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Your Body Deserves This 3-Minute Skincare Ritual
It’s very common for people to spend a large chunk of time each day caring for the skin on their face, yet the skin on the body often doesn’t receive the same attention. While body skin is generally thicker, tougher, and more resilient than facial skin, its slower cell turnover rate can leave it more susceptible to dryness and flaking, making it important to regularly give the skin on your body plenty of TLC.
Need some inspiration? One 3-minute body skincare ritual that many people swear by is dry brushing. With a boatload of purported benefits, this ancient technique could quickly give your body the smooth, soft, and radiant finish you’ve been seeking. How do you get started? Read on as Vine Vera explains!
Dry Brushing 101
Dry brushing is a body skincare technique that stems from ancient Ayurvedic medicinal practices, which is the traditional Indian way to holistically heal. With that said, other ancient cultures, from the Egyptians to the Greeks, practiced similar methods too.
So, what exactly does this body skincare ritual involve?
This technique makes use of a special brush with firm bristles, which is rubbed over the skin in a certain way before showering. It only takes a few minutes to dry brush your body, yet the benefits that you could experience from this ritual are significant…
The Benefits of Dry Brushing
People choose to dry brush for a variety of reasons, with the most common being:
- It’s an effective method of exfoliation, with dry brushing dislodging dead skin cells. These are then washed away in the shower.
- Dry brushing is believed to help boost lymphatic drainage. This leaves the skin feeling better detoxified.
- Dry brushing feels almost like a massage, which boosts circulation and gives the skin a rosy glow.
- Some people find that dry brushing temporarily reduces the visibility of cellulite.
- Many people report feeling more energized after incorporating dry brushing into their routines. This is likely due to how dry brushing can stimulate the nervous system.
- Dry brushing can help to improve the absorption of body skincare products.
- Dry brushing feels relaxing and calming. It’s a great way to relieve stress!
How to Dry Brush Your Body
Want to give this body skincare ritual a try? Here’s how to correctly dry brush your body:
- Step into the shower, but don’t turn the water on. As you may have guessed from its name, dry brushing means that your skin needs to be dry!
- Start at your feet. Gently move your dry brush upwards, using fluid strokes that are directed toward your heart. Adjust your pressure as you continue – the more sensitive parts of your skin, such as your chest, will require a lighter touch than the thicker areas of your skin, such as your feet.
- Repeat the same process as you work your way up your legs.
- Start dry brushing your stomach. At this point, you may find it helpful to move the brush in larger, circular motions, but always do so in a clockwise direction. This is believed to aid with digestion. The same method should be used for dry brushing your back.
- Once you get to your arms, go back to using upward strokes so that your brush moves in the direction of your armpit.
- As you move toward the top of your body, change the direction of your strokes so that you’re brushing downward. Again, this should be aimed toward your heart.
- Once you’re done dry brushing, immediately turn on the shower to rinse away those dead cells. You should also give your dry brush a thorough rinse and then leave it in an open, sunny space to dry.
Dry Brushing After Care
As soon as you’re finished in the shower, it’s important to follow up by slathering your body with a moisturizer. This is an essential step whenever you exfoliate, even with dry brushing being considered one of the more gentle forms of exfoliation.
What you moisturize with should depend on your skin type. If your skin is quite dry or sensitive, go with a rich moisturizer, like the Vine Vera Intensive Shea Body Butter. On the other hand, if your skin type is oily and you regularly experience body acne breakouts, a lighter moisturizer, like the Vine Vera Body Cream, would be a better fit.
You may also want to give certain areas of your body some TLC if needed. If you’re struggling with dry hands, Vine Vera’s Hand Cream can help. Meanwhile, if your feet are feeling rough, a dedicated foot cream, such as the Vine Vera Foot Cream, can feel like a godsend.
How Often to Dry Brush Your Body
While some people rave about the benefits of dry brushing daily, this isn’t usually recommended. Although dry brushing may be gentle, it’s still a form of exfoliation. Do it too often and you run the risk of over-exfoliating your skin, which can then lead to a multitude of problems.
