Can You Dry Brush Your Face?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:15 am

I have heard a lot about the wonders of dry brushing the body in terms of exfoliation and lymphatic drainage etc but was wondering if you could do this safely on your face? I have a DHC face brush and accidently forgot to wet it when I was using it on my cleanser this morning, it felt a little different but didn't hurt and it lead me to ask this question. I have the face brush since I can't yet afford a clarisonic but I was just wondering if anyone else had ever thought about this or maybe even did this? Oh Saturday morning musings.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:49 am

Yes, you can. You can get little brushes just for this.

(I did buy one once and it is resting peacefully in the back of one my cupboards. I like to give these things a quiet home.)

One of my girlfriends has a gorgeus radiant comlexion and puts it down to her little brush and daily use of it.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:52 am

That is what I have, a little brush that I just brought out of hibernation. Catski, do you or anyone else know if you can substitute this for other types of exfoliation like scrubs or peels and if this is recommended. Sorry for all the questions everyone, I am just still barely starting to understand everything I am learning from you all at EDS.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:58 am

Well, I use the clarisonic brush to clean my face twice a day, and I wondered if this would stop my need for any other exfoliation.

My answer is, that this morning I did an aspirin and yoghurt face mask..

So, for me, the thing to do is take it one step at a time and see how your face reacts and how it adapts to it over time.

When I introduced the clarisonic I didnt exfoliate at all with anything else for quite a while.

I kept a close eye out on my skin, and after a few months did a glycolic mask on my nose area...

Is this helpful?

I'm basically saying be careful and wait and see!

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:00 am

Totally helpful...now all I need to do is learn to be patient...ugh so many fun things to try out and I want to do it all right this instant. Oh well, thanks for the info catski

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:03 am

You're very welcome. I'm sorry I couldnt say something satisfyingly concrete!

Hope it works well for you.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:32 am

I was wondering if you guys could post links or pictures to the ones you use. I am really interested!

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:08 am

http://www.dhccare.com/DHC/ProductDetail.aspx?CS_ProductID=357&CS_Catalog=DHC%20USA

this is the link for the DHC facial brush I use. Hope that helps!

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:09 am

gigiab6 wrote:

http://www.dhccare.com/DHC/ProductDetail.aspx?CS_ProductID=357&CS_Catalog=DHC%20USA

this is the link for the DHC facial brush I use. Hope that helps!

Oh thank you!

How soft are the bristles? Do they feel irritating at all?

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:25 am

For my face, the bristles feel nice and soft and when you wet the bristles they become softer. I think that depending on how much pressure you use, it would determine if your face would suffer irritation. However, I am sure that DHC has a return policy that would let you return it if the brush was way too tough for your face, although I can't imagine that to be the case. I hope that helps.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:40 am

gigiab6 wrote:

For my face, the bristles feel nice and soft and when you wet the bristles they become softer. I think that depending on how much pressure you use, it would determine if your face would suffer irritation. However, I am sure that DHC has a return policy that would let you return it if the brush was way too tough for your face, although I can't imagine that to be the case. I hope that helps.

Very much so, thank you!

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:39 pm

Yup. The DHC facial brush used dry is a great exfoliator. I have been using it for about 5yrs with no probs. Be careful not to get too energetic with it tho, you don't want to break any capillaries! The stiff outer rim of bristles softens up with time, I found. The inner bristles are nice and soft. I wash mine out with shampoo every couple days to keep it nice & fresh too, so's not to contaminate my clean skin again. Thanks for posting this tip! It's a great idea and far better than those harsh exfoliators.
Fawnie

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:09 pm

Awesome to know that you have been doing it for awhile with success and ease...thanks for the tip on washing it, I hadn't even thought about that.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:10 pm

wow, my first instinct was to say "of course you can't do this, as it will certainly ruin your skin!" but now i concede to the fact that it may well be beneficial. i normally dry brush and then massage my body with oil when I'm in the states, but I'm in France for the year and the dry brush just did not make the suitcase cut!

I absolutely love dry brushing my body but always tend to stop around my breasts and on my chest, because it always seemed too harsh there. thus, i would think that on your face, you really would want to be careful--all those microscopic tears in the skin... my question is, wouldn't just acupressure/massage do the trick wihtout potential harm to the facial skin?

--avalange

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:36 pm

Avalange,
That is completely where my question came from because it just seemed like it couldn't be a good idea. I have always just used my facial brush with a wet face and cleaner, I think like people use their Clarisonics, but accidentally used it without wetting first and thus the question. My face is pretty tough but I still wonder if I should just get something else for exfoliation that won't hurt my skin. However, I do love dry body brushing...yumm

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:46 pm

has anyone used sponge head applicator like this one? How does the results compare to dry brush ones?

