Dry brushing is a fast and easy way to detox. This method only takes a few minutes before your shower or bath and is an amazing practice that has been done for many years. If you feel like your body needs to detox and you don’t have a lot of time, read on.
What is dry brushing?
Dry brushing is what it sounds like, it’s simply brushing our skin. There is a certain way to do it and we will get to that. Our skin is the largest organ in our bodies. We have probably all heard of detoxing other organs but not usually the skin. Dry brushing can help your body to rid toxins from your skin and help to unclog your pores. For this post, I want to focus on the detoxification of the lymphatic system. If your skin is covered with too many dead skin cells, how can it do its job of releasing toxins? Helping these toxins to be released from the body can also help to prevent you from getting sick. The great thing is you can do this yourself for cheap in your own home.
Overview of the Lymphatic System
The Lymphatic system helps remove waste and toxins from your body, and cleanses the fluid that surrounds the cells so you don’t get sick!
The lymph fluid sets under your skin, there’s nothing in your body to pump it (like your heart pumps blood) so we have to keep it moving! Dry brushing is a great way to do that. If this fluid builds up we will have puffy eyes, feel swollen, and heavy! YUK!
The lymph vessels connect to your lymph nodes. Inside the lymph nodes are white blood cells. The white blood cells attack viruses and harmful cells like cancer cells. The lymphatic fluid then carries the harmful things that the white blood cells destroyed back into the bloodstream. Vital organs like the liver then remove these from the blood.
Some benefits of dry brushing
Check out these amazing benefits of dry brushing
- It helps stimulate the lymphatic system and increases blood circulation, which encourages the release of waste and toxins from our bodies.
- It helps the body to fight disease and increases immunity.
- Removes dead dry skin and allows your skin to detox.
- It helps reduce the appearance of cellulite by breaking down fat deposits below the skin.
- Help reduce stress. (When you are less stressed your body heals quicker, so it’s crucial to find ways to eliminate stress.)
My experience with dry brushing
A few years ago I had a little bit of a scare. I was at a New Year’s Eve party, and I happened to put my fingers under my chin. I noticed a lump on my neck directly under the center of my chin. I remember going on with my evening and not thinking a whole lot about it. A couple of days later, I noticed that it had gotten bigger. I thought it may be a swollen lymph node and was coming down with something…..but I felt fine.
I started to feel a little worried…… It wasn’t getting any smaller. The days went on and it was probably as big as a quarter. When I was casually talking to people it stuck out so far that they would look at it and ask me about it. Negative thoughts were consuming me, but I did my best to act like nothing and keep my words positive and go on.
Tim could tell I was stressing about it so he suggested I get it checked. I made an appointment. When the day came to go, I met with the doctor. He seemed a little concerned because I hadn’t felt sick in any way. He ran a test to check my white blood cell count,( because of the possibility of lymphoma) put me on a strong antibiotic, and sent me home to wait for the results. The doctor said if the antibiotic didn’t cause it to go down to make another appointment.
The story continues
So I waited……come on, does it really take 2 days to get results back from blood tests? That is way too long to wait for a phone call! Well, he called, and everything was normal….what a relief! I continued to take the antibiotic until they were finished. By the time I finished the bottle it had gone down a little but was still quite big…….I didn’t call him back…..believe it or not it took close to a year to go all the way down!
From there I continued to speak the word and started reading about what I could do to cleanse/strengthen my lymphatic system. In my reading, I came across dry brushing, and it’s something I’ve made a routine of mine ever since! It is quick, cheap, and in my opinion, necessary.
Dry brushing
Materials
- 1 natural bristle brush check out the one I have below in notes
Instructions
- Buy a natural bristle brush that has a long handle. I will link one below.
- Dry brushing is best done before a shower or bath when your clothes are removed and you can rinse afterward.
- Starting at feet firmly (but not too hard) brush in an upward motion, toward the heart, moving up the legs (front and back) using several strokes so you don't miss any areas.
- Brush in a circular motion around the belly button then up the sides of the stomach.
- Brush up each arm and from your back and over your shoulder toward your heart. move around the breast area in a circular motion. * Make sure to avoid sensitive areas like breasts, genital areas, face, and open wounds.
- REMEMBER never brush downward toward feet, that can cause varicose veins or broken blood vessels.
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Disclosure
Information and statements made are for educational purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Results may vary. Elkeliving is not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical services. If you have any questions or have a medical condition, see your doctor.
Mary Allen
Thank you for posting this great information. I have struggled with thyroid issues since a partial hysterectomy about 12 years ago. But the last few years I have noticed swelling around my ankles as well as the inside of both knees about 3 inches in length. I’ve always had swollen eyes and dark underneath. But this is a real incentive to give this a try.
Again, this information is timely.
elkeliving
That’s great Mary. I do hope you will try this!
Also eating a healthy diet and rebounding ( like jumping on a trampoline) is also great for the lymphatic system.
Hope to hear you see some changes??
Jane
What doe you do with the shea butter? Do you melt it down or use plain, the link for amazon you left on your site looks a like it is solid form.
elkeliving
This is the shea butter I use and it’s very thick, but not solid. I scoop about a tsp into my hand and it softens as you rub it into your skin. It works very good for my dry skin. ?