Dry brushing has become one of my FAVORITE daily detox rituals!

Dry brushing is exactly what it sounds like, brushing completely dry skin with a dry body brush. Dry brushing stimulates your lymphatic system while exfoliating and brightening the skin! While it is totally your preference whether you do it before or after a shower (I have heard people say before is better, and some say after is better- I say find what works for you!) there is a method to the direction you brush.

It is said in order to reap the maximum benefits of dry brushing to always brush in small circular stokes towards the heart; starting at the feet up the legs, and then moving to the hands working up the arms. As far as the amount of pressure you should apply: again- find what works for you. This isn’t supposed to hurt- so don’t go cray cray and press too hard, but you definitely want to give light to medium pressure in order for it to actually do something!

According to Byrdie.com: since dry brushing can leave your skin feeling a little raw (it is total body exfoliation, after all), it’s up to you to decide how often you can/want do it. As a general rule of thumb: women with ultra-sensitive skin should only dry brush once every couple of weeks. For everyone else they recommend one to two times per week. However, I try to dry brush as often as I remember to- which usually comes out to about five times a week.

I bought my Yerba Prima Tampico Skin Brush (which has plant-derived bristles AKA this dry brush is vegan friendly and cruelty-free!) at Whole Foods for less than $10 🙂 After I brush I always follow it up with a hydrating body oil or body cream like the ones found in my Vegan Beauty Products blog post!

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4 Reasons you should start dry brushing:

1. Boost Circulation

When you dry brush your skin it increases circulation which encourages the elimination of metabolic waste!

2. Lymphatic Support

The lymphatic system is a key part of our body’s immune system. It is made up of organs and lymph nodes, ducts and vessels that transport lymph throughout the body. Many of these lymph vessels run just below the skin and proponents of dry brushing claim that brushing the skin regularly helps stimulate the normal lymph flow within the body and help the body detoxify itself naturally.

3. Exfoliate

Running a firm bristled body brush over the skin will help loosen and remove dead skin cells!

4. Cleans and Minimizes Pores

While you are exfoliating the skin, you are also clearing oil, dirt and residue from the pores.

In addition to the 4 reasons above, many people have also said that dry brushing has helped to reduce cellulite! I haven’t been dry brushing for long enough to say whether that is true or not, but what I can say is that my skin is SO much more soft now that I dry brush everyday!

If you have any question feel free to leave me a comment- I am happy to answer them!