What is a Body Scrub? You’ve probably seen sugar, coffee grounds, or salt jars on store shelves, promising smoother, glowing skin.
Here are the fundamentals of using a body scrub to get silky smooth, glowing skin.
Use Body Scrub Efficiently for Soft, Radiant Skin
Body scrubs are mechanical exfoliators, meaning they physically remove dead cells from the outer layer of your skin with harsh ingredients like sugar or salt.
Stimulates skin cell renewal, resulting in smoother, brighter skin and preventing future breakouts.
“If your skin is dry and dull, light exfoliation can help,” says Suzanne Friedler, an Advanced Dermatology PC-certified dermatologist.
Some body scrubs may not work well for you, depending on your skin type.
How to Use it?
Using a body scrub is relatively simple and safe if you follow a few simple steps.
Deanne Mraz Robinson. MD FAAD remains president and co-founder of Modern Dermatology in CT and an associate scientific of dermatology at Yale New Haven Hospital. She and Friedler suggest the following process:
- Rinse the skin with warm water.
- Put a small amount of body scrub on your hand.
- Gently rub into the skin in small circular motions using your hand or an exfoliating glove.
- Gently rub the skin for no more than 30 seconds.
- Rinse skin generously with warm water.
- Wash the skin using your regular cleanser. (You can also do this first.)
- Scrape if desired.
- Keep your skin dry.
- Apply moisturizer.
Body scrubs can temporarily damage the skin barrier and dry out the skin. Robinson proposes looking for a product with oil-free moisture sources, such as ceramides, vitamin E, or hyaluronic acid.
Pro tip: avoid using bushings. They could be bacteria magnets, says Robinson.
How often must you use a Body Scrub?
How often you should exfoliate remains contingent on your skin type, but Robinson suggests starting with 1 to 2 times a week.
“You don’t want to over-dry the skin or compromise the skin barrier. See how your skin replies; you can always build from there,” she says.
Types of Exfoliants
Robinson recommends looking for a gentle physical exfoliator with small, soft particles:
- crushed macadamia
- Sugar
- sea salt
“Stay away from large-particle scrubs like apricot and walnut, which can cause micro-tears in the skin and lead to inflammation, scarring, and infections,” says Robinson.
Some physical exfoliators also contain chemical exfoliating ingredients. Select a scrub with salicylic acid if your skin is oily or glycolic acid if your skin is sensitive or dry, suggests Friedler.
If you’re not acne-prone, Robinson says you can also use a body scrub with hydrating oils, such as:
- rose oil
- Olive oil
- avocado oil
- moringa oil
Try Infinite Aloe Face & Body Scrub with Rosehip Oil or The Body Shop Moringa Exfoliating Cream Body Scrub.
DIY Recipes
To make your body scrub at home, mix coffee grounds or ground sugar with honey, which has humectant and antimicrobial properties, says Robinson.
Dilute the scrub with coconut oil for a looser consistency.
“It’s great for rubbing your feet, knees or elbows, or covering large areas of the body,” she says.
Fielder suggests mixing salt and sugar with aromatic oils. “Keep them away from your face where they can cause pimples,” she says.
Try these recipes below for a homemade scrub.
Conclusion
Body scrubs are a type of physical exfoliant that uses ingredients, like sugar or sea salt, to remove dead skin cells. This helps skin look brighter and may prevent future acne breakouts.