At 19, I was on my way down to the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Down to the Russian baths, where I loved to hide away from pulsating New York.

I was working as a photographic model in the metropolis of metropolises, and walking down the street felt like being at a casting. That is why I loved the unpretentious Russian baths on “women days only” – it was a different world from the one outside the closed doors.

There was a very special feminine atmosphere in there. Women pottered around with just a towel around their waist, and the mood was loving, non-judgemental and inspiring. At least, that is how I experienced it, and in many ways it was a total contrast to the fashion industry I was part of.

Every time I was there, women would come up to me: “Here, wouldn’t you like half a grapefruit peel to exfoliate your thighs with?”, “Have you tried a scalp massage with this oil?” or ”Would you like a few homeopathic drops to calm the mind?” and much more.

One day a woman handed me a dry brush and said: ”Here, try it, it will wake up your body and you will never get cellulite if you use it regularly”.

At first it seemed a little strange to “groom” my body. I have always been prone to dry skin, and there was something really pleasant about brushing the skin. It felt gentle, yet dynamic. I brushed one side of my body; sole of the foot, leg, hip, buttock and arm. I then sat there, completely fascinated, feeling how one side of my body felt alive and pulsating while the other side felt completely different, flat and almost ”begging” for its turn too.

That day my gratitude for dry brushing began, and it has stayed with me ever since as a recurring ritual in my everyday life.

Dry brushing removes dead skin cells. At first you will notice how it “dusts” when you brush. My need for body care products is drastically reduced during the periods when I brush every day.

The skin’s tone improves, giving a more beautiful and firmer skin surface. And one of my most important motivating factors is that cellulite is prevented and combated.

If you think of the human body and the lymphatic system as an aquarium with lukewarm seawater, it gives a good picture of the lymphatic system.

Just as a well-kept aquarium is beautiful when the water pump and filter are in tune with the needs of the fish and plants, it is not ideal when the pump or filters clog up and the water turns murky. The whole basis of life disappears and the fish die.

The body is like an aquarium, where the cells depend on a continuous supply of oxygen-rich blood and fresh tissue fluid.

That is why dry brushing benefits the lymphatic system, as the fluids that lie in the surface of the skin are stimulated to flow better.

More than anything, dry brushing feels the way I feel after a dip in cold seawater. My body wakes up and my mind wakes up. The mental shift from before I brush to after I have brushed is really noticeable. Both on the body, where the whole system gets going, but also on the face, where puffy morning eyes and stagnant skin are transformed into glow and vitality.

I am so happy that so incredibly many people ”brush along”. It is the finest skincare and at the same time a very loving thing to do for yourself and for your mind. I love all the feedback people send us. Just think how many incredibly positive results can be achieved with a centuries-old beauty ritual.

A study from the University of Sunderland in England shows that daily dry brushing reduced the test subjects’ cellulite by an average of 26 % in just 5 weeks. Dry brushing clearly beat both exercise and cellulite creams. Imagine if the test subjects had dry brushed for 1 year?

If you need to see it to believe it, you can find the clip here.

The study comes 31 min. into the programme and lasts approx. 10 min. There are a few adverts in between, but they are short.

All the best

Mette Skjærbæk