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So you’ve started dry brushing? Great, me too! It makes a huge difference in my body’s ability to detox. If you haven’t started yet, here’s a video on What is Dry Brushing. I’ve noticed advice on-line to discard your brush after 3 months of use and to get new one. I appreciate this advice, given where that dry brush (find it here) has been, and how often. But I had another idea: Let’s learn how to clean a dry brush.
Wondering how to dry brush? I recently added this video how-to.
Why a dry brush needs cleaning
My favorite place to dry brush is my arm pits. There are lymph nodes located in our arm pits
that when stroked release toxins. Perhaps I am especially sensitive; but I can actually feel a rush happen in my body, like a wave of die-off, when I brush the nodes under my neck, behind my ear lobes and under my arms. (The arm pits also help the body to detoxify through sweating.) I discovered, before seeing a lymphatic map, that the pubic line area has this same effect. I now know that there’s a major network of lymph nodes around the bikini area.
You get the idea. Body odor, toxins, genitalia, dry brush… after a while the thing maybe needs to be replaced.
However, I’m that girl who believes in reduce, reuse, recycle… wash. After owning my dry brush for 3 months it looked brand new. The wooden base, into which the bristles are attached, maintained complete integrity and the long wooden handle, well, of course, it showed no wear and tear. Throw it away? That seemed absurd.
I typed how to clean your dry brush and several variations of that into my search engine and came up dry. So this is the method I’ve created and I think it works great.
You can also watch this video tutorial for How to Clean Your Dry Brush. 🙂
What to keep in mind when cleaning your dry brush
Goals when cleaning the brush are as follows:
- Keep all wood dry to maintain the integrity of the brush. (Wood and water are not friends.)
- Use an antibacterial agent to kill any bacteria on the bristles.
- Remove any dead skin cells that have sloughed off my skin in the past 3 months.
- If the bristles get wet during the cleaning process dry them quickly to keep the wood at their base dry and to ensure the bristles are dry for my next brushing.
Here’s my quick step-by-step cleaning method:
- Find a bowl that the brush fits into easily. Fill the bowl with water slightly lower than the bristles are tall, about 1″.
- Add 3 drops tea tree essential oil. (Find it here.)
- Remove the handle from your dry brush. Place the brush into the water solution, bristles facing down, agitating the water gently (with a back and forth or swishing motion), moving the brush around in the sanitizing water, both freeing dead skin cells and distributing the essential oil amidst the bristles. (Essential oils don’t mix evenly into water.)
- Lift out the brush keeping the bristles facing downward. Shake it out over the sink. Add fresh water to the same bowl, rinsing the brush in the same way you washed it, with a gentle swishing motion. Discard water and shake the brush out over the sink.
The next steps are optional, for drying the brush in cold weather: double over an old dish towel. Lay the brush bristle-side down on the towel. Fold the towel over again, so the brush nests inside. Safety pin 4 points of the towel so it can’t fall out.
Place dry brush in the dryer with a load of drying clothes, preferably during the last 30 minutes of the cycle. This final step allows all the water to be absorbed into the towel and for it to dry. The towel protects the dry brush and gives it a quiet ride. Alternately, during hot, dry weather, the dry brush would dry quickly if placed outside in the fresh air and sunshine.
You could also use a hair dryer.
Lastly, if you have it, sprinkle 1 tsp. rhassoul clay (find it here)
over the dry bristles. Move the powder among the bristles using your fingers or by shaking and patting it. Then dump out any excess powder into the trash. This step absorbs any oil residue. A small amount of the clay will remain behind in the bristles, brushing out with the first few strokes of your next dry brushing. (Side note- Rhassoul 
clay is what I wash my hair with, and it is great for one’s skin.)
Easy, quick, effective, earth-friendly and cheap!
Not sure which dry brush to get? This one’s a natural dry bristle body brush with detachable long handle, which is ideal.
Looking for other ways to detox too?
- Learn how to take a detox bath here.
- Consider using digestive bitters. Find them here, or make your own here.
- Cleanse your body with detox herbs here.
Jessica from SimplyHealthyHome says
Seriously, thank you! I was going to buy a new one!
Megan Stevens says
So glad!! 🙂
linda spiker says
I dry brush but have never done under my arms! Another new tidbit of knowledge from you to me. Thanks!
Megan Stevens says
🙂 Thanks, Linda.
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
Really great info … most of which is new to me. Now I just need to get a brush and start doing this.
