Why You Shouldn’t Just Exfoliate Your Face

Most of us who try to take good care of our skin remember to exfoliate our faces, but what

about our bodies?

Exfoliating helps your skin look smoother and more youthful. But it’s not only the face that benefits. Here’s more about what a regular body scrub can do for the health and appearance of your skin, and some diy body scrub recipes so you can make your own at home.

Benefits of body scrubs

You probably exfoliate your face regularly to get rid of buildup and have a fresh, glowing appearance. You can get the same benefits for the body when you exfoliate the rest of your skin.

You may wonder: is it really necessary?

Turns out that your body needs exfoliating just as much as your face. Without regular exfoliation, you can end up with clogged pores, which block moisture from getting into the deeper layers, and creating a hard, unattractive exterior.

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Why we scrub

So to have the healthiest and smoothest skin possible, exfoliating is key. Here are some benefits you can get from exfoliating skin on the body about two-to-four times a week:

• Helps smooth skin
• Help reduce the appearance of dark spots or age spots
• Minimize the appearance of large pores
• Get smoother elbows and knees
• Allow your moisturizer to work better
• Help prevent ingrown hairs and make hair removal easier
• Smooth razor bumps
• Reduce stress

The easiest and fastest way to exfoliate

The nice thing with body scrubs is that you can enjoy a wide array of ingredients without having to worry as much about sensitivity, since the body is usually less sensitive than the face.

Of course, some people have more sensitive skin than others in general, but you can feel free to experiment with a wider variety of scrubs.

If you have sensitive skin…

If you tend to break out, do be cautious with ingredients that can potentially irritate and inflame skin, like crushed nuts and salt. These ingredients can leave microscopic tears in the skin and may increase your risk of acne.

Experiment with any new scrub on a small area of skin first to be sure it works well for you.

Dry brushing

In addition to using a body scrub, you can also try dry brushing. It’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to exfoliate the body. Start with a soft, dry brush before bathing or showering, so you can rinse off after you’re done.

Use circular motions working from your toes up, and move your strokes toward the heart. Once you reach your midsection, start over at the neck, and brush down, again using circular motions. Over the stomach, go left to right—that’s the natural flow of your digestion.

When you’re finished, your skin should be slightly red, but not irritated or painful. Follow with a natural moisturizer like our Coconut Body Oil and you skin will be positively radiant!

Try it yourself!

This is a great cleansing scrub for reducing your risk of oily skin. The olive oil helps to balance out the lemon, so your skin will be left clean but not dry.

Invigorating lemon olive oil body scrub

We recommend adding rosemary or grapefruit essential oil to this. Both are invigorating, stimulating, and also help keep oily skin and clogged pores in check.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup olive oil
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• Juice of one lemon
• Zest from 2 lemons
• A couple drops of your favorite invigorating essential oil.

Directions:

Combine olive oil and sugar first, followed by the lemon juice and rind. Finish by adding essential oil—rosemary and grapefruit are both invigorating and good for your skin.

Apply to skin in circular motions, then rinse off.

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