Benefits of Skin Brushing

“99 ABC’s of Wellness” Article Credit: The original article 99 ABC’s of Wellness is by Mylene Mendoza-Dayrit, which has appeared on the Philippine Star on January 12, 1999.

Principle #15: Benefits of Skin Brushing

"Brushing the skin with dry brushes or “loofah” sponges can slough off or exfoliate the dead skin cells to reveal fresh, younger looking skin." (excerpt from the original article)

According to a website that I have visited, skin brushing is more than just a beauty regimen. It provides health benefits for the body. According to whole-body-detox-diet.com, skin brushing is a good addition to a person’s detoxification program as a form of therapy. It website says, skin brushing: 

• Stimulates blood and lymph flow
• Removes dead skin cells
• Stimulates the hormone and oil glands
• Reduces cellulite
• Strengthens the immune system
• Stimulates the nervous system, tones the muscles, tightens the skin
• Nurtures your body

(Source: http://www.whole-body-detox-diet.com/dry-skin-brushing.html)

It is astonishing that simple skin brushing can give a lot of benefits to the body. Let’s just take the lymphatic system of the body, which is essential for the body’s cleansing process. Lymphocites or white blood cells are responsible for bringing nutrients to cells and take wastes out. Then, they go back to the blood vessels so they could release the wastes they have gathered. However, the body needs to get rid of these lymphs right away to avoid swollen tissues due to high toxicity level. Skin brushing can help stimulate and speed up the cleansing process of the lymphatic system.

Loofah Sponge (wikipedia)

Skin brushes are made up of soft natural fiber bristles. Loofah sponges are also good for skin brushing. In the Philippines, loofah is patola, a green vegetable akin to cucumber. It would be ideal to do skin brushing in the morning before shower. Be gentle on sensitive parts of the body like the breasts but vigorously on other parts like the sole of the feet, arms, legs and areas where cellulite builds up.