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Dry Burshing – Why? {Skin Care}

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My Cactus Brush (don’t ask me if they are real Cactus bristles) [Price: Rs 945]
Of course you must have heard all about Dry Brushing by now. So, today, I wanted to discuss about its benefits and if it actually is worth all the hype it gets. I had bought a body brush (Cactus Brush from TBS to be precise) in February (rather it was gifted) and have been suing it on and off since then. Of course, there have been times when I had completely left it off for days together (not months, though) and I can easily tell the difference now. So, how did dry brushing effect my skin?
What is Dry Brushing?
You have a brush much like a coat brush and your use it to brush your body instead. It doesn’t need to be wet like in other cases of exfoliation so it is called ‘Dry’.
Benefits of Dry Brushing
  • extremely soft and glowing skin
  • gets rid of Cellulite
  • removes dead skin cells thereby avoiding flaky skin
  • helps in the skin regeneration process
  • improves skin elasticity
  • improves the blood circulation in the body
  • improves the lymphatic system of the body which helps in getting rid of the body wastes and toxins from the skin
  • it opens up the clogged pores (though pores getting clogged on the body is little difficult)
  • tones up the skin and the muscles
And, many other benefits which I really don’t want to recount here coz it will make the post unnecessarily long. But, you can be sure that half of these claims will hold true in the long run.
How to do Dry Brushing?
Ok, the key to dry brush your body is to move toward the heart from any part of the body. Always remember that and follow that.
  • Start from the toes and move towards the ankle by moving the brush in circular motions. Proceed to the knee in the same circular motions. Once you reach the knee, proceed towards the hip joint along the thighs repeating the same circular motion with the brush.
  • Once you reach the hip joint, repeat the whole process again starting from toes to hip joint for a finishing touch. Instead of circular motions, this time you can go for long quick strokes with the brush in the upward direction. Don’t forget to always work towards the heart.
  • Repeat this with the other leg.
  • Now, coming to the stomach area, proceed towards the heart using circular motions horizontally covering the hip, waist and then, the thorax (diaphragm) region. Repeat for second time using the circular motions only.
  • Work with circular motions on the upper shoulder region but towards the direction of the heart (that is downward).
  • Breasts should be done carefully because the skin is more sensitive. Use light hand on the breasts and avoid the nipples completely. Gently brush in the direction of the breast.
Note: It is recommended not to dry brush the breasts but if you are using a light hand and doing it carefully, it can, in fact, help firm the breasts and keep them in proper shape. Be gentle otherwise you might end up with sore breasts.
  • For hands, start from the palm and move in the circular motions towards the shoulder balls. Once you reach the shoulder, again repeat the whole procedure using long quick strokes (just like the leg) for a second finishing touch.
  • Repeat with the second hand.
  • Now, come to the back. It is very difficult to dry brush the back even if you have a long-handled brush (which is recommended). Start from the buttocks in circular motion and proceed horizontally to the point where you can no longer repeat the same movements. Then, start with vertical movements along the spinal cord in long quick strokes because circular motion is not easy and moving horizontal is impossible. If you can get someone to do it, that would be great. Finally, end the back brushing by thoroughly brushing the upper shoulder on the back which is the area which is most likely to be forgotten and has most of the flaky skin. Avoid the neck, though.
This whole procedure would take 15-20 minutes a day and is recommended to be done in the day instead of at night because it makes the body feel alive and awake.
What kind of a brush should be used?
  • Long-handled so that you can easily reach the back.
  • Natural Bristles instead of Synthetic as they are softer and gentler on the skin and don’t tear the skin.
  • The bristles also provide an acupressure massage during the routine.
My Experience
So, I use the Body Shop Cactus Brush. I had bought it with the intention of being able to wash my back better and this Cactus Brush is not actually a dry brush. Instead, this is what TBS says about it:

Take your lather farther by pairing this handy brush with your favorite shower gel or soap. Leaves skin massaged, smooth, and soft. Pour a small amount of body wash onto wet bristles and brush over the skin in circular movements.

Well, I did try that for the first time but the wet bristles were extremely harsh on my skin. So, next day, I decided to use the brush as a dry brush and it was actually perfect for that. And, also, it is a wooden brush so wetting it everyday isn’t an option either. So, now I use it as a dry brish and I make sure that I dry brush myself at least 3-4 days of the week.
So, how did it affect my skin?
  • It became more smooth and more glowing.
  • I think I had little cellulite patches on my thighs before which I now see are no more so yes for that too.
  • Earlier, I had the impression that dry brushing helps in weight loss but I was wrong, it toned up my skin so my frame looked better, the shoulders and thighs, specially.
  • It does make me feel more awakened if I dry brush myself in the morning and it is a very relaxing routine too.
  • My skin flakes very easily especially on the back and more specifically, the upper back and shoulder region and the stomach area. And, if I don’t dry brush everyday, the skin starts flaking off. It did happen whenever I stopped my routine so it was like a wake up call to go back to dry brushing.
  • The oils get absorbed more quickly.
  • My breasts were more firmed up.
  • Dry patches on the skin are gone. I had a dry patch on my right leg which is not dry any more and the elbows and knees do not trouble me with the dryness.
Well, these were certain things which I noticed. Do not know about the lymphatic system or my blood circulation, though.
My Advise
Well, I think one should take to dry brushing as a regular routine if not a daily routine. And, yup, investing on a good dry brush does give results in the long term.

