the beautiful healthy skin of my niece

 (source: Brenna Monk Wolf)

I’ve been asked to share about body brushing and how it helps your skin and general health. Many years ago I did a very long detox (dealing with heavy metals at the times) and one of the things I had to do was body brushing. I was still in my early 40’s and looked like I was in my 30’s (I have fairly good skin) but I realized that my skin wouldn’t look good forever. So I began to do research into body brushing and its benefits to the skin.

Your skin is your largest organ.

Did you even REALIZE your skin was an organ? We get concerned about our heart and our lungs and our liver but we only ever think about our skin in terms of our face. Our skin covers our whole body and:

• is responsible for 1/4 of the body’s detoxification every single day
• is the largest elimination organ in the body eliminating up to 2 pounds of waste acid every day
• receives 1/3 of all the blood that is circulated in the body

Brushing your skin stimulates the healing response.

We run for our heart and lungs but what do we do to exercise our skin? Body brushing is the way to go! What better way than to spend 7 minutes each morning stimulating your skin to detoxify and rejuvenate. Some of the benefits of body brushing:

• sheds dead skin cells – your skin is constantly creating new cells that form in the ‘basement’  and grow out, where they eventually slough off on the top – body brushing removes those dead cells to make your skin look fresher and feel softer
• boosts circulation – helps reduce the appearance of cellulite, tightens the skin giving a smoother less saggy look (your skin will get pink when you brush, if it is really red, you are brushing too hard)
• moves the lymph – your lymph is part of your immune system which carries waste products from your cells out to the organs that eliminate it from your body – the lymph have no pump and flow along canals in a one-way direction (toward the neck where it flows into the blood stream) – brushing helps to push the lymph along (it can get sluggish if your body is filled with toxins) – this is why you always brush toward the neck
• stimulates muscles and nerves – helps with muscle tone and stimulating nerve endings as well as provides more even distribution of fat stores

How do you body brush?

First you get yourself a stiff brush made of vegetable fiber (NOT a synthetic brush and NOT a soft one for the tub). You can find them on Amazon or at various sites if you search for vegetable fiber brush, and you might even find one in your local drug store.

It works best first thing in the morning, but if that time doesn’t work for you, do it when you can – just DO IT. Shower afterward and then use a moisturizing oil. DO NOT brush over a sore, wound or rash. It is OK to brush twice a day if you are having some toxic issues.

This is the pattern I use (always in an upward, toward the neck, motion):

1. brush right palm, finger to wrist 8 times (long slow movements, not too hard – you are stimulating not mining for gold) then back of hand, finger to wrist 8 times
2. right forearm, wrist to elbow 8 times on front, 8 times on the back
3. right upper arm, elbow to shoulder 8 times on outside, 8 times on inside
4. right armpit, down 4 times, across 4 times
5. right side brush from shoulder toward sternum 8 times
6. right breast, in a circular motion under the breast from armpit toward sternum 8 times
7. right chest, from breast upward toward neck 8 times
8. REPEAT ON LEFT SIDE
9. all around the waist in an upward motion
10. right sole of foot, toe to heel 8 times
11. right top of foot, toe to heel 8 times
12. right lower leg, ankle to knee in front 8 times, 8 times on back
13. right thigh, knee to hip on outside 8 times, on inside 8 times
14. right inside thigh through the groin 8 times
15. right buttocks and hip 8 times
16. REPEAT ON LEFT SIDE
17. abdomen bottom to top (I do this area in a circular motion always ending my stroke going up) 8 times on either side
18. hip pads 8 times each side

How long will it take until I see results?

Well, know that it takes your body 30 days to renew your skin – to take new cells from the ‘basement’ to the top where you see it. So, this is not an overnight regimen. We are working toward a lifetime of health by building a strong and healthy skin.

I’m adding an addendum from a comment that is vitally important and which I didn’t know. Thank you, girlfriend, for this EXCELLENT comment!! From my friend Tina Blankenship who blogs at Through Rosey’s Glasses:

I’m compelled to point out that while I don’t know if this massage is bad for normal people, those with impaired lymph systems will have to change it up a little.

If you know you are at risk to lymphedema from surgery or illness, then massage is recommended. But to get the lymph to flow we must start from the center (sternum in my case), work up to the neck, across the collar bone and then the axillary, and down the arms. You get the lymph flowing from the least restricted first, so there’s room for the fluid to move to. So I will adapt this by starting from the sternum and ending with the hands. However, I admit that once I go DOWN the limb I also go back up. My mental image is that I’m clearing the stagnant first, then moving the fresh back up through.

Blogs I might be linking to:
Menu Planning Monday, On The Menu Monday, Erin Branscoms, Marital Oneness, The Better Mom, Multitudes on Monday, Hear it On Sunday, Sharing His Bounty, What Joy Is Mine, Playdates at the Well, Back to School Monday, Domestically Divine Tuesdays, Time Warp Wife, Funky Planet Frequent Flier Club, Encourage One Another, Living Well Wednesdays, The Welcoming House, Legacy Leaver Thursday, What’s Up Wednesday, Thought Provoking Thursday, Hearts 4 Home, Thankful Thursday, First Day of My Life , Thankful Thursdays, Thankful, Thankful Thursday Brown-eyed Bell(e), Big Family Fridays, Faith Filled Fridays, Feasting In Fellowship Friday, Fellowship Friday, Homemaking Link-up Week-end, A Little R&R