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For many of us, our daily skin care routine begins and ends with our face. With all the importance placed on facial skin care, body care can sometimes be forgotten. Yet, caring for your body is just as crucial as facial skincare and a luxurious body scrub is the perfect way to start!
The benefits of body scrubs are numerous, and if you don’t already subscribe to using them, you may want to consider making body scrubs a staple of your bathroom essentials. Here are some of the key benefits of body scrubs we came across, complete with tips on how to use them and which scrub to choose.
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The Benefits Of Body Scrubs You Need to Know!
We’re wasting no time and are diving straight into some of the benefits of body scrubs that impressed us the most. Body scrubs:
- Remove dead skin cells: skin continuously sheds dead skin cells and regenerates new ones, however it could sometimes use a helping hand in the process. Using a body scrub to clear away dead skin build-up can help to kick start most of the benefits listed below.
- Encourage skin rejuvenation: by exfoliating and removing any dead skin cells, scrubs encourage the healthy rejuvenation of skin, making it look fresh and velvety soft.
- Unclog your pores: clearing any dead cells away with a body scrub is essential for unclogging pores, preventing breakouts and deeply cleansing your skin.
- Draw out ingrown hairs: ingrown hairs are a regular nuisance for anyone that shaves, waxes or plucks and can sometimes feel uncomfortable or get infected. Using a scrub helps to both prevent, as well as draw out, any ingrown hairs.
- Help the skin to absorb skin care products: after thoroughly scrubbing the body and clearing away any dead skin cell build-up, the skin is able to better absorb body lotions or creams, allowing them to penetrate deeper and enhance the moisturiser experience.
- Smoothen and even out the skin: by keeping the pores clean and unclogged, body scrubs already do wonders for maintaining smooth skin. With the removal of dead skin and therefore encouraging skin rejuvenation, the skin appears more even, with a noticeable reduction in body blemishes.
- Promote circulation: as is true of all massaging experiences, scrubs also help promote blood circulation to keep the skin looking healthy and retain its elasticity.
- Increases self-confidence: when your skin looks as good as it feels you’ll feel more confident about showing it off. Whether heading to the beach or flaunting a new backless dress, you’ll certainly feel more secure without those acne spots on your back or that dry skin on your knees.
- Relax your mind: the process of body care is thoroughly soothing. The calming massaging experience of applying an exfoliating body scrub helps to unwind the mind as well as the body, in anticipation for the day or cosy night ahead.
How To Use Body Scrubs Effectively
Body scrubbing always starts with a relaxing, warm shower. As you enjoy the calming steam emanating from the warm water, your pores automatically open in gentle preparation for the exfoliating treatment to follow. Convenient, as well as soothing!
Next, place a generous amount of body scrub upon the palm of your hand or loofah, and proceed to massage it into your body using gentle, circular motions. This will help to remove any dead skin cells and promote blood circulation.
After you’ve exfoliated your entire body, rinse off the body scrub and enjoy the renewed smoothness of your skin. After lightly towel drying, make sure to massage in some refreshing body lotion or body butter if you want to give your skin a truly decadent treat!
When To Use Body Scrubs
If you’re unsure when to use your brand new body scrub, there are two things that you might think about. At what point during your shower should you reach for the scrub? Secondly, how frequently you should use your scrub anyway?
With body scrubbing, it’s more about consistency rather than frequency. Despite the many benefits of using body scrubs, applying it too often may cause skin irritation and undue dryness – and this is why it’s probably not worth using a body scrub more than twice a week. In fact, for readers with sensitive skin, you might find that using a body scrub once week is quite sufficient.
Whilst the time of day is entirely up to your personal preference, it is best to use your body scrub in the shower. Apply your scrub straight after rinsing off your cleansing body wash and treat yourself to a relaxing, exfoliating scrub experience.
Types Of Body Scrub
When browsing for a body scrub, you’ll find a vast (and possibly confusing) variety. Scrubs can be made from a diverse selection of ingredients, each choice and combination yielding different benefits. The best way to determine which body scrub to purchase is by knowing your skin type and which scrubs suit it best.
Salt Scrubs
Salt scrubs are some of the most popular body scrubs found on the market. The gritty texture of salt granules makes them perfect for scrubbing away the dead skin cells from the body and you can even choose between different grades of salt depending on your own skin type.
Salt Scrub Benefits
- Salt has antiseptic qualities: the natural antiseptic qualities in salt help to kill bacteria and reduce inflammation, thus easing any itching and irritation.
- Salt is a natural anti-inflammatory and detoxifier: salt helps to pull toxins away from the body and easy any skin inflammation.
