Brush Your Body, Not Just Your Hair

Body brushing, also known as dry brushing, sounded like a really weird concept to me when I first heard of it. You mean exfoliate in the shower with a loofah, right? No, actually. Body brushing literally involves taking a body brush (or a dry loofah!) and gently brushing your dry body before you shower.

It sounded pretty creepy to me. Anyone else with me?

Oh. Just me? That’s ok.

Anyway, I was game to try it. I followed the directions from my friend and gathered insight from other bloggers. I was amazed at how much I loved it! True, it exfoliated my skin and sloughed off dead skin cells so they could be rinsed away in the shower, but there is a lot more going on that you may not notice right away.

Why Should You Dry Brush Your Body?

Your skin is your largest organ and it’s responsible for 1/4 of all of your body’s detoxification. A fourth! Did you also know that your skin eliminates two pounds of waste acids each day from your body?

Can we just pause for a moment and let the reality of that statement sink in?

TWO POUNDS of waste. Eliminated EVERY DAY. Through your SKIN!

Your skin also receives 1/3 of the blood that is circulated through your body. If you have toxins floating around in your blood, your skin will show it. Your skin might be the last organ to receive nutrients from your body, but it’s the first to show signs of toxic buildup or nutritional deficiencies.

This is why most skin conditions like acne and eczema find their root cause in the digestive system. So changing your diet would be step #1, but you can also address the issue from the outside in with body brushing.

Benefits of Body Brushing

There are oodles of benefits to dry brushing. Heaps. Scads. Tons. Lots.

And for your knowledge-gaining pleasure, here they are:

• Increases circulation, which stimulates the body’s release of metabolic waste, which aids in lymphatic drainage, which in turn helps boost kidney & digestive function (don’t you love how holistic our bodies are ?!)
• Exfoliates dead skin cells
• Promotes tighter skin & cell renewal
• Stimulates nerve beds in the skin, which encourages your body’s natural healing processes
• Opens clogged pores, allowing the skin to more easily absorb nutrients
• Helps with muscle tone and even distribution of fat deposits

A note on cellulite: You’ve probably heard that body brushing can help get rid of cellulite. I’m certainly not going to say that it doesn’t, but if body brushing is the only measure you’re taking against cellulite, it’s unlikely that you’ll see marked results. You need to be committed to body brushing AND regular exercise AND a clean diet with plenty of water.

How to Brush Your Body

Here’s a step-by-step guide to body brushing. Easy, peasy.

1. Stand in the shower before getting wet.
2. Use a brush made with natural fibers (not synthetic). You can find them made of palm fiber, jute, or a loofah, with long handles, short handles, or without. Lots of options!
3. With gentle but firm pressure, brush your body using long, slow strokes — always moving toward your heart. Start at the bottom of your feet and brush all the way up your leg, then move to your hands, brushing up to your shoulder, and in an upward direction on your torso.
4. Brush each area of your body multiple times, trying to overlap areas as you brush.
5. Avoid any sensitive or broken areas of the skin.
6. Shower as usual.

The 30 Day Body Brushing Challenge

Now the rubber meets the road. If you really want to see the benefits of increased circulation, improved digestion, and clear, glowing skin from dry brushing, then commit to doing it at least once a day, every day for 3o days. If you’re sick or not feeling well, do it twice a day. You’ll be amazed at your body’s ability to heal itself when you give it a little kick-start and support.

So who’s in? Leave a comment below if you’re going to join me in the 30 Day Body Brushing Challenge. And feel free to share your experience with body brushing if you’ve done it before!