DRY BRUSH, ANOTHER AMAZING RITUAL TO START YOUR DAY!

As you can see in the pic, I have quite a long morning routine. I think it's very important to start on the right foot and prep your body and mind for the day to come. Alkalizing, giving thanks, detoxing, invigorating, stretching and exercising will have a deep impact in your life, as it has done in mine. Today I'm going to talk to you about one of those non negotiable things for me...dry brushing.

Our body excretes about one pound of waste daily. If your pores are clogged, those toxins are reabsorbed instead of being eliminated.

Dry brushing (used in many spas), is a technique used to exfoliate skin with the help of a natural bristle brush, which basically means that it's fibers come from plant sources. Synthetic fibers are very hard and will leave you with irritated skin. In case you have very sensitive skin, you can also use loofah gloves.

This technique not only removes dead skin cells from the surface, but also stimulates cell production and provides smoother, brighter skin. 

Benefits: 

- Stimulates the lymphatic system. Very important as it's primary function is to transport lymph, a colorless fluid composed of white blood cells that help the body eliminate toxins, waste or any other material.

-  Strengthens the immune system.

- Removes dead cells, which immediately improves the texture and brightness of the skin. Not only that, the layers of dead skin can accumulate and obstruct the normal skin secretions, such as sweat, and can generate eczema, dandruff and psoriasis.

- Stimulates circulation. Helping the body to excrete metabolic waste, lowering stress levels and preventing the appearance of varicose veins. One of the things I like about this is that when the blood starts flowing you get this "awake" and energetic feeling, which in the morning is very necessary. Sometimes I even sweat a little!

- Enables the hormone and oil-producing glands, helping the entire body to function with full efficiency. 

 - Allows the skin to breathe and to be open in order to receive nutrients and eliminate toxins.

 - Rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating the skins nerve endings, which in turn activates the muscle fibers and tones them up.

 - Stimulates acupressure points.

 - Many sources claim that helps reduce the appearance of cellulite.

  
Tips:

• I recommend doing it in the morning, after oil pulling and your glass of water with lemon. Get in the shower (keep the water shut), brush for a couple of minutes, wash yourself and then apply a good moisturizing oil, in my case coconut.

• While you shower you can do two or three cycles of hot and cold water to stimulate your circulation even more (you will not need coffee to start the day after all that!).

• Brushing will give you a wave of alertness, so I don't recommend doing it before bed.

• Do not brush on areas where you may have rashes, acne, eczema, infection, sunburn or wounds as you can make it worse.

• Do not brush your face. I use an electric brush specifically for the face or if not a dry washcloth works great too.

• Evade extra sensitive areas like the nipples and private parts and handle the inner thighs with care.

• Focus on problem areas (with cellulite).

• Everyone should have their own brush (same rule as with toothbrushes), and you should wash it with a mild soap once a week. Let it sun dry so it doesn't get mildew.

How to do it: 

It's super easy, most importantly, all the movements need to go towards the heart, since there is a big drainage area near the collarbone. 

Start with gentle circular movements (you can also mix with some long strokes, whatever feels nice) from the sole up.

Brush one leg and then the other. I do sole, back of calf and thigh, over the buttock, up to the tailbone. Then above the foot, the shin, thigh to the hip bone (and then on the inside of the thigh to the crotch ).

Then I go to the back of my hand, forearm, arm, shoulder to the beginning of the clavicle. Then palm, forearm and arm (inside) to the armpit (also circle brush a bit there). Same procedure goes for the other arm.

The back of the neck you brush it down and guide it towards the clavicle, same as the front.

Do small circles around the chest and towards the clavicle, then softly around the breasts passing through the center of the chest.

I also enjoy brushing horizontally starting where the liver is, up the side of the breast to the top of the armpit.

The abdomen is done in circles clockwise and then a few sweeps up.

The back from the waist to the shoulders in an upward motion and waist down with a downward movement.

There are many different methods on internet, so this is what I particularly do. Little by little I encourage you to go to your own rhythm and choose the formula that works for you, have fun while you do it (a bit of music helps)!

Here is a photo of the lymphatic system so you have a clearer idea of where the glands are located and how you should direct toxins.

LYMPHATIC SYSTEM 

I hope you add dry brushing to your morning routine, it takes a short couple of minutes and your skin will thank you forever.

With Love,
Romina