Dry brushing exfoliates dead skin cells, stimulates the lymphatic system, reduces cellulite, unclogs pores, and decongests the skin. If you’re suffering from a cold, try dry brushing then taking a hot bath to kick it and start feeling better. With there being so many benefits from dry brushing, we thought we’d put together a blog post to teach you everything you need to know to get started.
Finding The Right Brush
You want to find a brush with firm bristles in order to for the dry brushing to be effective. It should also have an easy-to-grip handle for easy, even brush strokes. Shop our favorite dry brushes here, here, or here.
Using The Right Strokes
Use long, upward strokes starting at your feet and work up, stroking in the direction of your heart. Always dry brush right before taking a shower or bath and be sure to moisturize well afterwards.
How Often You Should Brush
How often you should dry brush depends on your skin’s tolerance and how firm your brush’s bristles are (the less firm the bristles are, the more often you can dry brush). It can vary anywhere between twice a week to twice a month, or you can work up to dry brushing everyday or every other day. If you’re new to dry brushing, start out slow with a mild brush. It may feel uncomfortable the first few times you do it until your skin builds up its tolerance. Keep in mind that dry brushing can cause slight swelling of the skin, but this is only temporary and should almost immediately go down. Remember, just like any other form of exfoliation, you’ll want to space out treatments. Dry brushing too frequently can lead to skin irritations and stroking too hard could cause micro-cuts which can lead to infections or tiny scarring of the skin. Our best advice is to start with a softer brush and dry brush once a week, bumping it up if you’re tolerating it well or backing off if needed.
Do you think you’ll give dry brushing a try? Or are you a long time dry brusher with more tips to share? Leave us a comment below!