“If you have poor blood flow to your connective tissues, they will swell and stretch apart, allowing fat to bulge through, giving you cellulite,” explains Marilyn. Dry body brushing – also called skin brushing – helps to break up these fatty deposits over time, leaving your limbs looking and feeling smoother, firmer and more toned. Sure, it won’t completely banish cellulite, but you will notice a difference with regular use.
2. Dry body brushing for lymphatic drainage: it can help boost immunity
Dry body brushing also aids lymphatic drainage. The lymphatic system – made up of organs, lymph nodes, ducts and vessels – is a major part of the body’s immune system which helps to remove the build up of bacteria, toxins and pathogens from our bodies better than any cleanser ever could. Most of the lymph vessels that make up your lymphatic system sit just under the skin. As such, dry body brushing every morning helps to stimulate the lymphatic system by detoxifying your body naturally, strengthening our immune systems and lessening our susceptibility to illness.
3. Dry body brushing can boost your energy levels
You can put down your coffee mug – dry body brushing helps to boost energy levels. How? It increases blood flow and stimulates circulation as previously mentioned, leaving us feeling more awake in return. Ditch your bedtime brush for a morning dry body brushing session before a day at the home office and you’ll begin to notice a difference.
4. Dry body brushing is a great way to exfoliate if you don’t like using harsh body scrubs
If you’ve got sensitive skin and find that using a body scrub leaves your skin feeling sore, irritated and aggravated, then dry body brushing is a great alternative. It’s a really effective way of gently shedding dead skin cells away while you’re moving your brush around in circular motions, which will leave your skin feeling softer and more able to absorb the good-for-skin ingredients in your body moisturiser in the long run.
5. Dry body brushing can help to prevent ingrown hairs (hallelujah!)
Ingrown hairs are pesky AF. The good news? Dry body brushing can help to prevent them. How? Brushing regularly helps to encourage cell turnover and reduce the clogging of pores which result in ingrown hairs in the first place.
Dry body brushing method: What is the best dry body brushing technique?
Before you shop for a dry body brush and scrub away like your life depends on it, it’s advisable you get the technique right. Dry body brushing is best practised first thing in the morning – every morning, in fact – for two or three minutes before you shower. “Remember to always brush toward your heart,” adds Dr. Glenville.
Use firm, rhythmic strokes in circular motions to brush the sole of your right foot. Then brush over the top of your foot toward your ankle.
Move to your lower leg, cover the whole surface. Brush from your knees to the top of your thigh. Brush your buttock area up to your waist. Repeat on your left leg.
Brush at the top of your buttocks and move upward. Brush the whole of your back up to your shoulders.
Brush your right arm, paying particular attention to the area around your armpit. Repeat on your left arm.
Finish by brushing gently over your throat and neck.
What’s the deal with dry body brushing during pregnancy?
There are lots of benefits to dry body brushing during pregnancy – as long as you do it gently. It will provide an extra boost of energy (much-needed when you’re carrying a little one) as well as lymphatic support and extra exfoliation to reduce cellulite during and postpartum.
There are tonnes of dry body brushes that claim to help you achieve the desired results, so it can be tricky to know where to start. Fear not – we’ve rounded up the best brushes for dry body brushing below.