Beauty Sleuth #14: Does Dry Brushing Really Do Anything?
Ok - so here it is…the headline from Vogue that is 100% “click-bait”: The Skin Secret That Will Transform Your Body in Five Minutes or Less. Now who wouldn’t click on that link given the million other things we have to do all day? Well, never fear, the Beauty Sleuth is here to take one for the team (‘natch!), and go down that rabbit hole, investigating for all if dry brushing (the “skin secret” referenced in the article) is really “all that and a bag of chips too”…
The article makes reference to dry brushing having miraculous results, such as “lymphatic drainage and increased circulation to cellulite removal and exfoliation”. And to be fair, when I was Director of Operations at this spa, we offered dry brushing as an add-on to all of our massages (15 mins for $40) for similar reasons.
So what does dry brushing really do, how do you do it yourself, and should you?
Dry brushing is exactly what it sounds like… brushing the skin in a particular pattern with a dry brush, usually before showering. Almost every reference to it that I could find online indicated that you should brush in the direction of your heart (“this is where your lymph system drains”), use a brush with stiff bristles, and apply very light pressure - we don’t want it to hurt! It should feel stimulating and invigorating.
One thing to note is that there are a lot of different “brushes” out there and, in fact, they are not all technically brushes in the first place. “Natural” bristle brushes typically are made from boars/pigs/hogs and are the most common and most recommended. However, some readers don’t want to use them because of animal cruelty issues. Plus these bristles are often attached to wood to create the brush and the water in your bathroom or shower can damage the wood over time and create bacterial situations. One alternative is a mitt or scrubber by Supracor, made of a synthetic material that is stiff and anti-microbial.
My investigation in terms of the benefits of dry brushing are as follows in order of evidence I could find…
Exfoliation: yes, there is clear evidence that dry brushing a few times a week/month, helps the dead skin on your body slough off and this can be a good thing. As we age (past 30), the dead skin on our bodies gets “stickier” so dry brushing helps to get rid of it. This can make your skin less dull and if you jump in the shower afterwards, and then moisturize, your skin can have a healthier glow, especially if you haven’t been doing anything in the first place! One thing though - don’t dry brush for longer than a few minutes. It should only take a few minutes to do your entire body. Otherwise you could be overdoing it and irritate your skin. And if you have eczema - it is counter indicated! Finally, if you are self-tanning, work dry brushing into your self-tanning routine by using it as your exfoliation process - don’t dry brush when you have the perfect tan - it’s will just take it off.
Increase circulation - yes it will increase circulation and you will feel more tingly and your skin “stimulated”, but this feeling is fleeting! It doesn’t last. The “fleeting” part of the sentence seems to almost always be left off of any description of the effects.
Lymphatic drainage - evidence unsubstantiated. Lymph circulation improvement is cited by a zillion blogs but NOT backed by any studies or any scientific articles that I could find. Thinking back to my spa days as well, I remember so many clients being surprised that a “lymphatic massage” is actually extremely light massage -you barely feel it, as well as a methodology that requires advanced training by the technician. I.e. it’s not taught in basic massage school. It’s a specialty. So using a rough brush to stroke your skin in an untrained way probably is not equivalent to a lymphatic massage, which in and of itself is not wholly supported as scientifically proven to be beneficial by the medical community.
Cellulite reduction - evidence unsubstantiated. Cellulite is complex and there is not, unfortunately, a silver bullet. Some believe that breaking up the fat pockets of cellulite is key to reducing it, and that dry brushing the area where cellulite is, will help to break it up. Maybe so, maybe not.
So should you dry brush? If you enjoy the feeling, why not? Just don’t press too hard for too long, and make sure you cycle your brush / element regularly to avoid bacteria etc. It certainly will exfoliate dry skin, give you a feeling of “revving the old engine”, and it feels pretty darn good (which in turn can help your mindset), so there is little downside! This beauty sleuth says have at it!
