Facial Brush for Glowing Complexion
If I have a “beauty secret,” this probably it…While most beauty mavens talk endlessly about being super gentle with your skin. My approach is dimetrically different. You need to train your skin to endure, to withstand aging.
When I am on the lecture circuit, I show people how I brush and "polish" my face.
The first layer of the skin, the one you see, is called the epidermis. The epidermis is composed of several layers of cells; the outermost of them is made of dead skin cells called the horny layer. These flat, horny cells are about 80 percent protein and only 20 percent water. The skin sheds more than a million cells every hour. Over a period of every twenty-five to thirty days, your skin renews itself by sloughing off its outermost layer.
Experiments with human cell cultures show normal cells stop dividing when they touch their neighbors. Consequently, to speed up the process of the reproduction of new cells, dead cells must be removed. That is why daily exfoliation can make a world of difference.
Exfoliation is the most important part of a beauty regimen. We speed up the process of skin rejuvenation when we remove dead skin cells. Exfoliation energizes your face and improves circulation. All of these steps result in a better looking complexion.
A brush is also the most cost effective way to rejuvenate your skin. However, all of the facial brushes I tried were too soft. The softness makes sense when you consider that most people who eat cooked food generally have more sensitive skin. However, on raw foods, your skin will become supple and less easily irritated.
Most people who are attentive to their skin care do a dry body scrub (and I now offer a Body Brush in my online store) but not many perform dry facial brushing. Gentle manual facial brushing will speed up cell turnover, maximize oxygen intake, strengthen the skin's inner structure, and eventually reverse some of the effects of aging. The trick is to use a good nurturing and healing cream to accelerate the skin recovery time and to allow you to use the brush daily.
Body brushing and face brushing are essential components of a health and beauty regimen, and should be done daily. Though body brushing is not a new concept, it is a commonly held belief by many in the beauty industry that brushing one's face is not necessary, and perhaps is not even beneficial.
I believe that face brushing is just as important as body brushing. Dead skin cells accumulate on the face as they do on the body. Some will slough off naturally, but only brushing can truly refresh and invigorate the face.
Many anti-wrinkle creams contain some form of retinol (for instance, in the form of retinyl palmitate). Retinyl palmitate, or vitamin A palmitate, is a common vitamin supplement, with the formula C36H60O2. We consume a healthy quantity of this vitamin through our daily fresh fruit and vegetable consumption. It works better from the inside.
Anti-aging creams usually contain alpha hydroxyl acid. This chemical exfoliates, or to put it another way, peels off a layer of your skin, giving it a softer look. A simple fruit mask will do the same thing since alpha hydroxyl cells are derived from fruit. The effect that you are seeking is exfoliation. Use a brush! A good facial brushing will produce much better results in a more natural way.
Read testimonials about the "Beautiful On Raw" facial brush.
So important is the face brushing that I have decided to offer a FREE brush to everyone who buys two jars of my Anti-Aging Facial Cream.
Directions: How to use the brush
First wash your face, dry with a towel, and then proceed with the facial dry brushing. When facial brushing, use a gentle, upward movement. Smooth, upward gliding strokes lift the muscles of the face instead of dragging them down. We don't need to give gravity any extra help!
Your facial brushing strokes should move up the neck and along the contour of the face. Make several gentle circling movements counter-clockwise on the right cheek and clockwise on the left always moving along the cheek muscles. Be careful never to stretch the skin. Sweep the forehead gently from the center to each temple.
The first couple of months be extra gentle! The sensation should be pleasantly stimulating. Stop immediately if it doesn't feel good and increase the brushing intensity more gradually.
***Important: If you have sensitive skin and/or are over 50 and this is your first time performing facial brushing, be extra GENTLE when you begin facial brushing. Do not press down hard with the bristles at all. In a couple of months, your skin will adjust and you can be more vigorous.***
At first, the whole procedure should not last more than 30 seconds. Gradually increase the time to one, two and finally, three minutes.
After the completing the facial brushing, apply facial cream immediately and massage the face and neck areas in small symmetrical circles.
How to Clean Your Brush
Occasionally you need to clean your facial brush. The best way is to rub some cornmeal into the brush for a few seconds, let it sit and then scrub it out with your fingers or by vigorously brushing a clean rag. The cornmeal will absorb dust and oil from the brush and whisk it away to keep your brush it tip top shape. Do not use water and soap as this will shorten the lifespan of the brush.