Welcome to the world of dry brushing, where your lymphatic system meets self-care and your skin gets the VIP treatment it deserves. So, what exactly is this skin-care sensation all about?
Dry brushing is a popular technique used in the detoxification world to help stimulate the lymphatic system. It involves using a natural soft bristle brush to gently move your lymph fluid. Remember, the lymphatic system does not have a pump to move our lymph fluid around. It relies on our natural movement, and anything we can do to help it along is an added bonus—especially if it is stagnated.
To perform dry brushing, you’ll need a natural soft bristle dry brush, which you can easily find at many stores or online. Here’s how to do it:
- Begin by standing in the shower or over a towel, as dry brushing can help dry skin fall off.
- Start at your extremities (fingers and toes) and work your way up, using gentle, long even strokes the length of your arm (or leg) to your heart. Be sure to include your armpits when dry brushing your arms. Brush your belly starting below the groin to the heart, and then brush from your back and over the shoulder to your heart. For each leg, simply cover the length (and back of knees too) all the way up to your heart. You can even dry brush your face and neck down to your heart, hitting all the lymph nodes along the way.
- Use light pressure and gently brush each area several times, overlapping each stroke.
- Avoid sensitive areas or areas with cuts, infections, or rashes.
- Once you’ve brushed your entire body, take a nice warm shower to rinse off any excess exfoliation.
Dry brushing has several benefits, including the following:
- Exfoliation—lightly brushing your skin can help remove dead skin cells, which who doesn’t love?
- Lymphatic stimulation—this is why we’re here. The gentle pressure of dry brushing can help stimulate our lymphatic system, which helps remove toxins from the body. This is so important!
- Improved circulation—the sweeping motions of dry brushing may help to improve blood flow and circulation to the skin, which can promote healing.
- Stress Reduction—dry brushing can be a relaxing and invigorating practice that may help to reduce stress and promote relaxation.
We will cover the amazing topic of our lymph system and the importance of detox in future posts. Until then, a little nugget that may interest you—did you know stagnated lymph fluid can result in cellulite?!
Cover photo by SUN STUDIO CREATIVE on Unsplash