The Right Way To Exfoliate - Body Scrub Edition

Dermatologists and skincare beauty gurus alike will tell you how amazing exfoliating is for your skin, and for good reason. Exfoliators are terrific at helping your body remove dead skin to reveal glowing skin underneath; but it’s not just your face that can benefit from a good scrubbing! If you’re interested in having glowing skin from head to toe, read on to learn how to properly use an exfoliating body scrub.

What To Look for in a Body Scrub/Polish

The type of body scrub you should choose will primarily depend on your skincare goals. If you’re looking for a deep clean to remove dead skin, you won’t need added ingredients to help soothe blemish prone skin or address other skin care issues. If you want a body scrub to help you with those issues, then you’ll need to shop accordingly. For those with oily and chaotic skin, body scrubs with glycolic or salicylic acid can help. If your skin is dry, you will need an extra boost of moisture and hydration; ingredients such as shea butter, rice milk, or vitamin E should do the trick.

However, there are a few red flags to look for in a body scrub/polish: the size of the particles used and the type of particles. Body scrubs are a physical exfoliant, which means the action of rubbing your skin with the particulates removes the dirt and dead skin. Plastic beads, rocks, and seashells are generally too harsh for your skin and can cause micro-abrasions that leave your skin unhappy. Look for particles sizes up to 800 microns, knowing the skin on the body is less sensitive and thin generally than that of the skin on the face. Additionally, the exfoliant should have finely-ground particulates to ensure no sharp angles cut into your skin–exfoliating should never hurt! Particles such as sugar, ground (not crushed) & powdered nutshells, and salt are okay, but must be rounded and not overly abrasive.

General Tips and Tricks

When you scrub any part of your body with a physical exfoliant, it’s best for you to take your time and rub in slow, gentle circles, rubbing the area for no longer than 30 seconds. Be sure to apply your body scrub using clean hands and only on skin that has been made wet with warm water. This step makes sure your skin is clean, and the warm water softens the dead skin so that it can come off easily. Additionally, you don’t want to exfoliate your skin too often, as this can lead to dry, tight skin, so we recommend 1-3 times a week for the face and up to 3 times a week for the body.

For those with sensitive skin or for those who are new to body exfoliation, stick to scrubbing once a week. If you feel like your skin can handle it, you can boost that number up to two or three. However, if you start to notice an increase in blemishes or your skin feels tight and dry, knock that number back down to one. If your skin is too sensitive for once-a-week applications, you may need to ditch physical exfoliants entirely and try a chemical exfoliant.

As your biggest tip, don’t ever skip out on the moisturizer after you exfoliate. While you want to get rid of dead skin, remember that it also acts as a way for your skin to trap oil. When you remove this layer, your skin can become dry as a result, so don’t forget to rehydrate. Always hydrate the skin after exfoliating to keep it moisturized and healthy.

How To Scrub Your Arms and Legs

The skin on your body varies in sensitivity from place to place. Before starting the process, it’s important to note that you should never use a body scrub on your face, lips, or scalp. These places are too sensitive for body scrub, and you should find an exfoliant specifically suited for that part of your body. While this article is about body scrubs, please note that for physical exfoliant’s on the face, the ideal particle size should be 100 microns or smaller. This would be fine, smooth particles such as rice flour, jojoba beads, or finely crushed and powdered grains.

After you wash your body, start with a dollop of body scrub and work in medium-sized circles. For your arms, you can work from your wrists all the way to your armpits if you choose. For your legs, you can work from your thighs down, but don’t forget to include your ankles, as a lot of dirt and dead skin accumulates there. Unless you’re diligent about thoroughly cleaning afterward, we recommend not scrubbing your bikini line. The particulates can irritate the skin as they rub into your skin as you walk, if not fully rinsed.

How To Scrub Your Torso

On your torso, you don’t want to go higher than your collarbone or lower than where your bladder would be. It is a bad idea to put an exfoliant anywhere near your genitals. While there is skin there, it is completely different from every other type of skin on your torso, legs, and arms. You may also want to avoid the areola, as the skin there is also extremely sensitive. Other than that, you should stick to washing with warm water and apply with slow, gentle circles. Don’t forget to scrub your back, chest, under the breasts, and any folds that like to hide dirt.

How To Scrub Your Hands and Feet

The skin on your hands and feet is a little different. Typically, this skin is much thicker than the rest due to how much friction they experience, and also has a thin layer of cells called stratum lucidum. Because the skin here is thicker, achieving smooth skin is a little more difficult. Fortunately, you can apply more pressure here than you would on other parts of your body. However, you’ll still want to follow the strategy of washing these areas with soap and warm water before working in small circles.

While you can scrub in between your toes and fingers, particulates can stick around, so be attentive and make sure you rinse everything off. For particularly dry and calloused hands and feet, you can exfoliate around three to four times a week. That said, you should start once a week and work your way up to this frequency.

The Benefits of Body Scrub

We know that body scrub is perfect for removing dirt and dead skin, but what exactly does that do for your body? Your skin has quite a few layers, with the top layer being your stratum corneum. That is where all your dead skin lies. While your skin will naturally eliminate those skin cells for you and reveal new ones—a process known as skin cell turnover—exfoliating helps speed up this process. By expediting this process, you help to smooth skin, reveal healthy skin cells, and make it easier for your other skincare products to penetrate deeper.

Now that you know how to properly use an exfoliating body scrub, you’re one step closer to attaining gorgeous, luminous skin from top to bottom! If you’re ready for a new beauty best friend, Essential Labs sells bulk body scrubs with champion ingredients like pomegranate oil, aloe vera juice, and turmeric. We’re dedicated to using ingredients that make you look and feel your best.