Did you know that your body’s largest organ, the skin, is responsible for about one fourth of the daily detoxification needs that are required by your entire body? One of the easiest, and most inexpensive, ways you can help your skin do the job it was designed to do by nature, is in learning how to dry brush your skin.
Dry skin brushing is a sort of spa like method that gives its participants numerous health benefits. It is good for people that have dry, flaky, and even normal or oily skin. The many positive effects of dry skin brushing are not widely known, yet its health enhancing protection of your internal health, and overall skin appearance, can make it a pleasant part of your daily, natural health care routine.
When you use the technique of dry brushing, your skin will soon begin to feel much softer, smoother, and free of unsightly dead skin patches, and you will also be able to maintain your skin’s natural healthy glow. Using the awesome exfoliation properties of a natural bristled brush, loofah pad or textured wash cloth you will rid your body of dry, dead skin cells, resulting in fresher, cleaner and younger looking skin.
Although picturing a dry brush going over your skin might not sound too pleasant, in actuality, it is a very soothing and relaxing experience, if done properly. This old technique will aid body circulation, letting your body more readily rid itself of excess toxins through your skin. Dry skin brushing stimulates the lymphatic system which begins the detoxification process.
Another great bonus of dry skin brushing is for its ability to minimize the appearance of cellulite on the buttocks and upper thigh area, which is a concern for many women. Even though you cannot completely eliminate skin dimples through dry skin brushing, these problem areas can appear much less noticeable. Stores of toxic fatty tissue are often the culprit behind cellulite, and dry skin brushing helps to rid the body of toxic waste, so it makes sense this would also be a great cellulite fighter and weight loss enhancer.
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Something else that people find, is that dry skin brushing helps with boosting their immune system response. Since the body’s lymphatic system is stimulated through dry skin brushing, toxins are excreted from the body, resulting in a healthier and more efficient functioning immune system.
Even your muscles can achieve a better tone through dry skin brushing, and it also helps by allowing fat cells to be more adequately spaced within the body. By using the brush in a brisk manner, it will aid in the stimulation of nerve cells, giving you a greater state of mind and body. Dry brushing, in simple terms, stimulates blood flow to the surface of your skin.
There is nothing especially difficult about dry skin brushing; all you have to do is follow these easy steps:
1. Buy yourself a bristle brush that is made of natural fibers, since it is less harsh on the skin than synthetic ones, and won’t harm people that have delicate skin.
2. You should dry brush your skin before you enter the shower or bath, since the skin needs to be dry for this procedure to work. This is how dead skin cells and toxins are effectively taken off of the body.
3. When starting the dry skin brushing technique, begin with your feet, brushing them completely and vigorously in a circular motion, then moving upward to the ankles, calves, thighs, tummy, arms, and hands. Be sure you brush towards the heart, using easy strokes on areas of sensitive skin, and stay away from the nipples or face. OUCH!
4. Then you need to get into the shower, so that all of the dead skin cells are washed down the drain with warm water. Use a cold water spritzer at the end to aid in blood circulation, then dry your skin good with a dry towel to help further with circulation. Finish off the process with a natural oil based moisturizer for your skin such as almond, coconut or olive oil. Try to apply something that you would not be afraid to eat.
Be aware that some people have certain health conditions that should not use dry skin brushing. People that have diabetes, high blood pressure, eczema, psoriasis, rashes, skin that is broken, non-healed wounds, or skin infections should avoid this skin and internal health care strategy.
Dry brushing the skin before bathing has been used as a method of whole body cleansing that has been practiced by various cultures throughout recorded history. Turkish bath rituals use a rough cloth mitt, known as a kesa. In ancient Greece and Rome they would use an instrument called a strigiles which was shaped like a curved spoon to scrape the skin before bathing. Ayurveda practice of garsana massage is a dry massage using a silk or wool glove.
No one likes to look at unsightly patches of dry or flaky skin, particularly when the weather is hot and you want to wear more body revealing clothing. While the ritual of dry skin brushing may seem like a strictly female skin beautifying regimen to most males, I can assure you that men would also reap the long-term health rewards of a good internal body cleansing. But, they will have to purposely choose to give this simple health strategy half a chance.
There really are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to how often a person should dry brush their skin. But like anything else, you must do it often enough to experience any long-term health benefits. Some advocates of this practice claim that you must do it daily. The best rule of thumb, in my opinion, would be to just to plan on doing it every time you expect to bathe or take a shower, now matter how often that may be.
The Author:
Brenda Skidmore