Once again, Happy New Year! Welcome to 2014! It’s official: winter is here. January already has a wintry mix of snow, wind, frigid temperatures, harsh winds, and the typical dry air, which can wreak havoc on ordinarily healthy skin. It can be disastrous for already sensitive and dry skin. So what’s the cure? I think I found a solution: brush off dry skin/ash with the ancient self-massage called Dry Skin Brushing.
I talked in an earlier post about the importance of protecting one’s skin all year. Today, I want to highlight Dry Skin Brushing, an Ayurvedic remedy that is an ancient natural healing technique that helps provide benefits to the skin on the outside as well as the inside.
Spa expert Ronel Corbin, Senior Vice President for ESPA, provides some insight into dry skin brushing. Dry skin brushing stimulates the body’s circulation and lymphatic systems. Corbin says that many naturopathic doctors use dry brushing to help with bloating because massaging the lymph nodes helps the body shed excess water and toxins.
Dry brushing leaves your skin exfoliated and more readily able to excrete toxins through sweat, absorb nutrients you apply with lotions and oils, and help your lymph flow to keep your body healthy. It takes less than 5 minutes.
Ayurvedic texts recommend daily skin brushing to keep the urinary system working correctly, as the skin is known as the third kidney. Properly conditioned skin will have fewer break-outs and other undesirable skin conditions. The historic theory is to move all toxins in your bloodstream and lymph toward your digestive system to eliminate them from the body.