What does dry brushing do for skin?

I see a lot of claims for dry brushing, some are pretty far out there: eliminates cellulite, detoxifies the body, speeds up lymphatic drainage. But what is hype and what, if anything, does dry brushing actually do for skin?

The premise of dry brushing is to use a firm-bristle brush in light, sweeping strokes all over your body. I don’t know about you but I can’t get past the visual of a stiff, boar bristle brush that leaves sweeping red marks all over the body. A bit too strong for me. Why then does the brush have to be firm bristle? Why can’t it be a medium-bristle or a medium-soft brush? Are we trying to abrade an entire layer of the epidermis?

Brush or Loofah?

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for dry brushing, it’s just the brush part I don’t care for. Does dry loofah-ing fit in anywhere here? Yes, I like a dry loofah. A loofah is a gourd from a plant and not a sponge, as most folks think. Admittedly, it does not sound so the-next-greatest-thing but I like the loofah because it’s just a little scratchy. Just scratchy enough to exfoliate dead skin, pre-shower or bath. I have a super big natural loofah attached to a long wooden handle, like a shower brush. This loofah works very well on my back without much effort. It works for legs and feet without much bending.

I find using the dry loofah once or twice a week is just the right amount of exfoliation for my skin. It stimulates my circulation- I can see it- and it helps clear off dead skin cells. I like to dry loofah right before shaving my legs. It helps to coax out the hairs that are still just below the skin surface. If you’ve ever had those pin-pricks-of-blood-horrors after shaving, this is what causes them. The razor is doing the work of dry brushing and taking away more skin than hair!

I’ve noticed that there is much less irritation after shaving when I use the dry loofah before hand. I just take a warm shower -never hot- and afterward, liberally apply my body cream to keep my skin soft. Feels terrific. Oh, and then a steaming cup of peppermint tea. To drink, of course.

How about detoxing the body? Well, it may help to unclog pores, and this makes it easier to sweat and sweat does help to rid the body of ‘toxins’. So this might be a believable claim.

How to Dry Brush

I don’t think there is any one approach that is better than another. I use long, soft strokes with the dry loofah, going over each area in just one pass. For my back, I might do a second pass after everything is done. No special reasoning, just because my back has its own issues and it feels soothing.

The only word of caution is use a light touch: there should not be any scratches or raised marks on your skin. And never dry brush over any blemishes, cuts or moles. Be gentle to yourself.

Dry brushing feels good, stimulates circulation and eliminates dead skin.

What dry brushing does not do

So now we’re back to those claims of lymphatic drainage , eliminates cellulite etc. No evidence whatsoever for lymphatic drainage. Yes, dry brushing/loofahing can stimulate circulation but it is quite a reach for lymphatic drainage. This one is dubious. Our lymphatic system works pretty well on its own.

Reduces cellulite? Ah, you have my attention. Who doesn’t want to get rid of the orange peel bumps? No one wants her thighs to look like a car with a bad paint job. But dry brushing doesn’t do anything for cellulite reduction. More likely, any immediate change is due to the slight plumping of skin created by the friction of dry brushing, which is probably why the cellulite seems reduced.

I’ll continue to use my loofah for dry brushing because it feels good and helps eliminate dead skin. Increasing skin circulation is certainly worthwhile.