Why dry skin brushing? Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body? In addition to being your largest organ, your skin is probably one of your most important organs. It supports detoxifying the majority of your bodies waste products, through both sweat and cellular respiration. It shields and protects all of your internal organs, and finally, the health of your skin is important because your skin is responsible for transforming things (such as sunlight) into needed vitamins for your body (such as vitamin D). Your skin is also one the best organs for detoxification, and as a matter of fact, it is known that there are some substances, such as some heavy metals, that can only be detoxified through the skin.
What can dry skin brushing do for you? I began dry skin brushing after having my fourth child; I had heard that it would help with the cellulite I saw beginning to form on my legs. I knew I was getting older, but I wasn’t ready for cellulite! In addition to getting rid of cellulite, I have found dry skin brushing to be very beneficial for my circulation, my lymphatic system, my skin and muscle tone and interestingly (strangely too) even my digestion. I have noticed fewer blemishes, smaller pores, and certainly no more cosmetic induced rashes, which I used to get a lot because I have such translucent, thin skin.
How do I get started dry skin brushing? First get yourself a dry skin brush. I found mine for $1.08 at – of all places – Walmart. Make sure it has natural bristles – because the synthetic ones scratch you all up – and make sure it has a long handle to reach all over your body.
Begin brushing the bottom of your feet from your heel to your toe. This is actually the direction of the energy flow on your body, as viewed in Oriental Medicine. Next, brush your legs. Make sure to brush the front of your legs up towards your chest, and the back of your legs down towards the ground (once again, with the energy flow). Brush your belly in counter clockwise circular motions and do the same to each of your breast areas, only do it a little lighter on your breasts, because, well, you’re so sensitive there it might be uncomfortable.
Brush your arms next. Once again, brush the back of them down and the front of them up. Then, when you go to brush your back, brush it down in as long of strokes as you can get. Do this to your rear-end too! Lastly, brush the back of your neck all over, downward and in a sweeping motion. Sometimes I even like to finish up by brushing my scalp in little circular motions all over my head.
BACK DOWN, FRONT UP. That’s your dry skin brushing mantra. While some people believe that you should always brush towards your heart, and some people believe you should always brush down, it’s my belief and experience that you should brush in the direction of your bodies energy flows. It’s like applying paint – don’t we always apply paint in the direction of the wood grain? It looks better, stays on longer, and goes on the easiest. This is also true of dry skin brushing. By brushing in the direction of your natural flows of energy, you honor and amplify them.
You should brush your whole body two to three times. This will only take a couple of minutes – sort of like brushing your teeth. Afterwards, dry skin brushing is best followed by a hot bath or shower to further extract any surface toxins that you may have stirred up.
Lastly, let’s talk about commitment. For you to begin to see results, it is important you do this daily for at least SIX WEEKS. Don’t think you’ll banish cellulite in 3 days or something crazy like that. Whenever you begin to integrate natural health ideas into your life, you need to be patient. However, the more patient you are, the more long lasting the results will be! Happy brushing.