If you aren’t dry brushing your skin, you should be

Most of us have a pretty similar bathing or showering routine.

Get undressed; adjust the water to the desired temperature; step into the shower or tub; get skin wet; lather up with soap or bath gel; and then rinse off one final time. That routine seems to be effective at removing dirt, oil, and dead skin cells. Your skin feels and looks healthy, glowing and, most importantly, clean after your bath or shower, right?

In fact, one of the newest spa trends can actually not only help you get your skin even cleaner after your shower or bath, but can also improve your health and well-being.

As an added bonus, it only takes a few extra minutes before you get into your shower or bath. This new skin care routine is known as dry brushing and is so simple that you might want to consider recommending it to your patients. Read further to find out what it actually involves and how it can be beneficial.

What is dry brushing, and how should it be done?

As the name suggests, dry brushing involves running a medium- to hard-bristled brush over your skin, from head to toe, before getting into your shower or bath. Dry brushing your body is similar to exfoliating your face. It removes the top layer of dead skin cells, dirt and oil, revealing softer skin underneath.

How to dry brush your skin

Use a brush with a relatively long handle, so that you can reach your entire body. Brush hard enough to invigorate your skin, but not enough for it to hurt, irritate, or turn red. Start at your feet and move upward with long sweeping motions toward your heart, following the path of your circulatory system.

Brush your arms from your fingertips, up toward your shoulders. Don’t use scrubbing or circular motions.

What are some additional benefits of dry brushing?

In addition to improving the appearance of your skin, dry brushing can have other benefits. Perhaps the biggest is that it can help get the circulation system moving, which can both make you look and feel more invigorated.

Similarly, dry brushing can also stimulate your lymphatic system to get moving, thereby removing toxins and waste from your cells. This can boost your immune system to help keep you healthy, and make you less susceptible to illness.

In addition, dry brushing helps clean out your pores on more than just your face. When you consider that the skin is the largest organ of the body, there are so many other areas of your skin that could benefit from having the pores unclogged. Furthermore, cleaning out your pores helps boost your skin’s natural ability to remove toxins through the pores because they will not be clogged with dirt, oil, and dead skin cells.

Finally, dry brushing your skin can simply make you feel good. If you have ever had an invigorating massage designed to stimulate your lymphatic system, you understand how energized you can feel afterward. A good dry brushing can work in much the same way.

If your patients have a skin condition, such as psoriasis, dry brushing may be contra-indicated. However, if your patients are in good health, it could be an excellent suggestion to help them both feel energized and boost their immune system.