What is Facial Dry Brushing (and Should You Do It)?
What Is Facial Dry Brushing?
Facial dry brushing is gaining in popularity. It's used to gently exfoliate your skin with a special brush. People use it as part of their skincare routine to:
- Restore firmness
- Get rid of flaky dry skin
- Encourage blood flow
- Encourage lymphatic drainage
- Depuff the face
Facial dry brushing is very gentle on your skin as it sweeps away dead skin cells. Because it's so gentle, people with sensitive skin can do it and have all the benefits too. For years the beauty insiders have been encouraging people to use the ancient art of dry brushing on our bodies. Now that same logic is being applied to our faces. It's a simple and inexpensive way to massage and exfoliate your skin at home.
Benefits of Facial Dry Brushing
Three major benefits people have found with using facial dry brushing is exfoliation, lymphatic drainage and wrinkle reduction.
Exfoliation
Exfoliating is an important step to take in your skincare routine. Dry brushing your face can help get rid of dry skin flakes that can clog your pores and cause itching and can even help prevent acne breakouts. Exfoliating causes your skin to glow when done regularly. You only need to use dry brushing one or two times a week for one to two minutes at a time.
Lymphatic Drainage
Dry brushing can help to stimulate the lymphatic system. It may help to move out built up toxins that create puffiness — including under your eyes. Dry brushing helps to stimulate the lymphatic system all over your body as well as your face.
Wrinkle Reduction
The exfoliation of your skin has been known to prevent and treat wrinkles. Facial dry brushing is a good way to exfoliate your skin and can help prevent wrinkles. Other ways of exfoliating add to the benefit of wrinkle prevention and can work together with facial dry brushing.
How to Actually Do Facial Dry Brushing
To give your skin an extra glow, here are 5 steps you can take to do facial dry brushing.
1. Wash your face.
The first important step is to cleanse your face thoroughly. Get rid of all the makeup residue and start facial dry brushing with a clear and clean face. Try our Daily Renewal Foaming Cleanser — it gently removes impurities while nourishing your skin.
2. Start at your chin.
Always brush with gentle upward strokes. Start with your chin and move up to your hairline on one side of your face, then repeat on the other side. Use gentle and light strokes — it should never hurt.
3. Don't forget your neck and décolletage.
People who work as facialists always consider your neck as part of your face. Use the same facial dry brush and gently brush strokes up from your chest all the way to your chin.
4. Apply a moisturizer and serum.
After dry brushing, you're ready to apply skincare to those newly opened pores. Try our Total Antioxidant Serum — it contains green tea and polyphenols that provide strong antioxidant benefits and help prevent sun damage. Follow with our Clear Skin Clarifying Crème to lock in moisture and improve skin texture and tone.
5. Wash your brush!
It's so important to keep your brush clean. Use warm water with a gentle soap cleanser and wash your brush at least once a week, or after every use. Air dry it before putting it away to prevent bacteria buildup.
Is Facial Dry Brushing Right For You?
Just about all skin types can benefit from facial dry brushing. Some exceptions: if you have very dry skin, dry brushing may over-exfoliate your skin's protective barrier. If you experience inflammation like rosacea or active acne, dry brushing can make those conditions worse — in those cases, it's best to avoid it.
If you have the right skin type, try facial dry brushing to help improve circulation and bring back your glow.
