Dry Brushing - What is it and why do I like it so much?

Before I fell down the crunchy rabbit hole, dry brushing was one of the things I'd heard and read a lot about, but was completely not interested in…until now. Upon doing more and more research, the pros seemed to outweigh any cons (which was mainly laziness). Dry brushing does provide you with a lot of benefits, but I personally don't believe in everything I've read about it (it claims to help with cellulite--I wish it was as easy as dry brushing to help with that). Since skin is your largest organ, it makes sense that you should take proper care of it. Here are some of the claims that I do believe:

1. Increases circulation to skin, which encourages your body to get rid of cellular waste
2. Stimulates the lymphatic system, which helps get rid of toxins in your body
3. Sloughs off dead skin cells, which results in smoother, softer skin

*Information referenced from here and here.

Pretty cool, right? The first time I tried dry brushing, it was first thing in the morning--I felt nauseous for 15 minutes afterwards. This probably wasn't the best time of day to do this, since I'd been sleeping for 7 hours and my circulation probably wasn't at it's best. I'm guessing the brushing stimulated my lymphatic system and started moving the toxins around (but of course, this is a theory at best). I've dry brushed both in the evenings and mornings since then and haven't felt nauseous since. Also, be warned--the first time you dry brush, it may hurt (or at least, it did for me), so start off lightly. After dry brushing a few times, I can use a bit more pressure and it actually feels good. I read a lot of bloggers saying this, and I completely believe them now.

At the end of my first month of dry brushing, my skin was noticeably softer, the little bumps I had on the back of my arm lessened in number, and the number of ingrown hairs on my legs decreased.  For this kind of softness, dry brushing is something I would continue to do. Did it get rid of cellulite? Uh, no.

How DO you dry brush?

1. Buy a natural bristle brush--do NOT buy a synthetic hair brush. The bristles shouldn't be too soft. I picked mine up from Whole Foods, but I could've gotten one cheaper on Amazon, like this one:
Sublime Beauty® Original Skin Brush or
Fantasea Natural Bristle Body Brush.

2. Dry brush IN the shower prior to showering. Don't turn the water on until after you're done, because, it's dry brushing.

3. Dry brush toward your heart in long strokes starting from your feet. Don't brush so hard that it hurts, start lightly at first. Once your skin adjusts, you can brush a bit harder, but it should feel comfortable and not hurt (although the first time I dry brushed, it did kind of hurt). You can google different images of the directions you should dry brush the various body parts. I just dry brush my arms and legs towards my heart and brush downwards on my back. Make sure you do NOT brush open skin, rashes or wounds. Once you get accustomed to dry brushing, you can brush a little bit harder and it actually feels refreshing.

4. How often? I've read different things, but most of my research says to dry brush once a day. I dry brush 3-4 times a week.

5. After you shower, moisturize. I use a Sweet Almond Oil to moisturize and, not trying to brag here, but my skin has never been smoother.