Often when we ask people if they have ever used an all natural sugar scrub, the answer is no. They are missing out on some seriously soft skin!
Sugar scrubs exfoliate, hydrate, and moisturize the skin. Generally, a sugar scrub is sugar combined with a carrier oil and often includes some type of aromatic essential oil. In a spa sugar scrub treatment, a sugar scrub treatment is followed by a shower and then body lotion or body oil, which leaves skin soft and supple.
Sugar scrubs remove the outermost layer of dead skin cells. Sugar scrubs 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 so that other skincare products work better
- Increases circulation
- Evens skin tone
- Increases cell turnover resulting in younger looking skin
- Helps 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. Most sugar scrubs are made up of sugar, a carrier oil, and a fragrance. Look for natural ingredients and 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 fragrances. 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.
3) Time to scrub. I like to turn the water off at this point so that things don’t get too wet and dissolve the sugar scrub too quickly as well as to conserve water. Scoop some scrub out of the container using a utensil to keep both your fingers and water out of the sugar scrub. This will keep your sugar scrub fresh longer. Start at the top and work your way down, or at the bottom and work your way up. I like to start with my legs so the scrub/oil stays on my legs the longest to really soak into my dry skin. Make sure your skin is wet when you apply the scrub but be sure the water from the shower is not flowing across the skin (if you haven’t turned off the shower). Apply scrub to your skin and rub in a circular motion until the sugar dissolves. Then work on the next area until you have scrubbed your entire body.
4) Rinse. This step seems pretty self explanatory. Turn the shower back on and rinse off with warm water. Be sure it’s not too hot, and be very careful in the shower because natural sugar scrubs contain oils and may make the shower floor slippery.
5) Dry yourself gently. Pat yourself dry with a soft towel taking care to not rub off the oil left on your skin from the sugar scrub. Better yet, if you have the time to step out of the shower and air dry you will really retain the beneficial oils from your scrub. On a hot day try this technique with a sugar scrub that includes mint and stand in front of a fan for an extra cool blast!
6) Follow with a moisturizer. I keep a bottle of the oil blend that I use in my sugar scrubs in my bathroom and use it as an after-scrub moisturizer. This keeps my skin incredibly soft all day.
Enjoy your at home spa sugar scrub! Click the picture below to shop our all natural luxury sugar scrubs.