How to Use Exfoliating Body Scrub for Radiant, Soft Skin

Did you know that crepey skin tends to appear in one's 40s but can even occur to some in their 20s? This is often the case for those who don't take very good care of their skin. Fortunately, a good exfoliating body scrub can do a world of good for your skin.

If you never exfoliate your body, dead skin cells will start to pile up on the surface of your skin. As a result, your skin will start to look dull and older than it really is. If you want to keep your skin looking youthful and healthy, you'll have to incorporate an exfoliating scrub for the body into your routine. 

But how should you go about using a body exfoliator scrub in the first place and how often should you use it? Keep reading and learn more about the details of exfoliating your body with an exfoliating scrub below.

What Is a Body Scrub Exactly?

Body scrubs come in many shapes and forms but the point of a body scrub is always to exfoliate your body. A scrub is able to do this by physically scrubbing the excess dead skin cells from your body using a physical exfoliant. A physical exfoliant can be virtually anything that is hard enough to scrape the surface of your skin without damaging it. 

For example, many people use scrubs made out of sugar or salt. The particles of sugar and salt are both small and hard enough to scrape the surface of your skin without actually damaging your skin. Some people also use powdered charcoal as an exfoliant. 

While it is easy to make your own exfoliating scrubs at home, it may not be a good idea to do this if you care a lot about your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin. That's because the salt and sugar that you buy at the store tend to come as larger particles than what would be suitable for your skin. If you used such large and hard particles on your skin, you might end up scratching your body and irritating your skin. 

Professional Scrubs

A professional exfoliating scrub, on the other hand, will be made of particles that are much finer. The finer the particles are, the gentler the scrub will be on your skin. This is important if you have delicate skin because if you use anything harsh, it may damage your skin or irritate it in some way. 

Instead of being abrasive to your skin like a DIY scrub could be, a professional scrub would instead provide your skin with a nice polish. But is exfoliating your skin really necessary? Are there any real benefits of exfoliating your body on a regular basis?

The Benefits of Exfoliating Your Skin 

Before you learn how to exfoliate your body, you should first know all about the benefits it can provide. As mentioned before, if you don't exfoliate your skin every so often, dead skin cells will start to build up on the surface of your body. This happens because your skin cells are always turning over. 

The turnover process involves the lifecycle of each skin cell. When a layer of skin cells gets old enough, it will slough off and be replaced with a new, fresh layer of skin. Skin cells tend to turn over once every few weeks. However, we don't usually notice when our skin cells turn over because they don't do so all at once.

Otherwise, we would be a lot like snakes and we would shed our skin every few weeks, revealing a shiny new layer underneath. Instead, because skin cells are shed at different times, our skin looks more or less the same no matter what week it is.

The Details

When you don't exfoliate your skin, your skin's turnover rate can actually slow down.

When this happens, you will be stuck with old skin cells for a longer period than usual. This can make your skin look dull, dry, and old. On the other hand, if you exfoliate more often, this action will actually speed up your skin's turnover rate. 

Instead of new skin cells replacing your old ones every few weeks, it might happen every week or so. The benefit of this is that your skin will always look new and fresh because it really is new and fresh. There will be no layer of old skin cells that will diminish the appearance of your skin. 

Besides that, exfoliating your skin can also even out your skin's texture, making it look and feel smoother and more even than ever. Some people even find that by using a body scrub from time to time, they don't have to deal with ingrown hairs or razor bumps anymore. 

How to Use an Exfoliating Body Scrub

As you learn how to use exfoliating scrub, you should keep in mind that your skin should be as soft as possible before you start exfoliating. To do this, it would be a good idea to exfoliate while you're taking a bath or right after you get out of the bath. That's because warm water has the ability to soften the skin within only a few minutes. 

If you don't have time to take a bath or shower to soften your skin, soak a rag with warm water and apply it to the areas that you want to exfoliate. Exfoliating your skin without softening it with warm water first won't give you the best effects. It might even end up scratching your skin as a result and make your complexion appear uneven. 

After your skin is prepared, scoop some of the scrub into your hands and apply it to your skin. The last thing you will want to do is rub the scrub up and down or side to side. This can end up pulling your skin which can result in wrinkles later in life if you do it all the time. 

Moving in these motions also will not be able to catch all of the old skin cells. For the best results, use your fingers to work the scrub in circular motions against your skin. If you plan on exfoliating your entire body, you will want to start from your feet and scrub upwards. 

This will keep your blood flowing which can help your skin's turnover rate and overall provide more nutrition to your skin. When it comes to how often to exfoliate the body, you should exfoliate two to three times a week.

If you have sensitive skin, you might want to exfoliate less. 

What to Avoid When Exfoliating Your Body

You will want to avoid scrubbing too hard when you exfoliate your body. It may be tempting to scrub harder to reveal the deeper and fresher layers of your skin, but this is usually not a good idea. Scrubbing too hard may give you a rash that will be quite uncomfortable and unsightly. 

Instead, you will want to maintain a relatively even pressure as you exfoliate your body. This will ensure that your skin will be smooth and even. Once you're done exfoliating, make sure you wash all the scrub off. 

Another thing you want to avoid is letting your skin "breathe" after exfoliating it. Letting it breathe means letting your skin go without any moisturizer or oil. This is an especially bad idea after scrubbing your skin because exfoliating removes all of the oils from your skin. 

If you don't add some moisture to your skin right after, it will become very dry and it might even become irritated as a result. Any lotion or oil will do well to moisturize your skin. However, you will want to choose a moisturizing solution that is right for your skin type. 

For example, if you often get pimples on your body, you will want to avoid moisturizers that have any oil in them such as coconut oil. That's because oily substances have a tendency to clog pores which can then lead to pimples. 

On the other hand, if you have dry skin, using thick oils like shea butter or coconut oil is ideal because they will help your skin hold onto moisture for longer. Keep that in mind the next time you exfoliate.

Everything You Need to Know About Exfoliating Your Body

If you care about your skin's health, using an exfoliating body scrub is certainly something you will need to have on hand. No matter whether your scrub is made of salt, sugar, or anything else, the particles will help to remove your old skin cells and make your skin look fresher than ever.

To learn more about body scrubs, check out our website here.