Instead, start by dry brushing your body just a couple of times a week. If you don’t want to give up your regular exfoliator just yet, alternate which you use for each exfoliation session. The Vine Vera Salt Scrub is an excellent formula to use in between dry brushing. With its sea salt granules being more abrasive than the bristles of a dry brush, it will provide a deeper sense of exfoliation. This is perfect for any areas of your body that feel particularly rough.
Once your skin has grown accustomed to dry brushing, you could consider increasing how often you carry out this body skincare technique to three times a week.
Is Dry Brushing Safe for All Skin Types?
There aren’t many exfoliators out there that can safely be used on all skin types, but dry brushing is one. With that said, those who have inflamed or open skin, such as people suffering from psoriasis or eczema, should avoid running a dry brush over those areas of skin. Your dry brush should never touch an open wound, as this could introduce more bacteria to the area and lead to an infection.
Maintaining Your Dry Brush
We’ve already mentioned that you should rinse and dry your dry brush after each use. However, a deeper clean every couple of weeks is essential as well. It can be easy for dead cells to end up trapped in those bristles, some of which might be missed if you don’t rinse your dry brush thoroughly enough. The last thing that you want to do is introduce dead cells back onto your skin every time you use your dry brush!
There are a couple of ways in which you could do this deeper clean. One method would be to fill a bowl or sink with clean water, add some soap, and then move your brush around in the water with a scrubbing motion. Make sure that you create movement within the bristles so that any trapped cells can be released. Once you’re done, rinse your dry brush in cold water before setting it out to dry.
The downside to that method is that wooden handles will split much sooner. To preserve the handle of your dry brush, deep clean it by applying some gentle soap to the bristles and then running the palm of your hand over them. Once you’ve created a good lather, rinse your brush and then set it aside to dry.
Can Your Face Be Dry Brushed as Well?
Dry brushing is most commonly referred to as a body skincare technique. However, dry brushing your face is possible too. You’ll need to purchase a dedicated facial dry brush, as your face will need much softer bristles.
Unlike when dry brushing your body, you’ll also need to cleanse your face first. Use a gentle facial cleanser, like the Vine Vera Resveratrol Cabernet Mousse Cleanser, and then dry your face before dry brushing. You’ll need to rinse your skin again once you’re done, after which you can follow up with the rest of your facial skincare routine.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to use very light pressure when dry brushing your face. It’s very easy to over-exfoliate facial skin with a dry brush, which is why most people prefer to use alternative exfoliators instead.
Other Ways to Care for the Skin on Your Body
Dry brushing can go a long way in giving the skin on your body a boost. Combine it with these body skincare tips and your skin will soon be glowing like never before:
- Keep your shower water at a lukewarm temperature. Hot water will quickly strip away your skin’s protective barrier, which is the last thing you need after exfoliating your skin.
- Keep your skin protected with sunscreen. Don’t assume that clothing provides enough protection. If you can see light through your clothes when you hold them up to the sun, this means that UV rays will easily penetrate through.
- Get plenty of sleep. Not only will sleep deprivation speed up the rate at which you develop fine lines and wrinkles on your face, but it will also accelerate the appearance of aging on your body. If you want to keep your skin looking smooth and taut, quality beauty sleep is a must!
- Minimize stress. Stress can have a huge impact on your skin. It triggers inflammation, increases oil production, exacerbates acne, makes dryness worse, and more.
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet. The food that you eat feeds your skin from within, so make sure that you’re giving your skin cells access to all of the nutrients they need.
Perfect Your Body Skincare Routine With Vine Vera
Although the skin on your body doesn’t require quite as much care as the skin on your face, it still deserves plenty of attention. The more love that you give it, the healthier and more youthful it will look. Dry brushing is a great way to give the skin on your body some special care, especially when combined with the other body skincare tips we’ve shared above.
Click here to pamper your skin with more bestselling products from Vine Vera.
