Dry skin brushing has received much praise from many experts all across the globe. This practice has been shown to have noticeable, positive effects on the body. These effects include increased blood flow, cellulite reduction, and fresher looking skin. But now for the 25 thousand dollar question: Does it help us get rid of acne? And if so, how?
Long story short, the theory behind dry skin brushing being an effective acne treatment comes down to one of the other benefits I just mentioned, which is increased circulation. Essentially, when the blood is circulating properly, oxygen becomes more readily available to the cells, which helps the body eliminate toxic residues and gasses more efficiently. Detoxing in this manner has been shown to reduce the appearance of acne breakouts. Let me explain this in a little more detail.
Our diets have gotten the better of us. Almost all of the food we consume is either over-processed, full of chemicals, or cooked. We are significantly lacking in nutrition, and we end up with bodies full of dangerous toxins from all the fake foods and beverages we consume. To make matters worse, the great majority of Americans don’t get nearly enough fiber. As a result, all of these toxins just stay inside our bodies, trapped in our fat cells.
The body tries desperately to remove these toxins through the breath, elimination systems, and yes, the skin. And when all these poisons are being forced out through the skin, guess what happens. Yup, zits! So cleaning up our insides through a more responsible diet makes for great acne prevention, but I digress…
This toxic buildup doesn’t just go to straight to the fat cells. In fact, that’s kind of a last resort. The body’s first line of defense in toxin removal is actually the liver. Toxins are carried by the blood into the liver, where they are filtered out of the blood and carried to the appropriate elimination centers. Unfortunately, if our blood is moving at a snail’s pace, the body can’t wait for something to be done with all the pollutants, and that is when it tries forcing them through the skin. Make sense?
This is where dry skin brushing comes into the picture. And here is how it’s done:
Unclothed, sit or lay in the most comfortable position you can get yourself in. Beginning with the feet, use a natural bristle brush and long, gentle strokes to brush the feet and legs, upward toward the abdomen. Do this as long as you’d like, until the skin really starts to feel fresh and alive. Be sure to brush both the fronts and backs of the legs.
Continue this process on your entire body, using straight strokes for the limbs and circular strokes everywhere else. If you’ve got someone to help with your back, that would be ideal. Do this once each day. Not only will it work wonders for your skin (as well as providing you with additional health benefits), but it will also feel fantastic!
