Boost your mood with dry body brushing
Do you have the blues? Have you been feeling down and just can’t get out and don’t see how? Try dry body brushing (dry skin brushing) as a quick and effective way to beat the blues. Dry body brushing has many benefits, one of which is the invigorating feeling that results from brushing. Your skin, your blood, and your overall health benefit from doing this for just a few minutes every day before you shower.
Our skin is the largest organ in our body, yet it is most often neglected. We rarely think about what we can do to take care of it besides smearing on some cream. Dry body brushing is the most natural and effective way to immediately start seeing and feeling results all over your body.
Some benefits:
- Get your heart rate up
- Boost your mood and energy.
- It circulates blood and lymph throughout the body.
- remove dead skin
- Tones the skin and helps with cellulite.
- Helps eliminate toxins by accelerating waste elimination.
When you start dry brushing, your heart rate will increase enough to get your blood flowing in the morning and invigorate you. The feeling of brushing, along with the flow of blood, instantly lifts your spirits. You’ll feel energized and ready to go, and once you shower you’ll feel brand new and refreshed.
Consider that your lymph is part of your body’s filtration system, which moves nutrients through the blood cells and removes toxins. Helping your lymphatic system function at its optimal level helps remove toxic buildup in your blood, cells, and organs. You will begin to cleanse your body internally by simply brushing the outside.
As a bonus, dead skin cells will slough off, revealing fresh, new skin. Dry body brushing does more than just a harsher chemical peel as it seems to “wake up your skin” from the inside out and you’ll notice a whole new glow and feel after just a few days of doing this. Plus, it’s natural and doing what’s natural instead of using harsh chemicals is always what’s best for your body.
Some claim that dry body brushing improves the appearance of cellulite or even eliminates it by removing the toxins said to cause it. Whether or not this happens, you’ll see improvements in the tone, color and texture of your skin looking its best.
what brush to use
It’s easy to find a dry brush that’s suitable for brushing your entire body. They can be easily found in many grocery and natural food stores in the bath or beauty sections. You will probably find a varied selection of brushes, but don’t overwhelm yourself worrying about the choice. Simply choose a body brush with natural bristles and a long handle. Most natural brushes have a wooden handle as opposed to the plastic handle that many synthetic brushes have.
A quick perusal of the attached labels, or asking store associates for help, will help you find a natural bristle brush. You may also want a very small brush designed specifically for your face, as the large brush will be too big, cumbersome, and too hard for your delicate facial tissue. Most basic natural brushes can be purchased cheaply for less than $10.00 (US).
Preparation
It is highly recommended to start with a warm room, as it will make you feel better while brushing all your bare skin. If you have a heat lamp, heat vent, or heated floor, turn it on for a few minutes before you get in the shower to dry your brush. It will feel like a warm hug as you pamper yourself with brushing. Think of it as a 5-minute spa experience every day and something you give yourself as an enriching gift. You’ll feel warm and invigorated by the full experience each day.
How to dry brush your body
It doesn’t matter if you choose to brush from head to toe or head to toe, as long as the brush strokes move towards the heart. You want to move the lymph back to the heart so that it circulates throughout your system. You also want to avoid damaging blood or lymphatic vessels and causing varicose veins through undue pressure in the wrong direction on the vessels.
Just start stroking the brush over your skin. A good long, forceful blow to the heart is best without applying unnecessary pressure. You don’t have to strain to apply more pressure than the brushing action requires.
Simply continue brushing in motions toward your heart, either from the top down or the bottom up of your entire body. Use counterclockwise movements on your stomach towards your heart. When you’re done, turn on the shower and wash away any dead skin cells and toxins that are on the surface of your body. Some recommend a blast of cold water at the end of the shower to close the skin’s pores and add vigor and health benefits. This will be your preference of “cold blast” or not.
If you find that you like to take more than 5 minutes to brush your skin every day, start extending the amount of time. Fifteen minutes is optimal and highly beneficial, but even five minutes will greatly improve your physical and mental health. A good rule of thumb to start with would be 7-10 hits per area to start with.
Never brush so much that your skin is red. If you notice redness on your skin, you may be applying too much pressure or brushing for too long, so cut back on both and see if it improves. Again, with the proper brushing technique, redness should never occur. You may see your skin temporarily redden due to increased blood circulation on the surface, but that goes away very quickly as you move on to the next area.
taking care of your brush
Remember to clean your brush as often as you prefer, but once or twice a week is suggested. Simply use a natural soap, one without chemicals, to gently cleanse the bristles and hang to dry. That is all.
If you start this inexpensive and simple regiment every day, you should see your mood improve, your skin glow, and your overall health improve. After a month of doing this the benefits will be quite obvious, so give yourself time to see the small improvements each day and know that you are helping your body heal, rejuvenate and your mind will love you for it too!
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Seek the advice of a medical professional for any medical treatment.