The secret to healthy-looking (cellulite free) skin lies in your commitment to caring for it. While we are committed to the regular cleansing-toning-moisturising of the face, here’s something that will improve the overall health and well-being of not just your facial skin but also your skin overall your body. We’re talking about dry body brushing!
From exfoliating your skin to helping you detox your body, you absolutely need to include dry body brushing in your daily skin care routine. As the name suggests, dry brushing is brushing the skin in a particular manner using a dry brush, ideally before shower.
Here’s a low-down on the benefits of dry body brushing...
Exfoliates skin
Did you know? Running a firm, bristled brush over your skin helps loosen and remove dead skin cells and alleviate uneven texture to reveal smoother skin. Dry brushing is a natural way of exfoliating. If you include dry body brushing as part of your daily skin care regimen, you will notice less dry skin and much softer skin within a few days or weeks. And, no it’s not a time-consuming method. Each time you head for a shower, take the brush along with you and dry-brush your entire body for the first 5-7 minutes.
Clean pores
Exfoliating clears all the dirt, oil and residue from the pores, thereby leaving you with clean and smaller pores. Do not use the same brush for your face and body. Your body brush is stiffer, whereas you need to use a gentler brush for your face so as to not injure yourself. Once you dry brush your facial skin, you will notice that the pores on your face are much less noticeable.
Reduces acne, blackheads and cellulite
The build-up of dead skin cells often results in clogged pores and excess oil which in turn leads to skin blemishes such as acne and blackheads. To prevent your skin from looking dull, try dry brushing. Use a delicate facial brush to dry brush your face. Not to forget the fact that dry brushing also improves the blood circulation and thus helps you get rid of cellulite.
Points to consider while dry brushing your body
- Start brushing at your feet and move upwards using long sweeping motions. Make sure that you brush properly over each area more than once and always brush towards your heart to aid circulation.
- Remember to brush gently on sensitive areas. With time, your skin will become less sensitive.
- Your dry brushing session should last between 5-10 minutes.
- Once you’re done brushing, it’s time to head for a shower. To improve blood circulation, alternate the temperature between hot and cold.
- Post showering, it’s important to moisturise your body, especially after dry brushing. Doing so will keep your skin well-hydrated.
- Just like you’d clean your makeup brushes, it’s important that you clean your body brush weekly too with soap and water to keep it hygienic.
Written by Fatema Habib on Apr 25, 2019