TIA

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:51 pm

I have seen this in stores and have wondered if they are like clarisonics but maybe the would be like a manual dry brush...I would definitely check the sponge and see if it was rough or really soft in order to determine how your face would deal. If you end up getting it, let me know what you think I will be very interested in your results. Very Happy

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 6:05 pm

gigiab6 wrote:

I have seen this in stores and have wondered if they are like clarisonics but maybe the would be like a manual dry brush...I would definitely check the sponge and see if it was rough or really soft in order to determine how your face would deal. If you end up getting it, let me know what you think I will be very interested in your results. Very Happy

Sure, I will keep you posted. It seems to me that the sponge might be softer? Not sure about the Crystallized Cream though.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 6:17 pm

well, the whole point to dry brushing, i thought, was to increase circulation and blood flow...

here is a little blurb i found on the web, which appears to be in line with what i do and think about it:

Quote:

Dry brushing is a very important modality that should be included in everyone's daily regimen and especially those with health concerns. It is a cleansing and detoxifying procedure using a natural fiber bristled brush.

Our skin is known as the third lung, which needs to breathe and be allowed oxygenation. Removing the dead skin cells allows the body to emit toxic waste.

Dry brushing also stimulates electrical nerve impulses, initiating the flow of chi throughout the meridian system. Also, aids the flow of lymph fluid, which is extremely important, as it is a vital part of the eliminating, and disposal system, which rids debris from the body. One of the lymph functions is to carry toxins to the bloodstream, cycling to the liver and kidneys where it can then be excreted from the body.

Dry brushing will also break down cellulite deposits and improves blood circulation, which in turn improves oxygenation of the tissues, organs and cells.

When utilizing dry brush massage always use several circular strokes at each area and start at the extremities working towards the heart since near the upper chest area on both sides of the sternum is where the lymph system drains into the circulatory system.

Use dry brushing on a daily basis before showering or bathing. The brush and skin must always be dry. Do not brush before bedtime, as this may be stimulating to the system and hinder sleep. Wash your brush gently with mild soap at least once every two weeks.

yes, since it is about massage and organ stimulation, i don't think it translates to the face. also, the part about brushing from the extremities of the body toward the heart--it seems more like stimulating massage, which you can't do to your own body very well but you ccan do easily and effectively with acupressure on your face. i wouldn't put a dry brush to my skin, in the end. but some people swear by wet cleansing brushes, i don't see much wrong in that.
but for the record, dry brushing is a different treatment from wet brushing--both exfoliate dead skin, sure, but they work to different ends, for different reasons.

--avalange

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 6:26 pm

Oh good to know. I had an esthetician tell me to use a dry brush on my skin, in the manner you describe, before I showered in order to prevent dead skin cells from building up and to improve my skin's texture and tone. Its good to know the reason for this was due to improved circulation and drainage. This is why I love EDS, I am always learning new things! Thanks Avalange, oh and ps. I loved your review of Julie Hewitt cosmetics, off topic I realize.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:36 pm

I've seen a dry brush for the face made out of natural fibers (by Earth Therapeutics or some similar company). I think I saw it in the store at Ulta (www.ulta.com). It looks just like the ones made for the body (same type of bristles - natural v. synthetic - and wood handle). Whole Foods might also carry it. Other than that, I see the ones made for cleansing the face made of plastic and synthetic bristles.

If I find more info, I'll post it.

free skin care · Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:58 pm

Thanks avalange for the information. I thought it was mainly for exfoliation

free skin care · Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:45 am

For the last two weeks I have been dry brushing my face once daily before cleansing. I like it a lot. I use a face brush from Body Shop with some stiffness. The cleansing brushes, like the one from Dermalogica, is far to weak for dry brushing.

I think that facial dry brushing exfoliates and helps me get rid of flakes due to my twice a week use of retinol. Skin gets very smooth, and increased circulation gives my face a rosy glow. It was the good results from dry brushing my body that got me onto brushing my face, as well. I am so happy with it that I intend to continue.

As I googled facial dry brushing, I found that some women in rawfood communities swear by this method (and raw food!) and find it very beneficial for face skin quality. They emphasize the importance of starting out carefully and increase pressure and treatment time gradually. They claim that brushing makes skin stronger and more resilient over time.

In this thread some people worry about dry brushing being too harsh on facial skin. I don't know. Quite a few EDS-members get good results from DermaRoller (which actually penetrates skin with needles).
Any experiences on facial dry brushing?

free skin care · Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:57 am

This topic interests me. I know my naturopath has advised me to dry brush daily (including my face) but I can't bring myself to do my face. Periodically, I get small scratches from my brush on my sensitive areas (chest, breasts and stomach) so I think I can safely assume that it would be too harsh for my face. Are there dry brushes out there sold specifically for use on the face?

free skin care · Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:14 am

I would also like to get recs for good brushes with natural bristles. Currently I use an old face brush from Body Shop, and sometimes a nail brush with natural bristles (using light strokes). Some of the 'raw food' women actually used a special shoe brush!

CMAYC - Just out of curiosity, why does your naturopath recommend facial dry brushing?

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