My history with dry skin brushing goes back to 2016 when I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. I had started to follow fellow Lyme Warriors on social media and one of the people I followed posted about how much they loved dry skin brushing. It sparked my interest- what the heck was she talking about? I needed to find out and found myself looking online at different resources to learn about how to do it and the benefits associated with dry brushing.
When it comes to my health, I research everything before I do it – but I am always willing to try something that can’t hurt me – I decided to go for it! I explained it to my hubby and on his next trip to Walmart he came home with a soft bristle brush from the shoe department (essentially it was a shoe brush) and it morphed into my very own dry skin brush. I kept it in the sauna because at that point I would still have a sauna every day and so I would dry brush my skin before sitting in the sauna.
There are many sources online where you can learn about this Ayurvedic technique of dry skin brushing, so I won’t discuss the how’s and why’s about it… but I can say that I never noticed a huge difference when I used to use the skin brush before having a sauna. None the less I stuck with it for a couple years off and on (whenever I was in the sauna). Needless to say I wasn’t very diligent about it.
Once I saw my first Lyme Literate Doctor I had a central line placed for IV antibiotic treatment. Throughout 2016-17 I didn’t like to sauna with my central line, so I stopped dry brushing for a while. After my line was removed I really didn’t get back into skin brushing again.
Earlier this year Prana Brush contacted me earlier this year about their ionic copper-infused dry brush I was super interested and curious! Did I want to try it? You betcha!
What Exactly a Prana Brush?
The FAQ section on the website for these dry brushes does a great job at explaining it, but I’ll sum it up a little bit in here for you as well,
“When you brush your skin with an ionic body brush, you create a natural friction between the ion-charged copper bristles and your skin. That friction creates negative ions on the surface of your skin. In addition, using an ionic body brush enhances the usual benefits of using an ordinary body brush. In particular, dry brushing improves circulation, eliminates dead skin cells, stimulates the body’s lymphatic system (which promotes detoxification and helps eliminate toxins that can cause inflammation and illness), aids digestion, and reduces and even eliminates cellulite”
The First Time
I should have known better or had the common sense to realize that this particular day was not a smart day to use the brush. One of my long-standing issues from Lyme Disease is nerve pain. Sometimes my skin hurts; it feels like I’ve been rubbed raw with sandpaper. I learnt the hard way that skin brushing on those days just isn’t smart. Needless to say, my first experience hurt and I was devastated about it- I had been so excited to try a brush with copper in it!
Later that day when Stephen came home, I gave him the brush and asked him to try it. I was eager to find out if it hurt him too or if I was just having a extremely sensitive day. He didn’t find it painful in the slightest, so at that point I knew it was just me and that if I’m feeling a little extra “irritated” from a neurological standpoint then I need to back off brushing.
My Overall Experience
I was thankful to find out on my next good day when I picked up the brush again that it did not hurt and I was completely shocked by the dead skin I could see being removed. I never had that experience with dry brushing in the past.
I’ve always noticed a cooling-tingling sensation after brushing with the copper infused dry brush. This next part might sound incredibly silly as I explain it, but hang in here with me for a moment while I try:
One of the many things I’ve used in my Lyme journey is something called a “chi machine” – I’ve linked it here so you can click on the video to understand what it does. Essentially you lay flat on the ground with your ankles resting in the chi machine. The machine then oscillates side to side very quickly, gently shaking your body. Once it is finished it leaves you with a nice tingling sensation over your entire body. This is the same feeling I get with the Prana Brush.
Their website answers tons of FAQs about their dry brush, and I learnt that “an ionic body brush feels very different than a typical body brush; in particular, ionic body brushes create a unique soothing effect and a pleasant tingling sensation on the skin. Your skin will feel more invigorated and refreshed than it would using a typical body brush”
In comparing the Prana Brush to my previous dry (shoe) brush I can say without a doubt I experienced this effect with the ionic dry brush. I’ve been using it daily (except those days with really bad nerve pain) and loving it! Thanks again to Prana Brush for asking me to try it out! For fellow skin-brushers out there, I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!
