A2Z Holistic Self-care: B is for Brush

I’d imagine for most of us, brushing (or combing) our hair and our teeth is a daily routine. But is it really an issue of self-care?

I’m not one to care much about how my hair looks. I’ve been a wash-n-wear type my entire life — except for a few blips when I tried a few specialty haircuts and colored my hair for about 3 years when I was in a top admin position in education. But really, I am the seldom get a hair-cut type.

When I’m feeling scruffy or out-of-sorts in the course of my day, a good brush of my hair and teeth helps me feel fresh and clean. A fresh start.

But brushing skin — is that a thing?

Years ago, when I was about 28 and living in Hong Kong, my body began to fall apart. After several visits to the European doctor, I made a visit to a natural medicine doctor. Among many detoxifying tools the doctor recommended, one very simple one was — skin brushing.

According to this doctor, the skin is one of the major systems the body uses to rid itself of toxins.

His remedy:

• before showering
• using a natural bristle brush
• begin from the feet
• brush in small circular motion
• up each leg to the hips and buttocks, front and back of torso, from the fingertips to the shoulders, the neck, and the face.