The horsehair glove has been a bathroom essential for centuries. Not only is it exfoliating, by the very nature of its manufacture, but it also helps fight cellulite or even eliminate ingrown hairs. Here are some tips for choosing it and using it wisely.

The horsehair glove against cellulite

Orange peel may not have been – albeit – an aesthetic issue in Antiquity, but today the use of the horsehair glove as an anti-cellulite remedy is one of the methods that give good results.

Use it in the shower or dry, depending on the sensitivity of your skin. Use gentle circular movements up and down to improve blood return as well.

So that the effect is visible and not to irritate the skin, it is better to use the horsehair glove sparingly. Phlebologists recommend doing it only after a cold shower or at least cool to limit the blood flow. Improper use, too intense or during a hot shower can cause small vessels to burst. It is therefore not recommended for people prone to circulation disorders.

The horsehair glove to avoid ingrown hairs

Another advantage of the horsehair glove: preventing the appearance of ingrown hairs and helping to remove them.

This happens regularly after waxing or when shaving, especially the legs and bikini line in women. The hairs, cut at their base, continue to grow under the skin. What creates a kind of pimple, even an infection if you touch it.

To avoid these very common inconveniences, the horsehair glove is an excellent solution. In prevention, in exfoliation, it helps to prepare the skin for hair removal. It removes dead cells and opens the pores of the skin, which frees the hair follicle.

If you discover an ingrown hair after waxing, do not touch it directly with your fingers. However, you can massage around very gently to dry with the horsehair glove to release the hair, but do not use force if this does not work.

An effective exfoliating glove

Rather than buying a body scrub several times a year, or if you don’t feel like making your own scrub at home, you can opt for the horsehair glove.

On wet skin, it allows an effective exfoliation, without any product, but you can use your usual shower gel or a mild soap. As for its anti-cellulite use, massage from bottom to top in circular motions.

Dry friction with the horsehair glove

Friction or dry brushing activates lymphatic circulation and thus eliminates toxins more easily. Dry friction also stimulates the immune system and the nervous system.

A brush is generally used, but a horsehair glove does the trick. For 5 to 10 minutes, make circular movements starting from the bottom of the limbs to return to their respective bases.

History of the horsehair glove

The history of the horsehair glove is directly linked to the tradition of the washcloth as a hygiene accessory since Antiquity.

The exfoliating function of the horsehair glove has become essential and its benefits recognized around the world. Although in some countries like Egypt we used – and we still use and not only in Egypt – the loofa glove, softer and composed of natural fibers.

In France, the horsehair glove was used in particular towards the end of the 19th century in public baths where massages and friction were practiced to invigorate blood circulation.

Our ancestors have indeed understood the advantages of using the horsehair glove for the well-being of body and mind.

How to choose a horsehair glove?

Buying a horsehair glove depends on both your budget and the type of material you choose.

The real horsehair glove, in other words the traditional glove that has survived the ages, is made of animal hair, in particular horsehair or even goat or beef. Very rough, this one is knitted so as to create a set of stitches which will give the glove its exfoliating character. Like a quality hairbrush made from real boar bristle, a hand-woven real horsehair glove can cost up to $ XNUMX.

However, cheaper horsehair gloves made from plant fibers, palm fibers or even hemp have been around for a long time. Much more affordable – less than ten euros for some – vegetable horsehair gloves are also an obvious choice for people vegans.