Did you know your skin is actually your largest organ of elimination and detoxification for your body? We may not really think of our skin this way, but it makes sense, it covers our entire body and is responsible for detoxification and excretion of over one third of our body’s daily impurities. That’s no small job!
And we know that in order to function at our optimal levels and stay healthy and fit we must take good care of the inside of our bodies, so doesn’t our skin deserve the same?
Between the food we eat, the stuff we slather on our skin, and the toxins we absorb through the air, our skin takes on a lot everyday. But one simple ritual can help naturally assist your skin in daily detoxification. Want to know more? Read on to learn how to dry skin brush to detoxify and beautify the largest organ on your body.
Your Skin and The Lymphatic System
In simple terms your lymphatic system is essentially your body’s built in waste disposal system. It’s made up of a network of vessels, tissues, and organs who’s primary function is to transport infection fighting white blood cells via lymph fluid, and help move toxins and waste out of the body via lymph nodes.
The body contains more lymph fluid than blood and does not have a “pump mechanism” like the heart to move it through the body.
So if there is no pump system, how does lymph fluid have a chance to move out of the body as it needs to? Well, it does so by way of stimulation with things like exercise, brisk walking, rebounding (jumping on a trampoline), yoga, massage, cleansing, and dry skin brushing.
It turns out, your skin is one of your lymphatic system’s best allies, so why not join in the alliance with a detoxifying and invigorating dry skin brush?
Health Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing
- Stimulates the flow of the lymphatic system
- Detoxifies the body by eliminating dead skin cells
- Increases blood flow and circulation
- Reduces appearance of cellulite
- Keeps skin in peak condition adding a healthy glow
- Invigorating
How to Dry Skin Brush
About 3 minutes is all the time you need. I have a hard time not making it last longer though – it’s just so invigorating – either way, you’ll reap the benefits.
Make sure your brush and skin are both dry. You want to do this right before a shower or bath, whether it’s morning or evening doesn’t matter. I like to dry brush right inside the shower and wash all those icky dead skin cells down once I start the water. For extra detoxification benefits try soaking in a nice hot warming mustard bath (recipe here) after you dry skin brush.
Once a day is ideal for best results, but at least 3 times a week will still do a whole lot of good.
The method is important, since you are stimulating lymph flow and drainage you need to follow it’s natural path, so always brush toward your heart. Start with your feet, working your way up your body using long strokes, move onto your arms, and end at your abdomen and back, applying enough pressure but not so much that it hurts.
Give a little extra love to areas that contain lymph nodes and areas you want to reduce cellulite like the backs of your knees, thighs, buttocks, upper arms, armpits, and abdomen. Circular brushing on your abdomen benefits healthy digestion too. The following tutorial will show you exactly how to become a dry skin brushing pro in no time!
Where Do I Get a Dry Skin Brush?
You want a brush with natural bristles, not synthetic ones. You can get them in most health food stores or online. Personally I like this circular Mio Body Brush 
Ready to get your brush on for that beautiful healthy glow?! Your skin will love you :) I promise.
Have you experienced the benefits of healthy skin from dry skin brushing? Share in the comments below!
What a great clean looking and well organised site. I am a big fan of skin brushing but have really let it slip of late, so this article really helped remind me of the benefits! I shall be searching for my brush as soon as i get home tonight :) The video is a good idea too, as I find it easier to follow how something is done visually. Thanks.
Thanks a lot, and my pleasure! It’s nice to hear that you have experienced the benefits of dry skin brushing, and it makes me happy that this reminded you to start again :) I am also a super visual person, as many are, so I hope the “how to” video will come in handy for others as well. Enjoy your brushing!
Hi Jess, I love this post, I have previously heard about this dry skin brushing not so long ago and I thought wow this is a great idea. I always get itchy legs tho, especially when the humidity is high in the heat, do you think this would add to my problem or maybe even take it away? I am going to get one regardless, I think this is a great post and found it very interesting to read, thank you :)
Hi! I’m so happy you found the post interesting. Yay, I’m excited for you to experience the benefits of dry skin brushing, it will feel fabulous to exfoliate your legs, some of that itching may be caused by dry skin but it will also stimulate blood flow and detoxification which should make that go away.
Good luck, enjoy, and let me know how it goes :)
I read your article about How to Dry Skin Brush to detoxify and beautify. Self care is very important for our body. It is very essential to keep our body clean and free of germs. Your article is very clear and detailed and you have given a very thorough insight about detoxification. I really enjoyed a lot reading your article.
Thank you Shivaram! Absolutely, self care is extremely important for our physical bodies. I’m glad that you enjoyed learning how this particular type of self care process yields so many benefits. The difference in the appearance of your skin is fantastic with regular use of a dry skin brush plus it feels great :)
the problem which i have, is that i dry brush too much when i have a bath which causes scratches later through the day. i dont know how much is enough so i think i might need to change to a softer brush for my skin as it is very sensitive.
Yeah, you definitely don’t want to put too much pressure and brush too hard or it can cause your skin to be tender, especially if it’s sensitive. Lighter pressure combined with the correct pattern of strokes will do the job. Two things I can suggest to fix that would be trying the brush recommended in this post as the bristles are pretty soft and watching the video tutorial for the proper technique. Hope this helps! Best of luck :)