Groundnut oil for skin {Ingredient}

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I have a bad habit of removing labels *feeling sheepish*

I had bought it for culinary purposes but unfortunately, it expired without getting completely used up and I don’t think I’ll ever buy it for culinary purposes ever again coz it gives too much of a nutty taste and smells very strongly of peanuts and I don’t fancy the so-called aroma. Anyways, so I thought I would use it up for skin before the oil turns rancid. Well, here you might argue that it has expired but vegetable oils (not hydrogenated) don’t really go bad so easily so if its only external usage, I don’t really mind. Of course, I’ll never eat it. So, how did it fare for my skin.

Groundnut Oil
Ok, first let me describe the texture and benefits. It is thick like other culinary oils and mine is organic (USDA certified) which I had bought from the 24 letter mantra I had talked about long time back. The groundnut oil is generally preferred for cooking because it has high smoke point and is a very stable oil and also has a long shelf life which is why I don’t pay heed to the expiry dates of oils unless they are hydrogenated oils. Groundnut oil is highly rich in proteins and is also very nutritious. And, its essentially very high in fatty acids which are responsible for keeping the skin young.

Its major component fatty acids are oleic acid (46.8% as olein), linoleic acid (33.4% as linolein), and palmitic acid (10.0% as palmitin). The oil also contains some stearic acid, arachidic acid, arachidonic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid and other fatty acids.  [Wikipedia]

How do I use Groundnut oil?
I use the oil mainly for cleansing purposes after I finished up with Nivea Cleansing Milk. I massage for few minutes with the oil and I do take a generous amount for face and neck and exposed chest (if I have applied sunscreen there). And, massage for sometime. Then, I leave the oil for few minutes (around 3-5) and then, wipe it off with the cleansing wipes or baby wipes or even cotton (wipes are easier but lot costlier and have all lot of chemicals in them but then cotton has pesticides too and organic cotton is way too costly which is why I prefer wash cloths but oil on wash cloths would ruin them). Then, I simply wash off my face and moisturize.
Since I have been using the oil, I have noticed that my blackheads are far fewer in number (which had becomes really pronounced in between). That’s why I say “go for oil cleansing”.  Ok, not easy while traveling but when you are at home. And, if I am not wrong, I have noticed my face skin has become healthier in the sense of supple and healthy skin since the past one month and, for the record, my habits are as irregular as they can be. I think groundnut oil behaves just like castor oil and has cleansing properties because you can see the dirt and all your sunscreen and foundation coming out of the pores while cleansing the face. And, no breakouts too which I had with almond oil.

Aloevera for soft skin {Skin Care}

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Ok, so this is something really simple. I used the Papaya Peeling Gel I reviewed a little while back and then, I wanted to use something as a face pack and didn’t want to go for the market face masks. So, I used the Patanajali aloe vera gel and I applied a thick layer of the gel on my face and left it for half hour. I think it is because of the ingredients of the product that my face wasn’t all dried up and stayed well-moisturized otherwise aloe vera is notorious for drying up the skin. But, I am not entirely sure so I leave on to you to tell me how it goes if you use the aloe gel from the plant.

What to do?
Apply a thick layer of aloe gel on your face and leave it for half hour. It might tingle in the starting and even sting a little if you have inflamed skin but it subsides in a few minutes. You should apply it around the eyes and the lips too. Just be sure you don’t eat it 😀
Results
An extremely soft skin with a really silky feel that you want to touch your skin again and again!!! I am really amazed at the results. And, aloe is good at removing tan and blemishes so it does help in that matter too. And, the main benefit is that you can use it everyday for a little perking up the skin. It hydrates the skin and soothes it after a long day in the dust, pollution and sun.And, also, it reduces the size of the pores. So, those who have such problems should definitely try this remedy. My pores are looking way smaller.Caution

Ok, so this information I have from a very credible source – one of my readers. And, this is what she said:

“Though I agree with the silky softness acquired post application, I’d noticed an alarming increase in those ‘keel’ of ‘keel-muhaase’ around my jawline. A room-mate experienced tiny boils erupting. We both discontinued use after a week.”

Now, my opinion of this problem is that the culprit is not the aloevera gel but the Patanjali product. I checked the ingredients of the product.

Ingredients: 90% aloe gel and rest are permitted colors, Vitamin E, preservatives and fragrance.

So, either the preservatives or the colors or fragrance might have initiated the breakout reaction. Though, well, they might even be allergic to aloe gel but that’s some what less likely. So, check out if the product suits you before you try this out.