3 Dry Brushing Habits That Could Be Doing More Harm Than Good

Dry brushing is a wonderful way to exfoliate your skin and stimulate circulation, beyond the obvious perk that it just feels great. That being said, there are a few nuances to keep in mind when using this tool.

See, the bristles manually exfoliate your skin, pushing away dead skin cells, which is why your body may feel and look smoother after a few weeks of consistent use. But once that fresh layer of skin is revealed, you’ll want to slather it in lotion to protect the moisture barrier. 

If you decide to shave in the shower, this is even more essential. For those days, opt for a fragrance-free formula to mitigate post-shave irritation, like our holy grail, the mindbodygreen postbiotic body lotion. 

Your body care routine after a long day in the sun calls for hydration, not exfoliation. For this reason, it’s probably best to skip this step and hop right into the shower—and a cold one at that. 

"After a long day in the sun, the first step I recommend is to take a cool bath or shower to cleanse the skin, minimize inflammation, and relieve any discomfort caused by the sun's UV rays,” board-certified dermatologist Kim Nichols, M.D. previously told mindbodygreen.

Add "post-shave" to the list of less-than-ideal times to dry brush. As we mentioned earlier, shaving itself is a form of exfoliation, so there’s no need to manually exfoliate (i.e., dry brush) afterwards. 

Most people will be able to resume dry brushing the next day; however, folks prone to skin irritation from shaving may want to wait another full day to let their skin completely heal before exfoliating again.