Friday, June 14, 2013

Dry Brushing

Here is a new beauty trick I just started doing, and I had to share it because it's fantastic! Dry Brushing is a technique that will get your skin feeling and looking great all over your body. It will also promote circulation and eliminate toxins. And it's so simple to do!

Vegetable Bristle Brush. This is what I use. It's very important to avoid a brush with synthetic fibers because that will irritate your skin. You can buy this one or another one, preferably with bristles made from vegetable fibers. 

Immediately before I shower, I take the brush and use short, firm sweeps along my skin. Two things to remember: Your skin and the brush MUST be completely dry (hence the name) otherwise it will stretch and tug at your skin, possibly damaging it. Secondly, always brush the skin towards the heart. I start with my feet, go up my legs, from my spine horizontally to my front, circle around my belly button, and from my hands to my shoulders. This takes about 2 minutes to do, then I hop in the shower and wash just like normal. After my shower I use body oil to moisturize.

The point of dry brushing is to exfoliate the skin and remove toxins. I've been doing it for only a week and I already have noticed a positive difference in my skin quality. I'm hoping it will help my postpartum belly get back to its original shape, and I will report more on that later (baby is still cooking inside me at the moment). But what I love about dry brushing -- besides the obvious benefits -- is the invigorating "rush" it gives me in the morning. Adding this to my routine really wakes me up and makes me feel refreshed.