I looked at my elbows this morning. They are not ready to see the light. Then I looked at my bum and thighs. Oh my, I got a fright… see what I did there? ;) My point is this: Dry Body Brushing is the best way to get your skin silky soft and smooth and get your circulation going (and that will in turn help with the dreaded orange peel). That is what I think at least. Problem is that my brush has been collecting dust. I hate brushing in winter because it’s just too cold. The weather was lovely yesterday and I did a proper full body brush. It felt so good.

So I thought I’d share an article I wrote for Beauty Bulletin ages ago about dry body brushing. It first appeared HERE. Hope you find it useful. Summer is on its way!

Dry Body Brushing

It’s summer girls! Are you ready to show off soft, healthy and glowing skin after this beauty treatment? The best way to achieve this is through regular exfoliation. You have to get rid of the dull top layer of dead skin to expose newer, fresher-looking skin. The best way that I’ve found to get my skin silky soft, is through dry body brushing.

Dry body brushing not only leaves your skin amazingly smooth and healthy, but it also has other great benefits: it stimulates circulation, assists in lymph drainage and detoxification, stimulates the production of sebum to nourish dry skin, it aids to combat cellulite and many more.

It’s best to use a brush with natural bristles that are quite firm. If your skin is very sensitive, you may want to start with a softer brush. I recommend a brush with a detachable handle, this way you can use it with and without the handle and easily reach every part of your body.

I prefer to body brush in the morning just before I jump in the shower. It really is invigorating and certainly wakes you up! It’s recommended to do it every day, but my skin is way too sensitive for that. I do it 3 times a week.

Important points to remember:

• Only perform on dry skin
• Always brush towards your heart
• Use gentle but firm strokes (if it hurts, ease up on the pressure)
• Cover each area with up to 7 strokes
• Avoid sensitive areas like the skin around the breast
• Never brush sun burnt skin
• Do not dry body brush during pregnancy without consulting your doctor first!
• Make sure to take good care of brush so that it can take good care of your skin.

This is how you do it:

Start at the soles of your feet moving your way up. Make sure to cover both parts of your feet. Continue the upward brush strokes up the leg, moving from your ankle right up to your hips. Make sure to give your bum a good brush too. Now brush your tummy and back. Remember to be very gentle when brushing the décolletage. Finish off with brushing your arms – from your fingertips to your shoulders. Make sure to cover your whole body.

Your skin will be a little red afterwards as blood circulation has been increased, but the skin will return to normal in a couple of minutes. After I brush and shower, I like to apply a nice thick layer of my favourite body cream and then I’m good to go.

To be very honest, my brush collected dust over the winter period as I was just too cold (and lazy) to keep up with my routine. I started up again about two weeks ago and the difference was noticeable in just a couple of days. No body scrub, glove or loofah has ever made my skin look and feel as great as regular dry body brushing does.

Try it. I can guarantee that you will love the results!

xoxo