Dry Skin Brushing: Step-by-Step Tutorial and Why You Need It

Have you ever tried dry skin brushing? It’s a simple way to exfoliate the skin, reduce cellulite, and flush toxins out of the body. It’s so easy. Here’s a dry skin brushing step-by-step tutorial on how to do it effectively and see results in 30 days.

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When I first heard about dry skin brushing, my reaction was… that’s it? I just take a brush and rub it on my skin for a few minutes and that helps to reduce cellulite and get toxins out of my body? Yep, that’s exactly it. Now there is a technique to it, but it’s actually pretty simple.

I’m going to show you how easy it is to do in this step-by-step guide, but first let’s talk about the benefits of dry skin brushing.

How Does Dry Skin Brushing Work?

Dry brushing works by exfoliating the skin and stimulating the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system works in tandem with the vascular system and is in charge of helping the body detoxify.

Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing

1. It helps the body to flush out toxins.

One of the biggest benefits of dry skin brushing is that it helps to lymphatic system flush out toxins. The lymphatic system is a network of nodes, vessels, glands and organs that affect almost every part of the body. Its primary role is to flush out toxins and protect against harmful invaders. It basically carries the waste out from the tissues and into the blood stream. From there the toxins are filtered through the spleen, the largest lymphatic tissue in the body.¹

Dry skin brushing helps to stimulate the lymphatic system and boosts circulation. That means toxins built up in the tissues can drain properly.

Tip: Other things that can help the lymphatic system are rebounding exercises (like jumping up and down or jumping on a trampoline) and drinking lemon water (I love to put a couple of drops of lemon essential oil in my water).

2.It helps to exfoliate the skin.

The firm bristles on a dry skin brush help to exfoliate the skin without any skin care product. You can literally just brush the skin (without water or beauty products) to remove dead skin cells… leaving behind smooth, silky skin that feels like it’s been in a spa all day.

3. It helps to reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Because dry skin brushing helps to stimulate flow in the lymphatic system, it may be able to help reduce the appearance of cellulite too. Dry brushing increasing the blood flow to the skin and the brushing itself helps to smooth out the skin, making it softer.

4. It helps to unclog pores.

Dry skin brushing exfoliates the skin, removing dead skin cells, and helps to unclog pores. This is great for areas that are acne or blemish prone like the face and back. Just make sure to use a smaller, softer bristle dry brush for the face.

5. It helps to boost energy.

Dry skin brushing is really invigorating… like you’ll want to go for a walk or exercise afterwards. There’s something so energizing about the dry brush bristles on the skin. So be sure to do dry skin brushing in the morning or the afternoon when you need an energy boost.

Dry Skin Brushing Tutorial: How to Dry Brush

The method to dry skin brush is actually really easy, but there is a series of steps to follow. I’ll show you in this step-by-step guide.

1. Use a natural skin brush that has firm bristles and either a long handle or a grip so you can easily cover all areas of the body.
2. Get naked and go into the tub or shower. Don’t turn the water on. You want to dry brush in the tub/shower because it’ll be easier to wash area the dead skin cells.
3. Start brushing from bottom to top. Start at your feet and brush in long strokes (I like to go in circles going down and up). Brush over each area several times, about 5-10 times. Brush towards the heart/chest area.
   
4. Once you’ve brushed the whole body, shower off to remove any remaining dead skin cells.
5. Pat the body dry and use coconut or almond oil (add 2-3 drops Lavender or Frankincense essential oil) to moisturize the skin.
6. The whole process takes about 5-10 minutes a day. Remember, dry skin brushing does invigorate the skin and you’ll likely feel energized afterwards so do it in the morning or at a time when you’re not immediately going to bed.
7. Do this every day, even up to twice a day for optimal results.

Clean your dry skin brush with soap and water weekly, and let it air dry. Replace your dry skin brush every 6-12 months, or as needed.

Give it a try and see how you feel after just 30 days.

Dry Skin Brushing on Sensitive Skin

If you’re considering giving dry brushing use medium-firm, plant-based brush for the body. The brush should never break the skin and it also shouldn’t hurt. Also, don’t use the same brush on your face as you do your body, since your face is much more delicate and needs a softer brush.

Brushing too vigorously can create small micro-cuts and cause irritation and dryness. Try not to rub so hard as to cause irritation.

Dry brushing is not recommended for people with sensitive skin or skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and excessive dry skin, as it can aggravate the condition—and also cause often painful irritation. For those with a common skin condition called keratosis pilaris (KP) or ‘chicken skin,’ dry brushing could theoretically improve with exfoliation, however it can also worsen the condition since it can cause irritation is done too frequently, too strong, and too aggressively.

Mastering Dry Skin Brushing

The brush strokes should be medium pressure—you want to feel something happening without irritating the skin. Long strokes are the best; you are trying to push up lymph fluid, and that requires a delicate and rhythmic touch. You’ll also want to do each pass more than once, and overlap sections while brushing.

Top Tips For Dry Skin Brushing

• Brush in the morning to start of the day invigorated!
• Use a medium to medium-firm natural bristle skin brush.
• After brushing use coconut or almond oil to moisturize.
• rebounding exercises  – like jumping up and down or jumping on a trampoline – also help the lymphatic system.

More Health + Wellness Posts

• DIY Coffee Body Scrub
• Homemade Body Butter
• DIY Orange and Cedarwood Sugar Scrub
• Relaxing Lavender Bath Salts

Did you try these tips? Don’t forget to comment below to let me know how it went. You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see what other fun things I’m getting up to.

Photo credit: Bigstockphoto.com / matka_Wariatka / Peter Hermes Furian / RossHelen

References: 1. The Chalkboard, Detox Your Lymph