The In’s and Out’s of Face Brushing:
Have you been thinking about incorporating face brushing into your skin routine? With the cooler months finally settling in you might have noticed that your skin is needing that little bit of extra love. So if, like a lot of our clients you have been considering introducing some extra exfoliation into your routine, then dry face brushing is a pretty good way to start.
But before you rush out buy yourself an expensive rotating brush that promises you air brushed pores, we recommend taking some time out to think about the do’s and don’t of manual exfoliation.
Do: Be diligent
Your skin has a 28 day cycle, which means that once a month underneath the surface a whole new shiny layer of skin is just waiting to be unveiled. Using an organic, natural bristle brush on your face once a week to gently lift off your old skin cells is a great way to improve circulation and give yourself a glow.
Dont: Over do it
Regardless of whether you have sensitive skin or not, over exfoliating your face is only going to end in tears, and a complexion that is aggravated. Use smooth, gentle strokes to softly slough away tired dull skin. Remember if your skin looks irritated or inflamed you are being too rough. Less is more.
Décolletage: Starting at your shoulders, firmly brush inwards towards the centre of your chest. This will also assist in detoxifying the skin and give you a light lymphatic massage.
Neck: Starting at the base of your neck gently stroke the brush upwards towards your chin and ears, then finish with short, sharp strokes beneath your chin. This massage will help stimulate the blood flow to your skin, improving elasticity and help fight the dreaded sagging that comes with age.
Chin: Think of the letter ‘u’ - now turn it upside down. This is the pattern you should be following when you're brushing your chin area.
Cheeks: The temptation to brush intensely on this area can be strong! Try to fight the urge to over scrub your poor cheeks, start with a gentle circular motion moving slowly upwards and outwards and ending back in the same place you started.
Upper lip: Starting right in the centre of your lip, lightly brush to the left, then move back to right.
Nose: Another notoriously over-scrubbed area, your nose doesn’t need to be scrubbed down to a stub. Starting at the tip of your nose, make gentle circular motions moving upwards towards your brow.
Around the eyes: If you were to think about your skin like a piece of fabric, your body would be cotton, your face would be silk and the area around your eyes is tissue paper - our lesson here? However gently you treat the skin on your face, treat the area around your eyes doubly so! Lightly stroke upward and around your brows in a circular motion, and do it lightly!
The forehead: Start in the middle of your forehead, and swipe horizontally across the right side. Then return to the centre and return the favour on your left side.
The most important thing about face brushing isn’t necessarily the frequency of use but how clean you keep your brush between uses. Never (!) use a dirty brush on your skin otherwise you might find that all that hard work will fall apart at the seams. Make sure you nourish that fresh skin with a hydrating oil or serum, then finish with a light moisturiser.