*CECILY BRADEN

My first encounter with Cecily Braden came through touch. Yes, during a treatment with Melinda Bognar at Muse & Heroine’s the Healing House in Paris , I was introduced to a tool unlike any I had experienced before. Its movement was soft, yet purposeful. I remember the sensation clearly, how The Lymphatic Brush seemed to awaken something beneath the surface without ever overwhelming it. I left that treatment both visibly transformed and intrigued. Who had imagined a tool like that?

That tactile introduction led me to Cecily Braden, a practitioner, educator, and designer based in New York whose work sits at the confluence of cultural knowledge, anatomical precision, and sensory intuition. Her Gua Sha Facial Fusion method has influenced practitioners across the world, but it’s through The Lymphatic Brush that her philosophy of care found a wider language. Engineered with exacting attention to the body’s rhythms, the brush brings clinical intelligence and ritual subtlety into one seamless gesture.

On the occasion of The Lymphatic Brush's launch at Oh My Cream, Cecily Braden shares the path behind her design, her decades of study across traditions, and why, for her, innovation in skincare begins with deep observation and respect, for the skin, for the systems beneath it, and for the stories we carry in our bodies.

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Your path spans journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder and a valedictorian graduation from Aveda Institute, Denver. How did learning to observe and listen shape how you approach traditional healing practices today?

“Observe and listen.” It’s the key to most things in life, but especially when it comes to journalism and the skin. In reporting, you have to “listen and learn” to tell the story, and with the skin you have “learn to listen” and hear what it’s trying to tell you to respond appropriately. The skin is smart, and it will tell you when it’s in trouble. Often, we get in the way of its ability to heal and repair by doing too much and not listening to it.

I use my degree in Journalism every day. Whether it’s creating training programs or educating clients, I’m telling the story of the skin and how to support it to achieve healthy skin and overall wellbeing, along with creating the tools to make it easier and more effective.

You began with cultural curiosity, learning directly from Thai masters and Indonesian healers. What did those early encounters teach you about care, respect, and how knowledge is passed on?

I start all my classes by sharing a lesson I learned from my travels and has been a guide throughout my career. “There’s more than one way to do one thing.” It’s allowed me to honor traditions, but also the freedom to create and trust my instinct and be a leader in the Spa & Wellness business and part of the evolution of skincare.

Often, the difference came down to what herbs or ingredients were readily available in the region, shifts in the local climate, or a long-held custom or ritual, but the underlying intention was the same.

I encourage all my students and clients to view the variety of modalities available from around the world as “different, not better” and to find what works for you.

Your Gua Sha Facial Fusion brings together Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Thai Medicine, and Manual Lymphatic Drainage. How do you honor the differences between these traditions while creating a clear framework for practitioners?

Holistic Esthetics is an integrative science-based approach to skincare that focuses on complementary modalities that support the skins’ natural function and ability to heal, eliminate wastes, maintain balance and protect.

Integrating modalities is an effective way to provide immediate and long-term benefits, but it’s essential to learn them separately, so you can honor the foundation, techniques and underlying theory before blending them together. This way, the cultural context and original methodology isn’t lost.

In class, I focus on each method separately and provide the clear theoretical differentiation between each, so my students understand the differences with the techniques and how to “fuse” them and not confuse them.

I include cultural context and stories from my travels that honor my teachers and tell the story of how my Gua Sha Facial Fusion method was developed and evolved over the past 25-years.

You describe the lymphatic system in plain, vivid language that helps people understand what is happening beneath the skin. How did you find words that invite learning without losing nuance?

A very keen observation. I’m a visual learner—I need to see something before I can truly understand it and that’s how I write.

I always try to paint a picture, so people have a clear image of what is happening, rather than a blend of words without context or meaning as it relates to their skincare experiences or learning style.

I toil over every word, sentence and paragraph as I write and visualize the words. When teaching, I repeat the message in a variety of ways until everyone can understand and relate in their own way.

The Lymphatic Brush origin story: when did you first sense a tool was needed, and what moment or client experience clarified the problem you set out to solve?

As the originator of the Gua Sha Facial Fusion continuing education course for professionals, I discovered that while you can use a Gua sha stone to imitate the intrinsic movements of manual lymphatic drainage, it takes special skill and education to learn the techniques and perform them correctly.

Naturally, you can use your hands to manually manipulate the lymphatic vessels but, it takes a deeper understanding of the pathways, and plenty of patience to consistently gauge and apply the correct pressure throughout your routine.

