Body Scrubs 101: Exfoliate And Regenerate
From time to time, we all experience skin we just aren’t sure what to do with. Either it’s dry and tight, flaky or scaly, dull and sticky, bumpy and irritated, or even sun-damaged and peeling.
While you may need some specific treatments in each case, one thing you can add to every problem-solving skin routine is exfoliation. You can even pick up body exfoliation if you don’t have any skin problems because the benefits are more than skin-deep!
WHAT DOES BODY SCRUB OR POLISH HELP WITH?
You probably already know that a body scrub or polish is meant to exfoliate the skin, and when you exfoliate you are removing dead skin. But, did you know there is more to the whole process than just that?
Dry Skin
In the winter or in hot, dry temperatures, the skin tends to feel dry, tight, and flaky. Applying lotion or oil to the skin can only do so much. And, while you can increase your water intake to hydrate the skin from the inside out, sometimes it isn’t enough.
A word of caution! Exfoliate extremely gently on dry skin. If you scrub too hard or too often, you may end up doing more harm than good.
Scraping off the itchy skin exposes the softer skin underneath, and using an exfoliator in the shower allows the new skin to come in direct contact with the water.
After the shower, and while the skin is still damp, apply a lotion or hydrating oil. In severe cases, lock in the moisture with additional products like shea butter and spa gloves.
Dullness from Dead Skin and Old Oils
Even without dryness, the human body sheds millions of skin cells per day, every day. Sometimes the skin goes away, but sometimes it sticks around. This is often due to natural (and essential) body oils making the dead skin sticky. While this is all natural and healthy, sometimes there can be a buildup that isn’t particularly desirable.
Using a salt or sugar scrub paired with nourishing oils like jojoba and almond can help effectively remove the buildup, leaving the skin soft and smooth. You can exfoliate normal skin regularly for the best results.
Ingrown Hair, Acne, and Skin Conditions
When a hair becomes ingrown, there is a layer of skin preventing the tip of the hair from breaking the surface. Leave it to grow for too long, and it can become inflamed and even infected. And, it’s itchy, painful, and unsightly.
Regularly exfoliating, especially places you remove hair, can prevent ingrown from happening since you’re not allowing skin to build up over the hair.
Certain body acne can benefit from mild exfoliation, too. You can clear the pores from dead skin, oils, and dirt which can cause acne to form.
For certain types of acne and skin conditions, talk to your doctor or dermatologist to see if a body scrub can be helpful. Some conditions can be worsened by manual exfoliation, so make sure you are certain before you add scrubbing to your skin routine!
Sun Damage
As a skincare product provider, it’s obligatory to say: Do everything you can to avoid getting a sunburn in the first place!
Now that that’s out of the way, let's talk about how to help recover sunburned skin with a body scrub. Choose a scrub that contains soothing, hydrating, healing ingredients like aloe, vitamin e, jojoba oil, kaolin, and shea. These substances will help nourish the new skin underneath the sun damage.
Make sure you use extremely gentle pressure when scrubbing: don’t try to scrub off skin that isn’t ready to go yet! That will cause immature skin to be exposed and can open you up for infection. You may even need to avoid using a scrub until the skin is mostly or entirely healed. If it hurts, don’t scrub!
WHY SHOULD I EXFOLIATE MY BODY?
Adding body scrub to your skincare routine helps you do more than just exfoliate!
Improve Circulation & Lymph Movement
Light abrasion to the skin encourages blood flow all over the body. Improve appearance of skin, elasticity, and give yourself a healthy glow!
Manually rubbing the skin helps lymph fluid travel throughout the body, increasing overall wellness.
Help Skin Regenerate
With the combination of removing old skin, improving circulation, and providing nutrient-rich, moisturising ingredients, new skin can grow faster and healthier.
Check for Skin Troubles
When you inspect your body regularly, you can notice if you have anything like unusual moles, cysts, or lumps much sooner than if you don’t check often.
Body Positivity!
Taking the time to give care to your body can help you feel more comfortable, confident, and proud of the skin you’re in!
HOW DO I EFFECTIVELY USE BODY SCRUBS?
Manual exfoliation from a body scrub or polish works by physically removing unwanted substances from the skin’s surface. The salt, sugar, coffee, ground nutshells, or other exfoliating substance is rough enough to remove dead skin but gentle enough to avoid damaging live skin (when appropriate pressure is applied).
Use gentle pressure, rub in a circular motion, and only scrub the same area for 2–10 seconds depending on the skin's sensitivity.
A good rule of thumb is to exfoliate no more than once a week to avoid damaging healthy skin. If you don’t have enough buildup on top of the skin, you’re just scrubbing at the live layers!
But maintaining a regular exfoliation habit can help your skin stay hydrated, healthy, and luscious. Try regularly using a body scrub for glowing skin!
