Today we’ll talk about scrubs. No, not that hilarious medical TV-show, but the cosmetic skin care products that let your skin renew more efficiently. Skin scrubs improve how your other cosmetic products work, so it’s a fact that you need one. The question is — which one is for you?
A scrub is usually an abrasive agent dispersed in an oil base. Maybe we’re oversimplifying it a little bit, but the main work is done by the abrasive particles, and their nature can make or break the scrub effectiveness.
Sugar and spice and everything nice
One of the possible abrasive agents that can be used to scrub skin is sugar. It’s very convenient, as the size of its granules can be regulated depending on the purpose of scrub. While you massage a sugar scrub into your skin, it quickly dissolves in water and becomes less effective, so you may need to use these up to three times a week for visible results.
Seeds and nuts scrubs
Ground apricots kernels, walnut shells, and other natural abrasives can be a component of facial and body scrubs too. They can be very effective in removing all the gunk that you’ve accumulated on your face throughout the week. But their efficiency is their problem as well — they sometimes can harm the sensitive skin. So it is very important to buy them from reputable manufacturers who source and process them correctly so that the end product is safe.
Salt scrubs
Another class of scrubs contains salt crystals as abrasive. Salt is a very multifunctional ingredient in scrubs. It is great in removing the dead cells from the skin surface, but there’s more to it. Besides exfoliation, salt has great antiseptic properties and can kill the harmful bacteria that cause acne and irritation. Scrubs enriched with Dead Sea salts contain valuable minerals that nourish the skin and help the tissues to retain moisture.
Mud and charcoal scrubs
Dead Sea mud can also be used as a scrub, though due to the tiny size of its particles it is a very gentle exfoliator. Think of it as of polishing the skin with a fine emery paper. It won’t help remove the acne scars, but it is impressive for refreshing the complexion. For example, you can use a scrub with large particles once a week right before you apply your most effective skincare products. The other time of the week you can use a mud scrub — it will refine the surface of your skin and will help the skincare products absorb properly.
Scrubs for face and body
Choosing a scrub for a certain purpose is fairly simple. The smaller the particle size, the gentler the exfoliation will be. Smaller particles are great for sensitive areas of your skin, so if you are looking for a face scrub start with mud-based products. And if you need a reliable scrub for your feet, look for something with more abrasive power like large crystals of salt or even walnut shells particles.
You can sometimes find scrubs with plastic microbeads. We don’t recommend them. Even though they can exfoliate effectively, they are a horrible threat to our environment. Responsible skincare manufacturers don’t use them anymore.
Including scrubs into your skincare routine is crucial for a number of reasons — they can make your skin look more youthful, healthier, and more glowing. But besides that using scrubs once or twice a week will make your skin more responsive to the rest of the treatment you use — all of your toners, serums, and creams will absorb into the tissues better and will do their magic more effectively.
