clean living// dry brushing 101

DRY BRUSHING 101

clean living// practices

many of you have asked what NEW RITUALS and SELF-CARE PRACTICES i have picked up during pregnancy. alongside a new list of appointments i am implementing into my routine–like seeing the chiropractor, getting acupuncture, and scheduling prenatal or lymphatic massages–one of the at-home self-care rituals i am now practicing is dry brushing.

dry brushing offers a number of benefits for your body, such as reducing cellulite, improving swelling, and naturally detoxinfying your body. but while many of us may know the BENEFITS of dry brushing, very few people know why.

your body has eleven key systems that regulate the critical functions of your being keeping you happy, healthy, and living. these are called the organ systems. out of these eleven systems in your body, the LYMPHATIC SYSTEM is commonly known as your body’s sewage system. its necessary role is maintaining the level of fluid in your body tissue that is caused by your blood vessels. it is also responsible for the transportation of the products of fat digestion in your body. and lastly, it is responsible primarily for your immunity, by removing harmful infections and bacteria from your body.

the lymphatic system and the cardiovascular system are the only two organ systems that run throughout your whole body. HOWEVER, unlike the circulatory system, or any other system for that matter, the lymphatic system is not a closed system and does not have a pump that regulates its movement. an example of this would be the cardiovascular system and its pump, the heart.

ENTER in dry brushing… while some of the lymphatics system’s movement is engaged through physical activity, not all of it is. this is why our bodies result in extra swelling around our joints, extra fat storage that can cause the appearance of cellulite, or frequent illness. those who lack physical exercise and daily movement are more susceptible to these symptoms. however, everyone can experience their own degree of an inactive lymphatic system.

dry brushing helps engage the lymphatic points in the body while moving your lymph to their proper functioning places. more extreme versions of lymphatic movement include lymphatic massages. these are extremely beneficial and show immediate results after just one session. BUT for at-home treatments, i have found that dry brushing is the easiest and most effective.

PRACTICE –

you’re going to start from ankle to hip, and then wrist to shoulder, ending with your bra line to your pant line.

begin with the dry brush at your ankle and brush in upwards motions. starting with long strokes from your ankle to your knee in a repeated upwards motion, beginning at the ankle each time and end at the knee, until you’ve covered the full area of the front and back of your leg. now move from your knee up your thigh towards your hip. again starting. at the knee and ending at the hip each time until you have covered the whole area of your quad. repeat on the other leg.

now move to your wrist. practice the same upward long brushing motion, starting at the wrist each time and ending at the shoulder. being sure not to ever brush downwards covering the entire area of your arm. repeat on the other arm.

now brushing down, end with your stomach. start with the dry brush at the top of your bra line, brushing down towards your pant line. in a continuous motion, brush in long patterns, being sure to always begin at the bra line and end at the pant line. cover the full area of your stomach and back, being sure to include the top of your hips and the bottom of your belly where extra water retention or swelling can occur.

that’s it!

PRODUCTS –

this dry brush from amazon // i’ve found that removing the handle makes it easier to use. pro tip, the bristles of the brush will be a bit stiff on the first few uses, it will soften but you can break it in prior to implementing your practice by rubbing it a few times on a bath towel

i love this lotion // a local find in malibu, ca and truly the most incredible smell. a great use for moisturizing after, but don’t apply before