Megan Stevens says
It’s a bit abrasive at first but it’s hard not to love it when you see it working! 🙂
Renee Kohley says
Oh YAY!!! Thank you!
Megan Stevens says
🙂
Dr. Karen Lee says
I never brushed my arm pits (OUCH!!) but it makes sense! Thx!
Megan Stevens says
Love it, hee hee~ anything for healing!
Jens Sweet Plantains says
I have yet to dry brush, but have been meaning to for the past few years! I totally need to get on the ball and start doing it… I have a feeling I would NOT be happy to throw out my brush – I’ll be keeping this post handy when it’s time to clean!
Megan Stevens says
Great Jens!
Anna @GreenTalk says
Why can’t you let it air dry? I would be worried about putting the wood in the dryer.
Megan Stevens says
You sure can; but there is a risk of mold, mildew, moist GROWTH if the house isn’t dry with ventilation. The dish towel protects it beautifully and the wood comes out unchanged, in my experience. 🙂 Thanks for the great question.
naturalfitfoodie says
I’ve heard so much about dry brushing but haven’t taken the plunge. Thanks for sharing this I just need to get a brush now.. 🙂
Megan Stevens says
I think you’ll find it very effective and actually a nice daily ritual.
Chloe says
Great info! I have been wanting to start dry brushing, and this will be important info to have for when I do.
Megan Stevens says
Great, Chloe. Thanks for commenting.
Farrah Craven Waller says
When you dry brush under your arms, which direction do you brush? I know you’re supposed to brush up towards the heart, but can’t figure out which direction I think that should be under the arm.
Megan Stevens says
Hi Farrah, with your hand up in the air, above your heart, you brush down– starting at the top of the arm pit and brushing toward the middle of the heart. So you only brush upward toward the heart below the heart– the legs, the belly. I hope that helps.
Farrah Craven Waller says
It does, thank you!
LJIS says
Just encountered this, thank you! What kind of dry brush do you recommend?
Kristin Strief says
Would bentonite clay work instead of rhassoul clay, since that’s what I have? Thank you!
Jade says
How often would you recommend cleaning the dry brush?
Megan says
Hi Jade, every three months.
Barbara Wolf says
Yes please send me your newsletter. Thank you
Janet says
Just became aware of dry brushing and your information is very helpful. Thanks.
Megan says
You’re welcome Janet. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Tina says
Would bentonite clay work as well as rhassoul clay? I have a 2 pound jar of that:)
Megan says
Hi Tina, I don’t think so, actually. Rhassoul clay rinses out well and easily, but bentonite clay tends to clump and stick more and is harder to work with. Let us know, though, if you try it and find it works well.
Natalie says
I need a new brush. I also subscribe to the reduce our waste concept. I will buy a nice on this time and clean it. This way I can accomplish all the goals.
Joan says
Do you suggest drying your brush with a hair dryer?
Megan says
You can, but I think it will take a while. 🙂 Fine though.
Samantha says
With doing this how long would your dry brush last and at what point should you replace it for a new one?
Megan says
Hi Samantha, I still have my original dry brush several years after buying it. I’ll replace it if the bristles are bent or ineffective or if the wood starts cracking, but so far mine continues to hold up well.
Anisah says
Hello, I was wondering what is the best way to store my dry brush? Is under my cupboard sink okay? And, would a cotton bag okay? Open for any recommendations! Also great information on here, thank you!
Megan says
Hi Anisah, in a cotton bag under the cupboard sounds good. You just want a little airflow for it, so it’s great that the bag is cotton and not sealed. Also, ideally it’s a low moisture area, so if the cupboard is quite humid, another more ventilated area would be better. You’re welcome! 🙂
Paula says
I DRY BRUSH IN THE SHOWER, THEN CLEAN MY BRUSH USING SHAMPOO,QUICKLY, AND RINSE WELL. I DRY IT WITH A TOWL AND SET IT BRUSTLES DOWN ON THE EDGE OF OUR TUB OR VANITY AND LET IT DRY NATURALLY. HAVE HAD IT OVER A YEAR AND IT IS STILL IN PERFECT CONDITION. iF YOU GOOGLE DRY BRUSHING AND CLICK ON IMAGES THERE ARE SEVERAL IMAGES OF THE DIRECTION YOU SHOULD DRY BRUSH YOUR BODY. MAKES YOU SKIN FEEL LIKE BABY SKIN…SO SOFT.