If you’ve never used a sugar scrub before, you might be wondering what all the hype is about. What is a sugar scrub and what can it do for you?
Sugar scrubs exfoliate, hydrate, and moisturize your skin. Generally, a sugar scrub is sugar combined with a carrier oil and often includes a fragrance like some type of aromatic essential oil.
To make your skin soft and healthy, sugar scrubs remove the outermost layer of dead skin cells. Scrubs made with sugar are gentler than salt scrubs making sugar scrub a better choice if you have sensitive skin or suffer from eczema.
Regular exfoliation has many benefits including:
- Unclogging pores
- Removing dead skin cells, allowing for other skincare products work better
- Increasing circulation
- Evening skin tone
- Increasing cell turnover, resulting in younger looking skin
- Helping prevent ingrown hairs after waxing or shaving
HOW TO USE A SUGAR SCRUB:
You don’t have to spend a ton of money at a spa to enjoy all the benefits of a sugar scrub treatment. You can get the same results at home.
1. CHOOSE A SUGAR SCRUB THAT INCLUDES INGREDIENTS THAT BENEFIT THE SKIN.
When purchasing an exfoliating scrub, look for natural ingredients. The fewer ingredients the better, especially if you have skin sensitivities!
Some beneficial carrier oils to look for include coconut oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil, and grapeseed oil.
There are many natural sugar scrubs on the market that include essential oils as fragrance. We make sure scrubs scented with either natural fragrance oils or essential oils. Choose your fragrance/essential oil based on your mood, the benefits you are seeking, or just a fragrance that you like.
2. GET IN THE SHOWER FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE USING YOUR SCRUB.
The warm water will soften the skin a bit making the scrub even more effective. If you will be using soap or body wash now is the time to do that. Always use those products before you use your sugar scrub rather than after so that you don’t wash away the nourishing oils in the sugar scrub.
3. SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB!
Scoop some scrub out of the container using a utensil, not your hands. Keeping water out of the container will keep your scrub fresh!
Make sure your skin is damp when you apply the scrub, then step out of the water stream or turn it off. Rub the scrub in a circular motion until the sugar completely dissolves. Then work on the next area until you have scrubbed your entire body.
4. RINSE.
Rinse all the scrub off your body with warm water. Be careful after the scrub has rinsed off; natural sugar scrubs contain oils and may make the shower floor slippery.
5. DRY YOURSELF GENTLY.
Pat yourself dry with a soft towel, being careful not to rub off the oil left on your skin. If time allows, you can also air dry your body to retain even more moisture.
On a hot day try the air dry technique after using a sugar scrub that includes mint and stand in front of a fan for an extra cool blast!
6. FOLLOW WITH A MOISTURIZER.
Select an after-scrub moisturizer to lock in the oils from your scrub. This will keep your skin incredibly soft all day!
Enjoy your at home spa sugar scrub!