Skin Brushing

I first heard of skin brushing about 10-12 years ago.  I was very intrigued, but for some reason or other never got a brush & started doing it.  Supposedly it is good for your health, immune system, circulation, it helps to exfoliate, & it's supposed to detox your body as well. 

As I got into my early 30s I found I had a tiny amount of cellulite on the upper back of my thighs.  I heard that massaging the area can help.  So I bought myself a cellulite massager at Sephora & followed the directions.  (This is the massager I had purchased, but it was about $10 back then)  I was very diligent about doing it, but after a while I saw no change & sort of gave up.  Off & on over the years since I have made a decision to try again & the same routine ensues each time.  And as time has passed I do have a bit more cellulite there. [I should add that I know they sell specific creams to apply when massaging & I have refused to use those due to some of their ingredients.  I mostly use coconut oil & sometimes use my aloe lotion.]

In mid-June I started working out 5 days a week, doing super tough workouts, & along with that I started up massaging the cellulite area daily.  This time I was determined to keep it up for a good long amount of time, hoping for some good results.  This time around the massager fell apart.  I guess it was just too old at this point.

So I knew I needed a new massager.  I went on amazon & found the one I have (the link I listed earlier), but then I started thinking that maybe my lack of results is due to the massager itself.  So I decided to buy a different one.  There were several that I was interested in.  And then I saw this one:

And I realized I could use one side of it for massaging & the other side of it for skin brushing!!  Ding ding ding!!  And so I racked up some points on swagbucks & got this one for myself.  I thrive on routines & the massaging is a routine I do in the morning, at the end of my shower.  So I decided to make the skin brushing a before-I-go-to-bed routine. 

I did it 2 nights in a row & then BAM, my bladder & bowel were in terrible shape.  The last time this happened was right before Christmas, due to a detox I was doing using chlorella, & it took me MONTHS to get out of the flare for my bladder.  I stopped the skin brushing & started pounding down TONS of water, all day long.  So much that I almost felt like I was going to throw up, but thankfully I never did.  And after two days of that I am pain free, thank God. 

Now I know they say it stimulates the lymph system, which helps the immune system & detoxes the body, but I honestly wasn't expecting that big of a reaction, detox wise I mean.  I will start it up again, but maybe not do it EVERY DAY, at least for a little while.

It does concern me that my body seems to be so toxic.  And it concerns me that much of that toxicity can be passed to my child while in utero.  I did grow up in an old house.  I am sure it does have galvanized plumbing, with lead in the pipes.  And I'm sure there was lead in the paint in that house.  And of course there's all the tons of mercury in my mouth due to a very dishonest dentist we had when I was a very young child.  And I'm sure there's plenty more toxins that I'm not even aware of. 

Since the age of 15 I have struggled with chronic low iron levels.  I recently learned that high levels of lead in the body don't allow your body to hold onto the iron it needs & will result in chronic low iron levels.  The more I learn the more I understand. 

And so, I am VERY impressed with the skin brushing.  If you are interested in it there's tons of info on it online.  There are also demo videos on youtube.  There are a few schools of thought on how to do it, so do some research & pick what you feel comfortable with.  They recommend using a natural bristle brush, not a synthetic. 

And so far I do like this massager better than the one I had previously.  Hopefully I will see a difference at some point in the future.