Ever seen one of these bad boys before?
While it might look like something you’d find swinging from a rusted nail in a stable, this bristled brush is the secret to radiant skin, and a dimple free booty. No expensive lotions or torture contraptions need apply. Life can be simple ladies and gents!
Beyond it’s extensive use in the beauty industry to help smooth cellulite and exfoliate the entire body, dry brushing increases circulation, boosts the immune system, tightens the appearance of skin, detoxes and drains the lymphatic system, and stimulates all your sleepy nerve endings. Taking 5 mins before you hop in the shower to dry scrub your stellar bod from feet to head is all you’ll need to reap the benefits from this ancient tradition.
What you’ll need and how to:
The Tool: A soft natural fiber bath brush ($10 bucks for a decent one). Or if you’d rather save the moolah opt for a loafed sponge or rough wash cloth that’s probably collecting dust in the cupboard. Synthetic fibers tend to be too course for most skin types. Aim for stimulation instead of pain!
The Method: Before climbing in the shower begin on the souls of the feet and work your way upward. Use long sweeping motions applying more pressure as you stroke up toward the heart for increased circulation. Don’t miss an inch! Spend more time on problem areas like thighs, hips, and the booty. Spending up to five minutes on cellulite prone zones helps to break up the underlying fibrous tissue and gets any stagnate lymph fluid moving and grooving. Apply more pressure to areas of the body with tougher skin (aka souls of feet) and ease up on thinner skinned regions like the inner thighs and arms, face and neck.
Bonus tip for detoxification: Stimulate your internal organs by massaging in a counterclockwise circular motion on the stomach. The skin accounts for a large portion of the bodies detox system, accompanied by the liver, kidneys, bladder and lymphatic system. So why not work on them all at the same time?
Not just for the gals: Cellulite plagues most women, even the super skinny ones, but that doesn’t mean guys should dismiss brushing all together. It’s not all about appearance. The immune boosting and detox effects are just too amazing to pass up. The scratching sensation of the bristles stimulates the bodies natural healing mechanism. Similar to when you get a rash, the itching you feel is your bodies way to ignite the healing process. By “itching” the entire body with the brush you stimulate and boost the immune system.
Also, by charging up your circulatory system you’ll improve muscular tension and help reduce soreness after a hard workout. Same reason why sauna’s rock. Besides, it’s also one of the quickest and easiest ways I’ve found to energize and invigorate the body in the morning.
Within the first week of adding brushing to my morning routine I have seen my skin transform. It’s softer to the touch and visibly looks firmer. Brushing coupled with drinking lots of water is the trick. Plus, it’s a simply way to age gracefully. Damn what a way to wake up!
Have you tried body brushing before? Have you seen any lasting results from the technique?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
A practical tip here would not to use the same brush for feet and the groin area. By doing this you increase the risk of spreading fungal infections.
I learned about this years ago from T-Tapp (exercise program) and it works miracles, seriously. It is especially useful for those of us that are beginning the process of losing a large amount of weight. Doing this everyday will keep your skin from getting loose, and helps getting rid of stretch marks as well.
@bandit- thanks for your thoughts and experience. I too love the technique, but sometimes have a hard time remembering to do it before I hop in the shower. So invigorating and great for lymph movement!
How interesting! I’ll definitely have to give this a try. I work with a girl with developmental disabilities, and for the past 5 years (since she was a baby), we’ve used a plastic bristled brush to “brush” / massage her feet, legs and arms, which helps “wake up” her body and be more able to focus on what we are doing at the time, whether it be getting dressed or eating, or simply handle the multiple changes that happen throughout a day. It’s amazing for sensory issues in children!
{ 2 trackbacks }