Is dry brushing really the best way to exfoliate your skin?

Dry brushing might lend intense exfoliation but we need to understand the radical know-how of the practice

Most beauty connoisseurs will agree that there’s hardly a better way than exfoliation to unclog the pores, slough away dead skin, brighten the skin and smoothen out any texture. If an image of a glowy countenance flashed in your mind upon reading this, it is quite likely that you give the rest of the skin on your body a miss, more often than not. After all, isn’t the skin on your body exposed to unimaginable environmental damage too? In fact, your shanks can become a breeding point for clogged pores, ingrown hair and flaking skin due to the added skin damage from various hair-removal techniques. Thus, body exfoliation is paramount.

If you’ve already tried body scrubs, chemical active-infused body serums and tonics, or are looking to experiment with newer means of exfoliation, it might be worth giving dry brushing a shot. 

What is dry brushing?

From bee-stinging apitherapy to vaginal steaming, actor and founder of goop beauty, Gwyneth Paltrow, has made several controversial beauty recommendations to date. However, she isn’t the only one to espouse dry brushing—Miranda Kerr swears by it too. “Dry brushing is pretty much what it sounds like. You take a body brush (look for one with firm, natural bristles) and use it to gently massage your body in an upward motion,” says Dr Kiran Sethi, New Delhi-based dermatologist and author of Skin Sense. “It is designed more for lymphatic drainage and less for exfoliation. It can be used to improve water retention and reduce lymphatics,” adds the skin expert.

While Paltrow attributes her smooth red carpet-ready legs to dry brushing, many beauty tidings claim that it can also confer levelled, cellulite-free legs. However, that isn’t true. “It’s likely that what people interpret as cellulite reduction is really just a temporary plumping up of the skin from increased blood circulation,” Dr Shilpi Khetarpal, dermatologist, tells Cleveland Clinic. Having said that, the smoothening and blood circulation-boosting benefits of dry brushing cannot be brushed aside.

Dry brushing finds its origin in Ayurveda, dating back to over 5,000 years ago. It is also believed to be a modernised rendition of Gharsana—which literally translates to ‘friction by rubbing’—an Ayurvedic treatment that focused on the removal of toxins from the body through accelerated blood circulation and lymphatic drainage. Plabita Sharma, national training head, The Body Shop India, agrees, “The main benefits of dry brushing include stimulating the lymphatic system and exfoliating the skin, which helps the body rid itself of toxins. It also increases [blood] circulation and overall energy.”

Is it better than other exfoliants?

Dry brushing is just another apparatus of physical exfoliation, thereby supporting the function of getting rid of dead skin to some extent. “Practitioners of dry brushing rub a brush with coarse, natural-fibre bristles over their bodies in a particular pattern. The coarse fibres will help remove dead skin and improve the skin’s ability to eliminate toxins through the pores,” explains Sharma. However, Sethi isn’t in favour of exercising dry brushing to attain skin devoid of dead skin and dry flakes. “That’s actually not within dry brushing’s scope. Dryness can be treated with moisturisation and hydration instead,” she says. 

Additionally, to assume dry brushing as a substitute for physical body scrubs and chemical exfoliants isn’t a wise choice. “A chemical exfoliant is always better than a dry brush for brightening and exfoliating. A dry brush may give you physical exfoliation but it can never be as effective as the former,” believes Sethi. In concurrence, Sharma adds, “If exfoliation and sloughing off dead skin cells is your sole requirement, a body scrub should be your go-to option. A dry brush, on the other hand, would help with circulation.”

Sethi suggests opting for a dry brush with very soft bristles, only if you’re looking for lymphatic drainage benefit, and not exfoliation, especially if you also slather chemical exfoliants on the body, as combining both can cause major skin irritation. According to Sharma, dry brushing is unlikely to cause serious harm but can lead to skin damage if done imprudently in terms of frequency and/or pressure. “Some potential side-effects could be irritation, soreness, scratches or injuries to the skin and disruption to the skin’s barrier, which may increase dryness,” she says.

Is dry brushing for you?

“Dry brushing isn’t meant for everyone,” informs Sharma, who advises factoring in your skin type and skin conditions, if any. “Avoid dry brushing if your skin is vulnerable to warts, acne, sensitivity, psoriasis, eczema, sunburn or wounds. Additionally, if you notice inflammation or irritation, take that as a sign to stop dry brushing immediately,” says Sharma. According to Sethi, you can use a dry brush as long as the bristles of the brush are effective. “Once they become damaged and ineffective, you will need to change the brush, perhaps every month or so. It is also important to wash your brush daily using distilled RO water and soap,” she suggests. However, it’s best to save dry brushing for that monthly self-care day and not engage with it frequently. 

Make sure you go ahead with dry brushing strictly during your shower time. While Sharma recommends using it right before the shower, so that you can calm your skin with cold water immediately after, Sethi advises performing dry brushing on damp skin, preferably with some shower gel lather, to avoid the potential abrasiveness that could come along with the exfoliation. Both Sharma and Sethi emphasise the importance of moisturising the skin with nourishing body creams or natural oils to keep dryness and irritation at bay.

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