Dry Skin Brushing

Your skin is your largest single organ within your body, and the one responsible for removing about a quarter of the toxins from your body daily. Because of this, it is the most important of all of your waste elimination organs! Dry skin brushing is an ancient technique to aid in the skin's ability to release and remove toxins from your body. Many cultures have historically practiced dry skin brushing. Among the Japanese, it was traditional to brush the skin vigorously with a loofah prior to taking the traditional hot bath. Ancient Greek athletes used a tool known as the strigiles after strenuous exercise in order to both clean the skin and promote healthy circulation. The Comanche Indians traditionally used river sand to scrub their skin, and Cherokee Indians used dry corn cobs in order to enhance the strength and beauty of the skin. Within traditional naturopathic writings, dry skin brushing is commonly referred to as a dry friction bath.

The benefits of dry skin brushing are many. Dry skin brushing works to exfoliate dead skin cells, aids in stimulating circulation, assists the lymphatic system in removing toxins from the body, and promotes healthy, glowing skin. It is probably one of the simplest and most cost effective ways of promoting overall health and beauty available.

When choosing a body brush for dry skin brushing, you will want to choose a natural bristle brush as synthetic bristles can actually produce toxins themselves. Body brushes generally come in two different styles – ones that fit in the palm of your hands and ones with a handle on them. Sometimes you can find a palm brush that included a handle to extend it. Body brushes with handles work well on the back of your body, but may be a little difficult to use in close in areas such as your feet. Choose the stiffest bristles you can stand. The stiffer the bristles are on your body brush, the better as you will be able to generate more lymphatic system stimulation. If your skin is really delicate currently, you may have to work your way up to a stiffer brush over time. Cactus body brushes are excellent for this technique.

• Its best to sit or stand on a towel or in your tub to collect any dead skin from exfoliation. 
• Do not wet yourself or the brush – this will stretch your skin and you will not get the same benefit.
• Wash your body brush after use to every few weeks and allow it to dry completely before using again.
• Always start with the bottom of your feet first.  Acupuncturists will tell you that the nerves in the soles of your feet are connected to every other area of your body.   
• Always brush inward and upward towards the heart.
• Move up from the feet to the legs, brushing up your torso.
• Start again at the fingertips and move inwards towards your heart.
• When brushing the areas of the breast and neck, they may be more sensitive than other parts of your skin and require you to be more gentle at first.  The more you use dry skin brushing, the more they will strength and become less sensitive.
• When brushing your stomach and abdominal area, use counter-clockwise strokes.

It is generally recommended to use dry skin brushing once or twice a day.

Keep up your dry skin brushing and you will assist your body in detoxifying, increase your circulation, and increase the natural beauty of your skin.  Skin brushing is also notorious for increasing your energy level because of these effect.