Ever feel like your skin just isn’t as smooth or vibrant as it used to be?
As we age, our skin doesn’t renew itself as quickly. It can feel drier, duller, and less firm — especially around the legs, arms, and midsection. While you might not notice it so much in the winter, you certainly start to notice it when you are wearing shorts or skirts in the summer.
That’s where dry brushing comes in. This centuries-old ritual is making a big comeback, and for good reason. It is incredible for exfoliating dead skin cells on the body and for promoting lymphatic drainage.
What Is Dry Brushing?
Dry brushing is exactly what it sounds like: brushing your skin with a natural bristle brush before you shower or bathe. No water, no soap, no products — just gentle, rhythmic strokes over your skin.
It’s a simple technique, but when done regularly, it can make a noticeable difference.
Benefits of Dry Brushing for Women Over 40
As hormone levels change, skin naturally becomes thinner, drier, and less elastic. Dry brushing helps exfoliate dead skin cells to reveal smoother, softer skin. It can also boost blood flow and lymphatic drainage and reduce puffiness. Many women notice improvements in skin texture on the arms, thighs, and stomach.
When you dry brush your skin, it stimulates blood flow and seems to ‘wake you up’ a bit, so I do recommend doing this as part of a morning routine, not in the evening.
How to Dry Brush the Right Way
Dry brushing is easiest when you do it just before you jump in the shower in the morning. So choose a natural-bristle brush — not synthetic — with firm but not scratchy bristles.
Getting the Body Ready
To start, you will to begin at your abdomen and gently brushing towards your heart. You can do this for a minute or two.
Four Sections to Brush
Next, you need to think about the direction of the strokes for dry brushing. Since you have lymph nodes in four main spots (under the arm pits and in the groin on each side) we are going to clear and drain lymphatic fluid to each of these lymph nodes.
Imagine a line going down the middle of your body, then another line crossing your mid-section. See the graphic below with the body in four quadrants.
You want to take your brush and brush towards the lymph node in each quadrant.
So if you are starting with the upper left side of your body, you will want to start at the left shoulder and do small, gentle strokes down the arm, then elbow, then hands and fingers. Once you finish this step, you want to change directions of the brush.
Now you will be brushing your up and towards the left arm pit. When you start brushing, you are clearing the area, then as you start brushing towards the lymph nodes, now you are draining the lymphatic fluid.
Be very gentle with sensitive areas like the chest, neck, and stomach. Brush each area a few times until your skin feels lightly stimulated but not red or irritated.
How Long Should I Brush?
Really, the answer depends on your schedule. You can do the whole body in 3-5 minutes or you can take your time and treat it like a 15-20 minute massage. You will often see it recommended to do each stroke 10 times, but you just need to do what works for your schedule.
Should you shower after dry brushing?
Yes. 100% Yes!! You don’t want those skin cells just sitting on your skin. Showering helps rinse away the dead skin cells and any impurities you’ve loosened up. After showering, apply your favorite oil or moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp to lock in hydration.
Follow with Oil
After dry brushing, your skin is freshly exfoliated and primed to drink in moisture. This is the perfect moment to apply a nourishing body oil or moisturizing lotion.
Our customers love using Radiant Body as a post-brush on clean skin — locking in hydration and giving that soft, “just-glowed-up” feel.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The main mistake that we see is the advice to brush in the direction of your heart. Now that you know about the four quadrants, you know better!
Brushing too hard is a common mistake — dry brushing should not hurt. Be gentle with your body! It’s also best to avoid brushing over broken, irritated, or sunburned skin. And don’t skip the shower and applying a nourishing oil afterward. That post-brush moisture step is what helps skin feel soft, not tight.
Final Thoughts
Dry brushing isn’t just a trend — it’s a simple, empowering self-care habit that supports healthy, lymphatic drainage and exfoliation, revealing a naturally glowing skin. Try it for a week and see how your skin responds.
I have tried a number of dry brushes, and my favorite is one that I picked up from the Exfoliation Shop here.
And when you’re done? Don’t forget to nourish your skin with oils that love mature skin as much as you do.