Sugar Scrubs
Just like salt scrubs, the grainy sensation of sugar granules removes dead skin cells and unclogs your pores. Of course, sugar can’t be expected to be precisely like salt, and in fact, sugar comes with its own set of benefits!
Sugar Scrubs Benefits
- Sugar is a natural source of glycolic acid (an AHA): the glycolic acid in sugar scrubs helps to fight against hyperpigmentation and acne, whilst also brightening and, of course, smoothing out your skin.
- Contain essential minerals that protect the skin: being rich in calcium, potassium and selenium, amongst other minerals, a sugar scrub will help protect against toxins as well as flush them out.
- Sugar is a natural humectant: instead of stripping the skin of its moisture, it draws in moisture from the environment and pulls it to the skin, helping to hydrate and leave it radiant and supple (learn more about humectants in the Dukes Avenue Guide to hyaluronic acid).
- Gentle, small granules: readers with sensitive skin will find that the small and relatively soft, sugar granules do not irritate their skin.
Salt Scrub vs Sugar Scrub
Sugar and salt scrubs share many of the same benefits, and ultimately, both body scrubs remove dead skin cells and are great for exfoliation. So does this make these two scrubs interchangeable? Not necessarily. As we’ve seen, there are some subtle, yet crucial differences between salt and sugar scrubs that are worth noting.
- Texture and skin type: when compared to sugar scrubs, salt scrubs tend to have a coarser texture and this is found to be more effective when dealing with very harsh, dry skin. On the other hand, the smaller granules in sugar scrubs dissolve quicker and are gentler on scrub users with sensitive skin.
- Different benefits: sugar and salt are composed differently. They contain distinct natural minerals and even feel different upon the skin. As expected, this endows salt and sugar with very different benefits, and so, choosing the right scrub for you depends entirely on your skin type and personal needs.
Coffee Scrubs
A delicious cup of steaming coffee is on most people’s agenda first thing in the morning, but have you tried coffee scrubs? As much as sipping a delicious macchiato is thoroughly enjoyable, your skin will equally enjoy the benefits of coffee scrubs!
Coffee scrubs are, essentially what they sound like – coffee grounds that have been combined with other ingredients such as coconut oil (or any other natural oils), honey, sugar, and more. Despite sounding similar to other scrubs, there are certain benefits that have been found in coffee scrubs, and they’ve certainly become a favourite amongst beauty lovers. There are plenty of articles online about all the benefits of using a coffee scrubs, and here are some that you might want to know.
Coffee Scrub Benefits
- Coffee is an anti-oxidant: the anti-oxidants found in coffee are great for fending off free radicals and flushing out toxins, helping to keep the skin healthy and feeling great.
- It is a stimulant: we all know how drinking a cup of coffee can give us a much needed boost, but did you know that rubbing coffee grounds on your body is also stimulating in its own way? Along with the rubbing motion that accompanies any body scrub, the caffeine also works to stimulate blood flow and improve circulation. The result is glowing, youthful skin you’ll be itching to show off.
- Helps reduce swelling: along with its detoxifying effect, the caffeine present in the coffee restricts the blood vessels and reduces any inflammation and undue puffiness when applied topically.
- Reduces the appearance of cellulite: now, coffee is not going to magically make cellulite disappear and help you go down a dress size – there’s no secret to that other than a regular exercise regime and healthy diet – but applying coffee topically in the form of a scrub could (emphasis on could) help to temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite or skin dimples, however more studies are needed.
Charcoal Body Scrub
Activated charcoal is one of the most popular skin care ingredients. It is hailed for its cleansing properties, so it’s not surprising that charcoal body scrubs are also well-loved but skin care enthusiasts.
Charcoal Body Scrub Benefits
- Activated charcoal detoxifies and cleanses: using a charcoal body scrub is ideal for people with oily, acne-prone skin. Scrubbing with activated charcoal doesn’t simply remove your dead skin cells but also helps to detoxify your pores for a much deeper cleanse.
- It draws out any impurities: like magic, the activated charcoal actually draws out the impurities lodged into your pores. This makes it easy to wash out the dirt and excess sebum, and retain smooth, blemish-free skin.
For more info on how to include body scrubs as part of a wider routine, be sure to check out our article on The Ultimate Body Skin Care Routine.
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Christine is a woman with an eclectic range of artistic tastes. As a professional soprano with a Bachelor's Degree in Music, she carries over 15 years of experience in the classical music scene, both locally and abroad. Her passion for music is equalled by her love for literature and, more recently, Christine graduated for a second time with a BA in English.
