There was a strange little pocket of time in my mornings, right after I turn on the shower and right before the water is warm enough to step into, that used to feel like a glitch in my day. It’s too early to start doing anything productive, too cold to stand there and do nothing, and just long enough to spiral over a cringe childhood memory 15 years ago. Sometimes, I brush my teeth during this time. Sometimes, I scroll. Most of the time I just stand there, impatient and half naked, waiting. Until I found something better. Something oddly simple. Something that has now become a small, sacred ritual in my shower routine. I started dry brushing. WTH?
I know. It sounds like one of those niche wellness things that belong to people who drink green juice from hand-blown glass and refer to their mornings as ‘slow rituals’. But let me tell you, it’s not that serious. Or maybe it is, but in the best way possible. Because here’s what no one tells you; dry brushing isn’t just about skin care. It’s about giving your body the attention it rarely gets unless something’s wrong with it. And I’ll admit, I didn’t jump on the trend right away. For the past few months, I ignored it. I thought, “I moisturise. I exfoliate in the shower every other day. Is it not enough?”
Body Care the Often Neglected Stepchild of Skincare
Apparently not. But let’s be honest, body care is often the neglected stepchild of beauty routines. We will spend $90 on a serum to brighten the dark spot the size of a freckle, but use the same generic body lotion we’ve had since last year. Our faces get custom routines and hydrating masks. Our bodies? Well it gets a quick slap of cream, if that. And for me? That showed. My skin wasn’t dry, but I will say that even when I did all the moisturizing, it never held that glow. My body skin care was running on autopilot. There, but not tended to. Present, but not prioritized. So, one afternoon in a wonderful place called: the French Pharmacy, before me was a dry brush. I thought, “why the hell not”! When I got home, while the water was still cold, I tried it.
A few swipes up my very long legs. Around the hips. Towards the heart. (That’s the rule, it’s always towards the heart. It sounds poetic, and somehow it is.) From this moment on, everything shifted. It wasn’t just the tingling sensation or the way my skin flushed slightly under the brush; I wasn’t fixing or correcting anything- it just felt good. Physical, but also deeply grounding. I was reconnecting with my body, feeling new moles, and (fortunely) finding rough patches of skin that were soon to be gone.
The benefits of spending 2-3 minutes before each shower came very quickly. Dry brushing helps with lymphatic drainage, which is just a fancy way of saying it supports your body's natural detox process. A boost circulation, encourages cell turnover, and makes your skin so soft it practically comes. It also preps your body to absorb moisture better, meaning your favourite creams and oils suddenly go further and do more. And it’s one of the only beauty rituals that feels this good this fast without requiring anything but a brush and a spare three minutes.
It’s funny how it quickly became a nonnegotiable. Even when I’m rushing, even when I’m tired, I reach for the brush. Because now it’s not just a tool, it’s a reminder of the rhythm of presence of softness.
What happens after the brush?
This is the part where the real indulges begin. You swept, scrubbed, and rinsed. Your skin is flushed and fresh. And now it’s time to seal the deal! Enter in the post brush products. All approved finishing touches. The glow makers.
First there’s Tata Harper’s Resurfacing Body Serum. I like to call this the soft focus lens of body care. It’s lightweight but effective, packed with naturally active ingredients that leave your skin smooth, refined and so radiant it might as well have its own lighting team. It soaks and instantly, doesn’t leave you sticky, and smells like clean skin and good decisions. Then, there is NCAA Beauties Mango Body Butter, a thick, whipped dream that’s like frosting for your limbs. It’s the kind of body butter that makes you want to wear short sleeves in winter just so someone notices. It smells like you’re about to miss your flight because you were sipping on something tropical and a Kabata somewhere, and you didn’t wanna leave.
Now of course, there’s one question that always comes up: which comes first – the oil or the lotion? Honestly? I have no idea. And I’ve tried to find the answer. I’ve scrolled through thousands of TikTok‘s, watched 1 million beauty influencers on YouTube debate like it’s constitutional law. So we’ll leave that debate for another time. Do what feels right. Or do both. Why not? Well not simultaneously and certainly not before bed on a summer night.
Wrap UP
Dry brushing has changed how I treat my body. Not just the skin, but the whole thing. Because when you begin your day with a few intentional strokes towards the heart, everything else follows. You take more time. You stand a little taller. You glow differently. Not because of the mango butter (though it helps), but because of what it means to love the skin you’re in; actively.So the next time you’re standing in your bathroom freezing, and vaguely annoyed… Skip the scroll. Grab the brush. Start at your feet. Move towards your heart. And just like that, you’re not waiting anymore. You are beginning...the long awaited body care you very much deserve.