Adding to the challenge, performing the movements on yourself is very different—and often much harder—than working on a client. I realized the techniques I was teaching professionals wouldn’t translate into an accessible self-care routine, so I needed to find a solution and thus, the The Lymphatic Brush was born.

It wasn’t easy and after over a year trying to find the right partner who could bring my vision to life, I almost gave up. But the nagging needs to make lymphatic drainage accessible could no longer be ignored. I was frequently asked for skincare advice and knowing “lymphatic drainage” was the answer but not having an easy and effective solution was frustrating, so I knew I had to create one. I just kept going until I found someone who could bring my vision to life.

The two-brush system reflects sensitivity to tissue differences. What iterations led you to the bristle lengths and densities you use now?

This was probably the hardest and remains part of our strict quality control process and patent approvals. Once I determined the design, it took another two years to perfect the density (firmness) and bristle length (flexibility) to ensure the proper connection and alignment with the superficial lymphatic vessel system from head to toe.

The Lymphatic Brush is precisely engineered to work with the underlying tissue and the superficial lymphatic vessel system that resides just beneath the surface of the skin in several ways.

First, the textured bristles help create motility by softening the tissue fluid, which is the precursor to lymph and often become gel-like or hardened, which leads to stagnation and a lack of flow.

Second, it engages the tissue creating a gentle “tug and torque” that helps open the initial lymph vessels to increase the intake of fluid into the vessel system.

Once the fluid enters the lymph vessels, it provides directional flow and increases the intra-vessel pressure, which in turn increases the flow rate.

Due to the multiple modes of action and touch points working simultaneously, it’s a quicker and more efficient way to create movement and propel lymph.

Translating trained touch into a tool is delicate. How did you guide users toward just enough pressure and direction so they can learn safely?

That’s the brilliance of The Lymphatic Brush. It’s intelligently designed to do the work for you. All you have to do is connect the textured bristles to the skin and follow the lymphatic pathways. The simplicity and ease of use was the guiding principle in the design and ability to achieve our global patents as a unique draining device.

Clinicians have reported reduced post-surgical swelling with The Lymphatic Brush. How has feedback from medical partners influenced how you teach and position the technique?

Feedback from all our customers from personal to professional use has added invaluable layers to our educational programs and the capability to create video tutorials and expand into areas beyond beauty.

The Lymphatic Brush has surpassed all my expectations. It was truly a labor of love to create, and nothing brings me greater joy than hearing your feedback and knowing it’s making a real difference with people’s skin and overall well-being. Feedback fuels ideas and strengthens our sense of purpose.

Specifically, from the medical community, it validated what Estheticians, and holistic practitioners have been preaching for many years and provided a level of credibility that made people willing to try it with less fear of the unknown.

For everyday use, what benefits do people tend to notice first, and what deeper changes emerge with consistent practice over time, for both skin and overall ease in the body?

It’s all connected. I developed The Lymphatic Brush with a focus on aesthetic concerns and the immediate feedback I received was about how relaxing it was and the many ways it helped people reset their nervous system and support a myriad of health concerns. That’s when I knew it was beyond me and was beginning to take on a life of its own. I’m just a bystander at this point doing what I can to ensure as many people are able to enjoy the benefits of lymphatic drainage by taking advantage of the ease of using The Lymphatic Brush. Reducing swelling and puffiness is the immediate visual benefits people experience. The Lymphatic Brush targets inflammation, which is the precursor to aging and the common denominator for most all the degenerative, cognitive and neurological concerns we encounter as we age.

Your work sits between ancestral knowledge and contemporary research. How do you help different audiences appreciate both forms of evidence?

Results. In the end, the results speak for themselves. I just help people understand the difference, apply intention to each technique and sequence the movements into an integrated approach that works to support the natural function of the skin. The skin does the rest.

You have taught across many regions. What shared misunderstandings about lymphatic health do you find yourself gently correcting again and again?

Gua sha isn’t lymphatic drainage. They are different modalities with different intentions, but due to their interconnected relationship with blood, they're often paired together and/or one, confused as the other.

Gua sha + Dry Brushing: increases microcirculation, which filters fluid into the tissue.
The Lymphatic Brush + Manual Lymphatic Drainage: increases lymph flow, which drains fluid from the tissue.

