Dry Skin Brushing
Health on a Stick!
Skin brushing, or body brushing,
is a health practice that has actually been around for a
very long time in various forms. It's also called
"dry skin brushing" because you do it on dry, not wet, skin.
Before their traditional hot bath, the
Japanese vigorously brushed their skin with loofah sponges.
After a vigorous workout, ancient Greek
athletes used a special tool to clean off their skin before
bathing to promote better circulation.
The Cherokee Indians of the United States
brushed their skin with dried corn cobs to enhance skin
beauty and durability, and the Comanche Indians scrubbed
their skin with sand from the Texas river bottoms.
So how does brushing your skin
improve your health? Let's look at the jobs that the skin
does for the body.
Skin is an organ of the body just like
the heart and the lungs - yeah, no kidding! An organ is
a structure made up of different types of tissues that are
grouped together and carry out specific functions.
Skin is the largest organ of the
body and its main functions are:
- Eliminating waste and toxins through
sweating (why do you think sweat stinks??)
- Protecting the body, keeping your internal
organs and fluids "tucked in"
- Assisting the immune system by acting
as a barrier to outside influences
- Aiding in regulating body temperature
Skin brushing for detoxification
The body's process of eliminating
waste and toxins is called detoxification. The
lungs, kidney and colon are some of the other organs who
have the job of helping the body get rid of stuff it doesn't
need.
The skin helps the body detoxify
through sweat! Our bodies are constantly perspiring,
and the skin eliminates about 1 - 2 pounds (yes, pounds)
of waste through perspiration every day.
How does brushing your skin help
detoxification?
Well, the top layer of your skin, the
part that you can see, is the protective layer of skin cells.
New skin cells are constantly being created at the bottom
of this layer, and then pushed up to the top.
The older, tougher cells at the top of
the skin layer die and flake off all the time, to the tune
of 30 - 40 thousand cells per minute.
This upper layer of skin also has pores,
tiny openings, for sweat and natural skin oil to come up
to the surface from the layer of skin below. With all the
sweating and flaking going on, it's logical that the pores
can get clogged, right?
So one of the benefits of dry
brushing the skin is that it helps keep the pores clear
so that the body can perspire freely, important to health
because if the pores get clogged and the body can't perspire,
waste and toxins get trapped in the body and well, I'm sure
you can figure out what happens then!
Additional benefits of dry skin brushing
Brushing your skin also stimulates
the oil glands that are in the second layer of skin, just
below the top layer. This oil helps the skin's
protective function by creating more of a barrier against
bugs, germs and foreign particles that you just don't want
coming into your body.
Dry brushing the skin brings this oil
to the surface, reducing dry skin and increasing the skin's
softness and elasticity. I personally tend towards having
dry skin and I absolutely love the way my skin feels when
I brush it… it feels alive!
Because the second layer of skin contains
tiny blood vessels and nerve endings, dry skin brushing
also stimulates blood circulation and nerve functioning.
It greatly assists the flow of fluids and energy throughout
the body!
Skin brushing has been found to
assist in distributing fat better, most notably
in the case of cellulite. This seems to be due to the increased
blood circulation achieved with this practice.
Dry brushing the skin greatly assists the
immune system
Another benefit of dry brushing the skin
has to do with assisting the circulation of lymph. Lymph
is a clear fluid that "circulates" through the body outside
of the blood's circulatory system.
Lymph carries white blood cells, the anti-infection
commandos, throughout the body to attack and neutralize
viruses and other infectious substances.
Thus the lymphatic system and its army
of white blood cells is the main defense system of the body.
So what does this have to do with skin brushing??
Unlike the blood's circulatory system
which has the heart pumping blood through the blood vessels,
the lymphatic system doesn't have a pump and depends on
surrounding muscle movement to push the lymph through the
system. That's one reason that deep
breathing and exercise
improves your health - they help the circulation of lymph,
improving your immune system.
Obviously, if your lymph is circulating
well, then your immune response will be better. Brushing
your skin greatly enhances the circulation of lymph.
Woo hoo!!!
Dry skin brushing technique
First, you need a skin brush.
Actually, you could use a loofah or a coarse washcloth -
but having a brush is cool and fun.
A skin brush has natural vegetable
bristles. Since they are becoming more and more
popular, you can find them pretty easily. I got mine at
The Vitamin Shoppe® for about $10.00. Look
for one that has a removable long handle - you use the handle
for harder to reach places.
The best time to perform dry skin
brushing is before your shower or bath because that will
help to wash away the flaked skin. But don't let
that stop you, it will help you no matter when you do it.
Always stroke towards your heart
for the most benefit to your circulation.
- Start on the sole of your right
foot, generally using long, light but brisk strokes.
Get your ankle, shin, calf and knee.
Then do the same on your left foot and lower leg. It helps
if you can sit down!
- Standing up, next brush upwards
on your right and then left thigh from the knee
up. Move over to your abdomen, brushing that with a circular
motion.
- Brush each arm, starting with
the palm and brushing inward towards your heart.
Gently brush the chest area in a circular motion, avoiding
the breast area.
- Brush the neck area
by starting at the back of the neck and stroking with
the brush towards the front.
- Use the handle to get
your back or better yet, have your mate do it
for you! My husband and I enjoy brushing one another's
back. It's far better than a good scratch!
This should only take about five minutes,
especially once you get the hang of it. Of course, take
as much time as you want and enjoy yourself!
Sometimes I just grab the brush and brush
my hands or my arms because it feels so good! A lot of people
think of dry skin brushing as a spa treat, but we know better
now, huh?
A few skin brushing tips
- Make sure your brush your skin when
its completely dry. Brushing wet skin stretches it.
- If more than one person in your family
practices skin brushing for health, each person should
have his or her own brush (same as a toothbrush!)
- Wash your brush in warm, mild soapy
water every couple of weeks.
- Keep your brush visible near the shower.
Mine has a little hole in the handle, so I hammered a
nail into the wall and hung it near the shower so I can
grab it easily. Having it where you can see it will help
you get into the habit of using it regularly!
- Avoid brushing areas with skin cuts,
wounds or rashes,
- Avoid the facial area.
- If you have any type of cancer, please
check with a competent healthcare provider to find out
if skin brushing is okay for you.
I hope this article has given you some
understanding of why I call skin brushing "health on a stick!"
Cheers!
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