Dry Brushing Your Face Can be Beneficial – But There Are Different Rules Than With Body Brushing!
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Skin is more delicate on the face, and it is more complex. However, the same general benefits apply to brushing your face as to brushing your body:
1) You exfoliate and remove dead cells and toxins, helping your skin to be healthy and function well.
2) You bring good blood circulation and stimulation to the skin and feed the cells important nutrients. This improves your skin tone!
3) You assist with lymphatic drainage and even sinus movement.
We offer two perfect little Face Brushes for this purpose, found on Amazon or on our SublimeBeautyShop! PLEASE NOTE, DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND, WE HAVE RUN OUT (August 19th) BUT EXPECT A LARGE WITHIN 10 DAYS. APOLOGIES!
OUR SKIN
The outermost of the 5 layers of the epidermis is called the Stratum Corneum (“Horny 
Layer”), and it is made of up those dead skin cells awaiting departure! In fact, the process of cell shedding (Desquamation) from lower levels to the surface is a natural process. The outer mostly-dead layer is thrown off about every 20-30 days but as we age, it becomes more difficult to throw off these cells, causing a dull and unhealthy look – and making our skincare products less effective. When the old cells are sloughed off or exfoliated (at any age), it makes way for new cells to generate – hence fresher, healthier skin that maximizes oxygen intake!
This is at the heart of healthy skin brushing – releasing the dead cells and toxins, allowing for healthy skin to be cleared and functioning along with all of the other benefits.
IMPORTANT POINTS:
Use Lighter Strokes than Body Brushing. Because the facial skin is more delicate and thinner, especially under and around the eyes, you should proceed with a light touch. While we use firm strokes on our body for effective skin brushing, you should start with soft, lighter strokes on your face and never stretch, pull or use too much force.
Face Brushing is done less often than Body Brushing. While we can (and should) body brush every day, face brushing is typically done less often. Dry, aging skin and normal skin can benefit from 2 face brushings per week, while oily skin can benefit from 4 brushings per week. If you have normal skin but the oilier “T Zone” skin type, you could consider brushing the oilier “T Zone” on extra days. Brushing oily skin can help keep blemishes away, releasing toxins and bacteria that could cause pores to clog. You should NOT dry brush on open sores, cuts or open blemishes (blackheads & whiteheads OK).
Direction of Strokes. In Skin Brushing the body, we always brush towards the heart in firm strokes that should feel invigorating (and never hurt). We start at the feet and work our way up the body, brushing towards the heart and paying special attention to rougher skin areas (elbows, heels) and lymph-rich areas (inner thighs, under arms). But brushing the face is different. We give you instructions below and visuals.
HOW TO DRY FACE BRUSH:
** Brush on an absolutely dry face, typically after you have cleansed and dried thoroughly in the morning (1-2 times per week for dry, normal or aging skin, 3-4 times for oilier skin). There should be no makeup on your skin when you dry brush. You can, if desired, brush skin first thing in the morning before cleansing, but then do cleanse after you have completed your brushing.
** Use only natural bristles. Synthetic bristles can damage skin. We have chosen a natural brush (two sold together in a Sublime Beauty pouch). LINK
** Pull your hair back and if necessary, use a head band. Take off your glasses if you wear them. Expose your face with no obstacles, ready for your session!
** Using very light strokes, you will start at the decollete and neck and work your way up to your forehead. Typically you will do about 5 strokes per area. We have provided a guide and the steps below.
** After you have dry brushed, rinse with water and then apply your favorite moisturizer or serum to hydrate. We also recommend that you drink a glass of water!
THE SPECIFIC “ROAD MAP”
1) Decollete: brush towards your lymph area from shoulders and breast area inwards.
2) Neck – brush upwards the middle and sides (towards the chin and ears). Brush lightly under your entire chin in short strokes to help firm the skin and bring it stimulation (this area can sag as we age).
3) Chin – Use inverted U strokes on your chin
4) Cheeks – Make circular motions up and outwards, and then back to where you started
5) Upper lip – Start in the center and lightly brush outwards, to the left on your left side, from the middle to your right on the right side.
6) Nose – make small circular motions on your nose tip. Then move lightly up your nose to the middle of brow area.
7) Around the eyes – Lightly stroke upward and around your brows, encircling the eyes lightly in a circular motion as shown above.
8) Finally, end at the forehead. Start in the middle and move right on your right side and leftwards on your left side.
You will get better and faster with practice! The whole process typically takes less than 10 minutes.
CAVEAT:
- Do not brush too hard on your facial skin! You don’t want to break capillaries or damage your skin. Exfoliation and stimulation are very beneficial but don’t overdo it!
- If you notice that your skin is irritated, is excessively dry or turns red, stop brushing, reduce the number of times per week or alter how you are doing it.
- If your skin is VERY sensitive or if you have any skin condition, consult with a dermatologist before proceeding.
- Do NOT share your face brush with anyone else!
- Do NOT use your brush in combination with a peel or manual exfoliate – it will be too harsh for skin. We personally recommend that you wait at least a week after doing any sort of chemical peel to be safe.
YOUR TWO SUBLIME BEAUTY FACIAL BRUSHES
We decided to offer our two face brushes together for two reasons:
1) You either have 2 dry face brushes. You can alternate use of the brushes.
2) Or you can designate one for dry face brushing, and use the other for cleansing! Some like to use brushes with their favorite cleanser (like our soothing Aloe & Green Tea Cleanser ), and so we wanted to be sure to serve that purpose!
CARE OF & CLEANSING YOUR BRUSHES
You can simply rinse your dry skin brush in warm water with a dab of soap and then let air dry.
If you have oily skin, pimples or especially flaky skin, you may consider putting your brush in the microwave for 3-4 seconds after washing to help kill any bacteria and avoid acne – and wash it more often.
One tip I heard from a dermatologist is to use corn meal… work some through your brush, let it absorb the oils and dirt, never wetting your brush, and then shake it out well.
Remember, your brush should be entirely dry before you Face Brush. Don’t put your brush in a damp area where it could mildew! If the area is humid, zap it in the microwave (as mentioned above) or put it in the sun!
FINAL NOTE
We at Sublime Beauty® have developed a simple system for facial skin care before applying serums and creams to improve skin, and a system to make the absorption and effectiveness of the skincare products work even better!
We alternate Face Brushing 1-2 times per week with use of Red Light & Biowave on the face 4-5 times per week! We have an exciting new device coming out this summer for you – a red light | blue light device with biowave! Red light helps with inflammation and encourages collagen synthesis, blue light zaps bacteria and acne, and biowave energizes skin and collagen, and helps skin care products work better.
Our typical week looks like this:
Dry Face Brush Monday and Friday
Red Light & Biowave Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday and Saturday
We use a Mask on Sunday (Nourishing Anti-oxidant Mask for dry to normal skin. We will offer a new Oil Control Sulfur Mask for oily skin in the next month.)
And of course we Body Brush every morning…
You will find your own routine and what works best for you!