The circulatory and the lymphatic systems work hand in hand to maintain equilibrium in the body. Everywhere you find blood capillaries, you will find lymphatic capillaries. In this sense, blood and lymph are intertwined like night and day and seamlessly intersect as fluids flow through our body to ensure the healthy exchange of nutrients and waste removal within the tissue.

When there is an increase in blood pressure, it creates a chain reaction that includes increased lymph load, but it doesn’t focus on propelling lymph specifically with the intention of reducing fluid in the tissue.

Your curriculum weaves Dr. Vodder’s Manual Lymphatic Drainage with Thai Herbal Poultice and Gua Sha. What teaching structure helps preserve each tradition’s integrity while connecting them in practice?

I created a formula that I use in every class that clearly defines each technique, tool and the varied pressure needed to achieve a specific result. It allows everyone to learn a variety of techniques-- some with a long history and some I just made up through my years of experience and knowing how the skin reacts to each movement, edge and angle of the tool. Each movement dictates the next movement, and you must stay present, watch and listen to the skin as it shifts and changes. This makes it fun, yet challenging and effective as a mixed modality and functional skincare service. I always include cultural context and stories from my travels that honor my teachers and tell the story of how my Gua Sha Facial Fusion method was developed and evolved over the past 25-30 years.

Your own routine sits at the heart of your teaching. What does a supportive morning look like for you, and what sequence tends to set up a good day?

This has been an evolutionary process with my goals changing with each decade. In my 20’s it was about staying fit and not wanting to look back in my 40’s and regret not taking care of myself. In my 30’s I struggled with my health and was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, so managing stress and inflammation became a top priority.

Now, that I’m in my mid-fifties, my focus is on longevity and brain health.

I rise early to enjoy the peace and quiet of the morning. This is my time before chaos and crisis inevitably come knocking on my door. I use this time to read while I enjoy a cup of coffee and learn something new while my brain is fresh and rested.
Exercise. I’ve learned to enjoy exercise as the start to my day. In the past, I used it to wind down from my day and create movement before going to bed, but with the demands of my work and travel, it’s become harder, so I make it a priority in the morning 3-4x a week.
Eat. This is my biggest and most important meal. I wake-up hungry and my body screams for food. I keep it healthy with fruit, yogurt, protein of some sort, but I don’t limit myself. If I’m hungry, I will continue to eat and snack throughout the morning. My appetite tends to lessen in the evening as I focus on winding down and easing into an early bedtime.

Everyday choices such as sleep, hydration, and meal timing touch lymphatic health. Which few habits feel essential, and which are nice to have?

I’ve found that when you focus on your lymphatic health, making other healthy choices starts to feel effortless. The results build on each other, motivating you to keep going and stay committed to your well-being. Movement is life. Incorporating movement into your daily routine is essential—whether through physical exercise, massage, or deep breathing. Your body relies on internal movement to function efficiently and at its best. While physical limitations or health concerns may influence what’s possible, finding ways to support inner mobility and motility should remain a top priority.

Limit alcohol and inflammatory foods.

Strength training for balance and brain exercise are essential for cognitive health. Stop doom scrolling—make a vow to learn something new each day to keep your mind sharp and elastic.

Emerging lymphatic research is expanding. What lines of inquiry make you most hopeful about where care is heading?

The most exciting is cancer care and brain health.

Cancer Rehab & Post-operative Care: The wide-held belief that cancer is spread through massage or manual lymphatic drainage has been proven a myth, more than fact with the availability of new research.

“According to the latest cancer research, cancer spread, called metastasis is a biological process, not a mechanical one. When cancer spreads, it’s because certain cells detach, travel through the blood or lymph, and grow elsewhere in the body. This happens due to complex cellular changes, not from external touch or movement. Breast cancer most commonly spreads to nearby lymph nodes, bones, lungs, liver, and brain—guided by biology, not bodywork.” Source: Academy of Lymphatic Studies.

This opens a wide range of treatment options for those managing symptoms, that include lymphedema and the stress that comes with diagnosis and managing care. This makes it safe and validates the feedback we have received about the use The Lymphatic Brush as both a preventative and post-cancer rehab option.

Brain Health: Alzheimer and Dementia, Cognitive Function: Studies on the newly recognized glymphatic system—a brain waste clearance network connected to the lymphatic system—show that manual lymphatic drainage of the head and neck, including superficial cervical vessels, may enhance cognitive function by helping remove metabolic waste and toxins.

This is another exciting treatment option and benefit of incorporating The Lymphatic Brush into your daily routine with a focus on the nape and lower neck.