to your head in small strokes. You can use this technique on any part of the body, including the back, buttocks, and thighs.

You should dry brush daily before taking a shower or bath — but don't do it right after washing, as you want to avoid exfoliating excessively and irritating the skin.

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How to Chose The Right Brush?

Choosing the right brush is crucial in the dry brush technique. (Image via Pexels/Monstera)

Choosing a dry brush is highly subjective, but most find it easier to use a boar bristle brush.

A long handle can help you reach hard-to-reach places, such as the back, but others prefer to use handheld brushes that give them more control. There're options with ionic copper fibers for those who want to detox even more. Advanced dry brushers can find these options at their local store.

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Conclusion

There’s no doubt that dry brushing the skin is a great way to show it some love. It’s easy, affordable, and can give the body an instant glow. So why not make it a part of your skincare routine?