Deborah Tosline wrote and published Skin Remodeling DIY: An Introduction to the Underground World of Do-It-Yourself Skincare in 2015. Deborah's education and work experience is in science, where hypotheses are tested through observation and experiments. She has Bachelor of Science degrees in geology and ecology. Her approach to skin care is based on that scientific background, a love of research and over 30 years of DIY skincare experience.

For real, stimulate skin through exfoliation and massage or slowly lose the structure, elasticity, circulation, new cell production, and vibrancy of your skin.

The body is smart.  If there is no stimulation, representing a need, the body will slow new skin cell production and skin regeneration. To maintain circulation and rejuvenation at optimum levels, one must stimulate the skin.

Benefits of skin scrubbing include:

·      Break down unwanted toxins and increase skin circulation reducing the appearance of cellulite by reducing toxic accumulations.

·      Exfoliate dead skin cells to encourage new cell production resulting in smoother and brighter skin. PS. It can also help reduce ingrown hairs and acne.

·      Improve vascular blood circulation and lymphatic drainage. Release toxins and discharge metabolic body wastes.

·      Rejuvenate the nervous system by stimulating skin nerve endings.

·      Smooth muscle tone and fat deposits.

·      Promote skin absorption of nutrients by eliminating clogged pores. 

Note - If there is a medical skin condition, the skin is irritated and/or inflamed, or there are open blisters or sores, do not scrub or dry brush the skin.  Address these issues first and ensure that the skin is in good health before using the skin care practices described in this article. If the skin is fragile use a slow approach.

I’ve said it before; you don’t need to buy skin cleanser ever again. Skin care product manufacturers teach us through advertising what we “need” to buy. The truth is that many products have few benefits. Try replacing your current skin-cleansing product with the alternative skin cleansing method of using a microfiber cloth. I currently use a silk microfiber cloth every evening to scrub the heck out of my facial skin to remove make up, cleanse, and exfoliate. Consistent use of the microfiber cloth has made my facial skin stronger than ever. Exfoliating and agitating the skin is a must to encourage the body to produce new skin cells and promote regeneration.

Let’s take this skin softening and rejuvenating practice to the body using dry brushing. When a brush is used wet, the brush is soft and not so stimulating to the skin. A dry brush used on dry skin is stimulating to the lymph system and to the skin structure removing metabolic waste and tightening the skin. Dry brushing begins at the body’s extremities with brush strokes that move towards the heart. After dry brushing, an oil of your choice is massaged into the skin before rinsing with warm water.

Dry brushing will cause a minor irritation and flush the skin; this sends a message to your body that it needs to generate new skin cells. Exfoliation will remove dead skin cells and unclog skin pores so that the skin may function optimally.  This will produce softer skin and increase penetration of high-quality nourishing oils applied to the skin. Stimulating and nourishing the skins natural biochemical processes promotes healthy and beautiful skin.

There are many ways to dry brush/dry scrub, here is one-way.

Scrubbing the back, even with a long handled brush can be challenging. The Salux is a Japanese scrubbing cloth. In Japan, “bathing is an art, a science, and a daily part of the lifestyle culture.” A Salux is a long narrow nylon cloth that makes it easy to scrub the entire backside and every little inch of the body. The cost ranges from $3 to $10.

As terrific as the Salux is, I’m a natural girl and I like natural fibers.

I found a natural fiber scrubbing cloth made from the Sisal fiber of the Agave plant.  The Sisal scrubber has handles on either end of a long woven agave fiber cloth with a hand mitt to scrub smaller areas for $9.50 from eBay (I think that this is a great price for a great product. I have no affiliation to this seller :) just sharing information.) This fantastic skin scrubber makes it easy to exfoliate and stimulate the skin all over the body.

Do not delay. Cleanse your face with a microfiber cloth every night. Dry brush or dry scrub your entire body front and backside, including the face, at least once a week.  Apply a high quality raw organic oil to the entire body like grape seed or avocado or coconut oil. Practice this routine for a month and let me know how it works for you. Get ready for softer smoother prettier skin that will keep you healthier too.

Take good care of yourself and for more skin care tips get my book "Skin Remodeling DIY: An Introduction to the Underground World of Do-It-Yourself Skincare" xo Deborah