Healthy Homework – August 2011 – Dry Skin Brushing

Healthy Homework: Dry Skin Brushing

The Basis for Dry Skin Brushing
The skin excretes more than 2 pounds of waste each day on average. And yet, in most people, this vital route of detoxification is operating far below its capacity, because it is clogged with dead skin cells and sluggish lymphatic flow. Dry skin brushing is a simple, inexpensive way of removing the waste from the skin and breaking down old toxic deposits through its unique action on the lymph vessels and capillaries.

Draining the Lymph
The lymph is the interstitial fluid that bathes our cells, bringing them nutrients and removing their waste. Lymph is dependent upon outside forces for its circulation around the body. Dry skin brushing prompts the body to release its toxic deposits into the lymph, whilst simultaneously cleansing the lymph itself. Because of its ability to release the skin’s detoxification potential and to cleanse mucoid deposits from the cells, dry skin brushing is considered by many to be an essential part of any cleansing program.

Dry Skin Brushing
The dry skin brushing routine is best done before a bath or shower, and for optimal results, should be done daily. Your skin may feel tender at first, but if you continue to brush your skin on a regular basis your skin will come to yearn for the daily brush! The entire surface of the skin should be brushed, with the exception of broken or cracked skin and the face. It is imperative that the brushing be carried out when your body is dry and the brush must also be kept dry.

In order to maximize the lymphatic benefits of dry skin brushing, use the following routine:

Brush gently in a circular motion around the base of your neck, armpits, breasts/chest area, entire abdominal area, groin area, palms of your hands and the soles of your feet.
Brush up the legs and from the arms in towards the heart in long, firm strokes.
For the upper-right part of your body brush down towards the liver (under the right ribcage) and the right breast.

The whole process should only take you a couple of minutes and the benefits are BIG!