When it comes to skincare, why does our face get all the attention? The skin is quite literally our biggest organ, protecting our entire body.
The point is, the skin beyond your face probably needs a little TLC. And, with the right routine, your legs, arms, stomach, chest, and everywhere else can be radiant and glowing, too.
Now you may be wondering, “What’s the secret?” It's dry brushing! This is one of our favorite skincare practices for your whole body. Like all good self-care rituals, it doesn’t just make you look good; it also makes you feel good.
We’ve been into dry brushing for years, but there really wasn’t any good product on the market for skincare. It was such a problem that our founder, Lauryn Bosstick, was dry brushing with a dish scrubber back in 2017.
Weird? Yes. Effective? Absolutely. Well, we here at The Skinny Confidential have come a LONG way since then. We believe our skincare tools should be as beautiful as they are useful. Plus, a dish brush was never meant for our skin—useful (at the time) or not!
Now we have our very own Skinny Confiendial Butter Brush that’s specialized, elegant, and super beneficial. Of course, you can get one too and start dry brushing ASAP.
But before you checkout, let us tell you all about why we’re obsessed with dry brushing:
How Often Should You Dry Brush for Glowing, Smooth Skin?
In this post, we’re going to explain what dry brushing is, how it works, and how to do it. We’ll also dive into some of the beauty and wellness benefits you can expect from adding dry brushing to your routine.
What Is Dry Brushing?
Dry brushing is the practice of gently sweeping a firm, bristled brush over your skin, usually right before a shower or bath. You can use upward strokes or circular motions, either method promotes radiant, healthy-looking skin.
It’s not just about the technique, though—the right brush matters too. Look for natural bristles, like boar hair (TSC Butter Brush style). This makes sure it’s super gentle, eco-friendly, durable, and mimics the natural flow of the skin.
With a high-quality brush and good technique, dry brushing works well for any skin type. It’s a simple, effective, and luxurious self-care practice that anyone and any routine will appreciate.
How Does Dry Brush Work?
Energizes the Tissue
The sweeping motion over your body stimulates nerve endings in the skin. This sends a gentle wake-up call to your nervous system, helping you feel more alert and energized.
Exfoliates Dead Skin Cells
You probably exfoliate the skin on your face, but your body deserves the same attention. Dry brushing acts as a physical exfoliant, gently shedding dead skin cells for radiant, baby soft skin.
Boosts Blood Flow
The friction from the bristles encourages small blood vessels near the skin to work overtime. This brings way more oxygen and nutrients to the tissue.
Healthy circulation is really good for wellness because it directly improves skin health, immune functioning, and muscle recovery. All these health boosts just from dry brushing!
Encourages Lymphatic Drainage
The process of brushing your skin also stimulates lymphatic drainage. The lymphatic system is a part of our immune system that helps remove waste, toxins, and excess fluid from the body.
That said, it doesn’t have a pump to push everything through. The cardiovascular system has the heart, the circulatory system has the lungs—but the lymphatic system? It has nothing.
So, it needs some help to get things flowing. Dry brushing does just that, by manually activating lymph nodes to flush out all the gunk. The result? Reduced swelling, improved immune health, detox support, and more.
For more on this, listen to the Him & Her episode called The Truth About Lymphatic Drainage, Body Contouring, & Celebrity Massage With Josie Rushing. And, if you want the benefits on your face too, here’s how to do lymphatic drainage facials at home.
What Does Dry Brushing Do?
Softens Your Skin
Of course, one of the most obvious benefits of dry brushing is soft skin. After this daily ritual, your skin texture will be smoother and silkier than ever before.
Brightens Complexion
By stimulating circulation, dry brushing delivers way more oxygen and nutrients to the skin. The result? The healthiest glow ever—bronzy, radiant, and totally refreshed.
Improves Muscle Recovery
All those extra nutrients also help your muscles recover more efficiently after workouts or injuries. By supplying oxygen and essential vitamins, dry brushing can reduce soreness and support faster tissue repair.
Reduces Swelling and Puffiness
Swelling comes from inflammation and the buildup of fluid. By stimulating lymphatic drainage, dry brushing can reverse both issues, easing puffiness for a more sculpted look.
Boosts Energy and Focus
Dry brushing wakes up your nervous system, providing you with a totally natural energy boost. And, even better, that boost in attention and alertness usually sticks with you throughout the day, too!
Supports the Immune System
By promoting healthy lymphatic flow, dry brushing helps your immune system filter out bacteria and toxins more effectively. Basically, it helps you avoid getting sick—and recover quickly if you do.
Relieves Stress
Think of dry brushing as a type of massage. And like a massage, it’s extremely relaxing. By relieving tense muscles and calming the nervous system, a dry brushing regimen will feel like a daily spa session.
Reduces Cellulite
Dry brushing helps break up hard fat deposits beneath the skin and encourages more even distribution. Combined with the removal of excess fluid, this process can seriously work wonders at reducing the appearance of cellulite.
Enhances Digestion and Kidney Function
Here’s another win for lymphatic drainage! Dry brushing helps move fluids more efficiently, supporting better detox in the digestive system and kidneys.
Makes Skincare More Effective
Skin that’s freshly exfoliated absorbs moisturizers, oils, and serums more effectively. This helps you maximize your skincare routine and get the most from all your products.
How Often to Dry Brush
For most people, we recommend dry brushing 3-4 times a week. But, honestly? You could do it every day as long as you’re not too aggressive with the technique.
That said, if you have sensitive skin or dry skin, start with 1-2 times a week and see how your skin responds. You just want to make sure the friction won’t irritate your skin.
And if you have skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, or eczema, avoid any areas that are currently experiencing a flare-up. You can still safely dry brush, but don’t sweep over breakouts or rashes.
How to Dry Brush for Buttery Smooth Skin
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Step One: Run your shower with lukewarm water. Consider hanging eucalyptus on the showerhead for added ambiance and self-care benefits.
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Step Two: While you let the shower run, grab your TSC Butter Brush. (Don’t get in the water yet.)
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Step Three: Start dry brushing at the feet, sweeping upward toward your heart.
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Step Four: Move up, going over your entire body. Use light pressure on the torso, thighs, and neck. Then, use medium pressure on arms and legs.
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Step Five: Dry brush your back, brushing from from the neck down to your hips.
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Step Six: Get in the shower and wash your hair and body as usual.
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Step Seven (Optional): Shave your legs (and anywhere else you want.) This step isn’t essential, but shaving will help you get the smoothest, most polished final look.
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Step Eight: Rinse off, turn off the shower, and pat yourself dry.
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Step Nine: Finish up by moisturizing with body butter or oil like Agent Nateur body serum.
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Step Ten: Enjoy the softest skin of your life!
Dry brushing is the self-care ritual your skin has been waiting for.
Convinced dry brushing is the next step to elevating your skincare routine? We thought so. But don’t run for a dish scrubber, get the high-quality, made-for-skin Butter Brush from TSC.
You can get our new Limited Edition Cream Butter Brush (it’s gorgeous) today at The Skinny Confidential Shop. It comes with everything you need, including a convenient silicone loop and sleeping bag for easy storage, allowing you to effortlessly add dry brushing to your daily rituals.
