The Benefits of Dry Brushing

I first learned about dry brushing during my hydrotherapy class in first year naturopathic medical school. Following the class, I promptly purchased a dry brush to help with my detox and improve my overall skin health.

The skin is our body's largest organ - it has many functions that includes controlling our body temperature, provides protection, and helps eliminate waste and other toxins (this is one of the reasons why exercise is so important!).

Reasoning

The benefits of dry brushing includes moving lymph (the lymphatic system helps get rid of waste), increasing circulation, unclogging pores, and removing dead skin cells (making it a great practice at the start of the summer).  This quick treatment requires a dry brush or loofa (with natural bristles if possible) - which can be easily found at a drug store. Ideally, you would want to do this in the morning before you shower - but I like to do this after exercising to help prolong the positive effects.

Directions

Because you're brushing off dead skin, it would be best to do this naked and in the shower. Start with brushing the sole of your right foot and moving up the right leg (as it's farthest from the heart) in upward strokes. Once you reach your bum, move to the left food and leg. At the abdomen brush clockwise, and continue with figure eights on your chest. At this point, move to the right then left arm; and lastly finish with your back.

It's important to brush in upwards stokes as you are moving blood and lymph back to the heart. Once you're finished with the dry brushing, rinse with a cool shower (as cool as you can go).

While many people say that dry brushing should be done every day, you don't want your body to become dependent on this process - therefore every 2-3 days would be ideal.

PS. Have you tried this rejuvenating shower technique?