Bikini Care 101: Five Reasons You Need a Body Scrub + Our Top Tips and Product Picks

Do you need a body scrub for your bikini line? The answer is yes!

For holistic care and keeping the skin of your body happy and healthy, using a body scrub can do a lot to improve overall skin health, and this is especially beneficial for areas like your bikini zone. If you have yet to incorporate this important step into your beauty routine, you’re going to want to keep reading. We’ve got the full scoop on everything you need to know.

Five Reasons to Use a Body Scrub for Your Bikini Line

Reason #1: Using a body scrub deeply cleanses the skin

If you practice good skincare habits, you likely already know how important it is to cleanse and exfoliate your face on a regular basis, and this is equally true for the rest of your body. Exfoliation is an essential step to remove sweat, dirt, excess oil, and other debris from the surface of your skin. In particular, when it comes to your bikini area, a gentle scrub works perfectly to prevent breakouts, buildup of bacteria, and other imbalances that can compromise intimate skin.

Reason #2: Using a body scrub troubleshoots and prevents ingrown

Exfoliation is also super effective for removing dead skin cells, which can contribute to congestion in the follicles and block healthy hair growth, especially following shaving or waxing. If you’ve ever experienced ingrown hairs, you know they can be pesky at best, and at worst they can become painful or infected. The good news, however, is that by exfoliating consistently, you can do a lot to protect your skin and prevent ingrown from happening altogether.

Reason #3: Using a body scrub diminishes discoloration

Dark spots or uneven skin tone can be common in the bikini area due to the delicate nature of the skin down there, and these issues can be further exacerbated by dry or dead skin, which can cause your complexion to look dull. When this happens, adding a body scrub to your routine can do a lot to reduce the appearance of discoloration by exfoliating away damaged skin, encouraging healthy turnover, and infusing the skin with naturally brightening active ingredients.

Reason #4: Using a body scrub promotes softer, smoother skin

Of course, one of the best benefits of using a body scrub is how it instantly improves skin, leaving it feeling smoother, softer, and more supple to the touch. This is because exfoliation helps to polish away any rough texture caused by accumulation of old, keratinized skin cells. It also preps the skin to receive the benefits from other topical products, which brings us to our last important perk…

Reason #5: Using a body scrub improves moisture retention
Although the main purpose of a body scrub is for all-over exfoliation, an often-overlooked benefit is that they can be formulated with nourishing base ingredients that infuse the skin with vital moisture and hydration. This also works wonders for dry or dehydrated skin because once the scrub has worked to remove any surface buildup, your pores will be perfectly primed to absorb anything else you apply, such as your favorite body butter, lotion, or moisturizer.

Best Practices and Product Picks for Exfoliation

Ready to get started with a body scrub? Here is what we recommend:

• Tip #1: Choose the best body scrub of both worlds

In order to get the most out of a body scrub, we like multifaceted formulas that contain both physical and chemical exfoliant ingredients, like alpha-hydroxy acids. At Hebe Botanica, we’ve crafted our Clarifying Body Scrubs with Demerara brown sugar, which gently polishes away surface debris, alongside glycolic acid, which helps to further break down buildup, rejuvenate, and brighten dull skin.

• Tip #2: Look for ingredients that support delicate skin
  Besides the right exfoliating agents, it’s also equally important what goes into your body scrub as the base for moisturizing. For this reason, Hebe Botanica Clarifying Body Scrubs are enriched with skin nurturing butters and organic oils, that promote repair and replenishment. We also add in natural botanical extracts like calendula, which has amazing calming and soothing properties for the skin.

• Tip #3: Less is more

A common misconception about exfoliation is that you need to exfoliate daily, but this is actually not quite true. As it turns out, exfoliating products such as body scrubs work best when used in moderation, and this is especially true for the sensitive skin of your bikini area. If you are new to using a body exfoliating scrub, a good goal would be to start out using the product once or twice each week, and then work your way up to every other day or so. This will prevent over exfoliation and any unpleasant reactions such as irritation or inflammation.

• Tip #4: Follow up with a body oil

As we’ve already mentioned, exfoliation does a great job of priming the pores for other skin care, so the perfect time to apply your moisturizing products is right after you use your body scrub. Doing so will not only lock in hydration, but will also strengthen and protect the skin’s natural barrier, which can become easily damaged due to external stressors in the environment. For this step, we love body oils, which are quick-absorbing and promote silky smooth skin.

• Tip #5: Make it a full body ritual