Why Brush the Skin?
The skin is the largest organ in the body, and keeping it clean and cared for is a wonderful part of any self-care routine. Our skin does a lot of work each day, so giving it a little extra attention can help it look and feel its best. Wearing breathable, natural fibres next to the skin is another simple way to help it feel fresh and comfortable.
Skin brushing is a wonderfully invigorating way to stimulate the skin and support that fresh, just-pampered feeling.
Simple brushing techniques help invigorate the skin’s surface circulation and keep the skin feeling fresh, helping your skin to look and feel healthier and more radiant! Skin Brushing is a perfect little ritual for nurturing yourself.
Benefits of Skin Brushing:
✔ Tightens & smoothes skin
✔ Results in healthy glowing skin
✔ Part of a comforting daily self-care routine
✔ Helps skin look smooth and toned
✔ Leaves skin feeling smooth and refreshed
✔ Stimulates circulation and blood flow
✔ Increases cell renewal
✔ Removes dead skin cells
✔ Feels invigorating and energizing
✔ Improves exchange between cells
✔ Encourages production of the skin’s natural oils
✔ Leaves skin feeling clean and refreshed
✔ Feels wonderfully stimulating for the whole body
✔ Activates the glands, helping the endocrine system perform at peak efficiency!
Skin Brushing Instructions
Make sure the room is warm and there are plenty of towels. Undress, and find somewhere comfortable to sit so that you can easily reach your feet and lower legs. Begin by brushing the sole of your right foot. It is important to brush the soles of your feet first because the nerve endings there affect your whole body. Use firm, rhythmic strokes to cover the sole several times.
Next, brush the top of your foot, brushing up towards your ankle. Then move on to your lower leg, making sure you cover the whole surface, including your shin and calf. Always brush in an upward direction. Continue brushing upwards from your knee to the top of your thigh. Make sure you cover the whole area several times, using long, rhythmic strokes.
Brush your buttock area as far as your waist. Now repeat the whole procedure on your left leg, starting again with the sole of your foot. Then, starting from the top of your buttocks, and always moving in an upward direction, brush the whole of your back several times all the way up to your shoulders.
Next, brush your right arm. Start with the palm of your hand, move on to the back of your hand and then brush from your wrist up to your elbow, always in an upward direction and ensuring that the whole surface of your skin is brushed. Brush your upper arm, working from your elbow towards your shoulder, again covering the whole surface of your upper arm. Repeat on your left side.
Then, very gently, brush your abdomen in a clockwise circular motion several times. Use less pressure than on your arms and legs and stop if it feels uncomfortable. The neck and chest are also very sensitive areas, so, again, be very gentle or switch to a softer bristle brush (such as a face brush). Always work towards your heart, unless you have too much energy in the heart area (a Biopulsar scan will determine this). Lastly, work on your face. Use a soft bristle brush and short, gentle strokes, as brisk rubbing can stretch or damage delicate facial skin.
Afterwards, take a warm bath (in Colour Energy’s Dead Sea Salts) or shower to rinse off the dead skin. Finish with a cool rinse at the end to invigorate blood circulation and stimulate surface warmth. Brushing your whole body in this way will take you between three and five minutes, depending on how many strokes you give to each area (work longer on areas that need more stimulation, such as the armpit area where many lymph nodes are). Try to keep a rhythm going and brush for up to five minutes every day, preferably immediately before you have a bath or shower so that the dead cells are washed away.
Skin brushing is best done in the morning as the acceleration of blood flow has quite an invigorating effect. You should be able to see the difference in your skin after just a few sessions – it will become very soft and develop an attractive rosy glow.
Tips
✿ Buy a natural fibre bristle brush and not synthetic as artificial brushes can scratch and damage the surface of your skin.
✿ You may wish to buy a brush with a long (and preferably removable) handle, so that you’re able to get to the areas of your body that are not easy to reach.
✿ Brush skin at least once a day, and twice daily if possible.
✿ Brush before showering or bathing. Do not brush wet skin as it will not have the same effect, and it will stretch your skin.
✿ Brush each part of your body several times vigorously, completely covering your whole body.
✿ Brush more gently where the skin is thinnest. Use lighter strokes over and around your breasts, but do not brush the nipples.
✿ Wash your brush with water every few weeks and allow it to air dry
Skin Brushing for a Fresh Glow
Giving your body a vigorous brushing all over makes the skin glow by removing the top dull, dead layer of skin. As well, it helps reveal fresh, new skin. The gentle massaging motion of the bristles also feels wonderful as part of a cleansing self-care routine.
Skin brushing, if done daily and with vigour, is one of the simplest ways to help skin look smoother and feel firmer on the thighs and hips. Pair it with Colour Energy’s Detox & Digest aromatherapy blend to make it feel like a lasting ritual.