How to Dry Brush: Five Brushes, Six Scrubbers, One Routine

How to Dry Brush: Five Brushes, Six Scrubbers, One Routine

If you want to learn how to dry brush, start with the fact that it is an old Ayurvedic habit that mostly exfoliates. Here are the brushes I would pick, the scrubs and mitts for the days you want something wetter, and the body creams to put on afterwards.

Learning to dry brush is really learning to be gentle. The practice is called gharshana in Ayurveda and has been around for centuries, and it works mainly by exfoliating. That is the honest headline. There is little scientific evidence for the bigger claims, and no proof it reduces cellulite. What a dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic does say is that the mechanical action can exfoliate rough, dry skin. I take that as permission to enjoy it for what it is: a two minute ritual before the shower that leaves skin smoother.

The technique people commonly advise is to start at the feet and brush upward toward the heart, using long, light strokes on dry skin. Never press hard, never go over broken or irritated skin, and stay away from the face unless the brush is made for it.

Grid one is all brushes, and they are all different. The EcoTools Dry Body Brush in gray is the plain, sensible one. Kitsch's Body Dry Brush is the simple everyday choice. Dermasuri's Wooden Dry Brush is, as the name says, a wooden one, and easy to hold. Beauty by Earth's round brush comes with a cellulite massager, and I would treat that as a massage tool and nothing more. HigherDOSE's Supercharge Copper Body Brush is the most unusual, a copper body brush made for exfoliating, so use the lightest touch.

Start with soft bristles and work your way up, and you will know quickly if a brush is too rough for your skin.

Collage of wooden body brushes, exfoliating gloves, sugar scrubs and body creams beside a photo of a folded white towel and a wooden brush on a bathroom stool, and a mood photo of a wooden brush swept over a leg.
Body brushes, scrubs, mitts and the creams that follow, for a sensible exfoliating routine.

Dry brushes

Scrubs and mitts for wet days

Brushing is for dry days. On days when skin feels dull but you would rather have soap and water, a scrub or a mitt does the same job of buffing away rough patches, and it is easier to control.

EcoTools' Exfoliating Bath and Shower Gloves in pink are the simplest way to start. You wear them, add body wash, and rub in circles, and they get easier with use. Dermasuri's Exfoliating Back Scrub Scrubber is the smart one for the bit you cannot reach, since most of us skip our backs completely.

Josie Maran's Vanilla Vibezzz is an argan oil and sugar balm scrub in a refillable jar, gentler and softer than a gritty one, and it smells like a bakery. Native's Coconut and Vanilla Scrub is the more classic, everyday scrub, good on knees and elbows. Youth To The People's 10% AHA and Yerba Mate Smoothing Energy Body Scrub uses upcycled olive seed powder alongside the AHA, so you get a chemical and a physical exfoliant in one, which is a lot, and I would keep it to once a week. AKT London's Foaming Body Scrub in After Thunder is the one that lathers, good if you like the feel of a wash and a scrub in one step.

Rinse well, pat dry, and notice how skin feels. If it looks pink or feels tight, you did too much, and next time you should use less pressure or fewer days.

Body scrubs and exfoliating mitts

Creams that follow the brush

Whatever you use to exfoliate, moisturizing straight afterward matters more than the tool. Freshly buffed skin is the moment a good body cream feels its best.

Sol de Janeiro's Brazilian Bum Bum Visibly Firming Refillable Body Cream with caffeine-rich guaranà is the one everyone knows, and its pistachio and salted caramel scent is warm and sweet. I would enjoy it for the scent and the texture, not for the promise in the name. Nécessaire's Body Lotion pairs 5 peptides and 2.5% niacinamide in a light moisturizer, a good pick if you want a light lotion. OUAI's St. Barts Moisturizing Body Cream is softer and cleaner smelling, easier to wear on days when you do not want a big scent.

Glow Recipe's Watermelon Glow AHA Pink Dream Body Cream is fruity and lightly exfoliating, which is nice for the days between scrubs. Rare Beauty's Find Comfort Awaken Confidence Bouncy Body Cream with hyaluronic acid is bouncy and cushiony, and is the one I would keep next to the bed.

What I would skip: a strongly acidic body cream on the same day as a scrub or a mitt, and anything heavily scented on skin that stings. If your skin feels hot or looks red, leave the tool on the shelf for a few days. Let the moisture do the work, and if the redness or rash lingers, ask a doctor.

Body creams for after

How I would fit it in

Keep it small. Two or three mornings a week is plenty, brushing before the shower, and then a scrub or a mitt on another day. Nobody needs to do this every day.

Work from feet to heart, in long strokes, for about two minutes. Shower, pat dry, and use a body cream while skin is still slightly damp. Wash the brush every week or two with mild soap and let it dry fully in the air. If skin is sunburned, cut, or irritated in any way, skip it and ask a doctor if you are unsure. Store the brush somewhere airy, not in a damp shower caddy, so the bristles stay fresh.

A small test tells you the routine is working: skin feels smooth and slightly warm afterward, never stingy or blotchy. When in doubt, go softer than you think you need to, and stop the moment anything feels sore. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Thermal Brush Guide and Wet Brush, the Original Detangler.