Scrubbing away the dead skin cells and debris off the top layer of skin is, in my opinion, one of the most important and overlooked steps of skin care.
When we exfoliate, products can penetrate the skin better and work effectively. With that top layer of skin causing an extra barrier, products just sit on top and do little to nothing. Money down the drain basically.
But that’s not all. Exfoliating can help give us a smoother and even skin tone, reduce the appearance of large pores by unclogging them, and give our skin a beautiful radiant glow.
One of my favorite ways to exfoliate my skin is to use body scrubs. There are so many different types and so many different natural ingredients you can put into a body scrub, but they all serve the same purpose. To exfoliate the skin.
Learn more about the Different Types of Body Scrubs
If one of your main choices to exfoliate is with the use of body scrubs, then here are a few ways you can use them and get the best benefit from them.
In the Shower
In the Tub
If you have an extra half hour or more to relax in the tub, this is the best time exfoliate. The water from the tub helps to loosen and soften the skin allowing you easily remove the dead skin cells. Hell, at this point, you may not even need a scrub or an exfoliator tool. The dead skin can simply be rubbed off with your fingers.
Adding Epsom salt or dead sea salt to your bath water can also help soften your skin and make it easier to exfoliate. Plus, you’ll get all the benefits from the bath salts as well.
If you want to take your bath experience even further, add some relaxing essential oils to the water to help you relax. The hot water and the aromatherapy work wonders when trying to unwind after a long day.
Often times, after my bath, I like to take a quick shower to rinse or wash away any debris that is left on my skin.
If you do decide to add essential oils to your bath, be sure to use caution when getting out of the tub. It may be slippery due to the oils.
When you’re done, pat skin dry and apply a rich moisturizer to help lock in the moisture and add nutrients back to the skin.
Taking a bath is also a great time to give yourself a nice pedicure. Using a foot file, you can scrub away the dead skin from your feet as well. You can do this in the tub after relaxing or immediately after you get out. Do it quickly before the skin on your feet starts to dry.
Apply a moisturizer to your feet and then add socks. The socks will prevent footprints on your floors and will help lock in the moisture.
At The Sink
Keeping a body scrub or two at the skin can help you exfoliate your hands everytime you go to wash them. If you often work in the garden or were cleaning around the house and have hard to remove debris from your hands, exfoliating them can help.
Wash your hands first to ensure loose dirt and debris are removed. Dry your hands and scoop out a little bit of scrub. Gently exfoliate in circular motions for 20- 30 seconds to help remove any excess dirt or grime.
Pat hands dry and add a moisturizer afterwards to keep hands soft and hydrated.
Keeping a body scrub at the sink will also help you remember to exfoliate your face. If you are anything like me, if I don’t see it, I forge about is and don’t use it. Keep different scrubs for your face and for your hands so you won’t cross contaminate.
As a Scalp Scrub
Scalp exfoliators can be a good way to remove dead skin, build up, and products from your scalp. This will leave your scalp feeling fresh and clean. Also, by massaging your scalp with a scrub, you can increase scalp circulation, blood flow and unclog pores. This is great if you are suffering from hair loss.
You can add essential oils that can help increase circulation, get rid of dandruff, unclog pores, and increase hair growth right into your scrubs. Make the most out of those scrubs!
It’s best to use scalp scrubs on hair wash day for obvious reasons. If you are making your own scrubs, use oils that won’t clog pores such as jojoba oil, almond oil, argan oil or coconut oil. You can also mix these types of oils together to get more scalp and hair benefits.
To use a scalp scrub, take a little bit of scrub on your fingertips and gently massage it onto your scalp in gentle, circular motions for about 30 seconds.
How Often to Exfoliate
How often you exfoliate depends on you, your skin type and the chosen method of exfoliation. As a rule of thumb, the more aggressive the exfoliation, the less often you want to do it.
I know you may be eager to see bright and glowing skin, but take it slow at first starting with exfoliating one day a week. See how your skin reacts and move to two times a week and so on. As skin becomes used to being exfoliated, you can slowly increase the number of times you exfoliate a week.
As soon as skin starts for feel irritated or stripped, dial it back down. Soon enough, between the increasing and decreasing of exfoliating days, you will be able to fine your perfect balance of exfoliation days.
For chemical exfoliants, follow the directions on the label. Never exfoliate more than what is recommended. Also, don’t layer or mix different chemical exfoliants together. They may have bad reactions to each other and could cause some serious damage to the skin.
Read Next: How to Safely Exfoliate
Summing It Up
Body scrubs are a great way to help exfoliate the skin and reveal glowing skin underneath. Body scrubs are designed to do one thing and that is to remove the dead skin cells and debris from the top layer of skin.
You can use scrubs in the shower, but in my opinion, they work best when soaking for a while in the tub. It helps loosen up the dead skin and really helps the exfoliation process move along.
Always be sure to follow up with a moisturizer after exfoliating to lock in moisture, help heal skin and restore skin’s natural barrier that may have been disrupted during the exfoliating process.
If you want to make your own body scrubs at home, check out a few of my recipes to help you get started.
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How do you exfoliate? Let us know in the comments below!
Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. Neither Self Verve nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. Be sure to contact your physician before trying any of the items stated in the above article.
