This post is your ultimate guide to dry brushing for stretch marks, including the benefits of using a dry body brush to reduce stretch marks and how to do it.
One of the inevitable parts of being a woman is the arrival of stretch marks. An estimated 50% to 90% of us have them!
These tiger stripe-style marks are actually scars from when our skin has had to stretch or shrink in an abrupt amount of time. This can be caused by growth spurts, rapid weight loss or gain, and the number one reason for stretch marks amongst women – pregnancy.
Stretch marks are normal and nothing to be ashamed of. However, there’s also nothing wrong with wanting to minimize your stretch marks if you’re not so crazy about their appearance.
If you’ve dealt with a scar before, then you’ll know it’s virtually impossible to remove them completely from the skin – but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with your stretch marks forever.
You can drastically reduce the appearance of your stripes with a little help from a dry brush! Dry body brushing has many benefits for the skin, including reducing the look of stretch marks.
A daily dose of dry brushing is quick, painless, and so simple to add into your skincare routine. In this post, we share everything you need to know about dry brushing for stretch marks. Read on to learn more!
Benefits of Dry Brushing for Stretch Marks
1. Exfoliates skin
To reduce stretch marks, exfoliation is vital. When the bristles of a dry brush rub against the skin, it encourages healthy cell turnover and general skin renewal. Cell turnover is important since this is what brightens the skin.
Along with a nice healthy glow, exfoliation removes any dead skin cells that might be trapped on the skin’s surface. This makes room for new skin cells which can promote the fading of scars like stretch marks.
2. Increases blood flow
Another benefit dry brushing has on stretch marks is its ability to increase blood flow. When your circulation isn’t up to speed, it can hinder how the rest of your body works.
Kind of like a domino effect, if your body isn’t pumping the blood efficiently, it will delay new skin cell and protein production, and ultimately prolong the healing process. By boosting circulation, you provide your skin with the oxygen and nutrients it needs to repair itself.
3. Increases collagen production
If your stretch marks are fairly new, collagen can help to fade them out more quickly. Dry brushing stretch marks and their surrounding areas will increase the collagen your body produces. Collagen helps to firm and smooth out your skin while adding elasticity to it.
Elasticity is key for keeping the stretch marks away. If your skin has more elasticity, it’s less likely you’ll suffer from stretch marks in the future if your body ever goes through another abrupt change. So not only will dry brushing reduce stretch marks you already have, it will reduce your chances of getting them again, too!
4. Increases absorption of skincare products
Dry brushing is great for the general health of your skin, but it’s especially good for stretch marks when used alongside skincare products.
There are many oils, creams, and serum designed to help fade out stretch marks. (Our favorite is Tummy Sleek Tummy Tightening Serum.) But when paired with dry brushing you’ll see far better results!
When you dry brush your skin, the bristles remove any dirt and dead skin cells that might be trapped on the upper layers of your skin. Once these have been removed, it leaves the skin open to receiving products better, thus making them more effective.
How to Dry Brush for Stretch Marks
Before you begin your dry brushing journey, you need to know how to properly do it and what’s best to use.
Dry brushes come in all different varieties, but we think it’s best to find one with natural bristles as these aren’t too harsh on the skin. The Tone & Glow Body Brush is a premium natural bristle dry brush with soft yet study bristles – ideal for dry brushing stretch marks.
Once you’ve found your perfect brush, you need to use it correctly. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Always brush towards the heart – this means starting at your hands and feet and working your way up your limbs towards your chest.
- When dry brushing for stretch marks, it’s good to use circular motions and to spend an extra few moments on the affected areas.
- Always dry brush before you bathe and make it a regular habit. Dry brushing can be done daily or at least 3 times per week.
