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Chances are that you’ve been using a body scrub for years. Scrubs are often the first form of exfoliation that people try out when they’re young. They’re easy to use, making them appealing to many.
While that may be the case, there’s an art to body scrubbing. Although some people don’t give it too much thought, spending some time mastering your body scrubbing techniques is a worthwhile endeavor as it will give you even better results. Read on as Lionesse explains all you need to know to become a body scrubbing pro!
What is a Body Scrub?
Exfoliating products usually fall under one of two categories; physical or chemical. Physical exfoliators contain an abrasive ingredient that physically removes dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. Chemical exfoliants, on the other hand, make use of acids to dissolve the bonds that keep dead skin cells hanging on to the skin’s surface, allowing them to fall away.
A body scrub is classed as a physical exfoliator. It will contain abrasive particles that physically dislodge and clear away dead skin cells.
As you can tell from the name, a body scrub is intended for use on the body, unlike a facial scrub that has been designed for the face. Since the skin on the body is thicker and tougher than the skin on the face, a body scrub is usually more abrasive than a facial scrub.
Why Use a Body Scrub?
Body scrubbing is beneficial for so many reasons. Firstly, if you don’t remove those dead skin cells that are cluttering up your skin’s surface yourself, your skin will start to look rough and dull. Although your skin naturally sheds these cells while you’re young, this slows down with age. By physically clearing away those cells yourself, you’ll be revealing the fresher and younger cells beneath, giving your skin instant radiance!
Of course, not only were those dead skin cells leaving your skin looking dull, but they were also forming a barrier over your skin’s surface. Over time, without exfoliating, this thickens. It means that any skincare products that you apply to your skin, be it body lotions, SPF, or anything else, won’t be able to absorb into your skin properly. That layer of dead skin cells will be blocking the way.
As that layer builds up, some of those cells will have no choice but to make their way into your pores. Once there, they’ll cause blockages. Without regular body scrubbing, you’ll notice an increase in body acne breakouts.
If all of that wasn’t enough to convince you to join the world of body scrubbing, it’s also worth mentioning that regular exfoliation will help to prevent and repair some of the visible signs of skin aging. Whether you’ve noticed dark spots peppering your chest and arms or wrinkles appearing on certain parts of your body, start regularly exfoliating your skin and it’ll take on a much smoother, brighter, and more youthful finish.
Choosing the Right Body Scrub For Your Skin
Ready to give body scrubbing a try? Great! However, don’t go reaching for the first body scrub that you see in your local drugstore. Just like when choosing any skincare product, you need to make sure that the body scrub you’re using is right for your skin, especially if you want to experience all of the benefits we mentioned above.
One of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a body scrub is its ingredients. A sea salt-based scrub is usually the best way to go. While sugar is popular too, sugar granules are slightly too rounded for the tougher skin on the body. It’s a good ingredient for a face scrub but, unless you have sensitive skin, isn’t abrasive enough for the body.
Sea salt also has the added benefit of being packed with minerals. Potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and more can all be found in sea salt, with each one benefiting the skin in its own way. It’s an ingredient that people all over the world have been using for centuries. Even better, it’s an ingredient that tends to work well on all skin types!
This is why we chose to go with a sea salt base when creating the Lionesse Body Scrub. It also contains diamond powder – one of the more unique exfoliating ingredients out there. Not only will it help to buff your complexion to perfection, but its light-reflecting properties will give your skin an extra glow!
How Often Should You Use a Body Scrub?
It’s easy to get hooked on body scrubbing, especially once you notice how using the right scrub can immediately have your skin looking smoother and brighter. However, overdo it and you’ll only end up damaging your skin. Over-exfoliation can happen to the skin on the body too, making it so important to know exactly how often you should be exfoliating your skin.
While there are a few factors that can influence this, your skin type is the main one. If your skin is oily, you’ll need to exfoliate more often than someone whose skin is dry. However, three times a week is the maximum you should use a body scrub. For dry skin, once or twice a week will be all you need.
Using a Body Scrub Correctly: A Step-by-Step Guide
While most people associate over-exfoliation with exfoliating too often, adopting the wrong technique while exfoliating can also lead to skin damage. To make sure that you’re helping rather than hindering your skin, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use a body scrub correctly:
Prep Your Skin
Just like when exfoliating the face, there’s some prep work involved before you should reach for your body scrub. This involves soaking your skin in warm water, which will leave your pores feeling more relaxed and pliable.
Next, you’ll need to cleanse your skin. Use a gentle body wash to do this. Ideally, you want to remove all surface impurities so that your body scrub will be able to immediately dive down and get to work.
Get Scrubbing!
It’s now time to apply your scrub! Scoop out a generous amount from the jar and massage it onto your warm, damp skin. Use gentle, circular motions. Keep pressure even but don’t be tempted to press down onto your skin too hard. The granules in your body scrub will do the work for you – you don’t need to push them into your skin! This will only lead to damage in the long run.
While scrubbing, pay extra attention to any rougher areas of skin, such as your knees and elbows.
After about 30 seconds, it’s time to stop. Don’t be tempted to scrub for any longer than this as, once again, you’ll only damage your skin.
Rinse Thoroughly
Now that you’re done scrubbing, you’ll need to wash the scrub off your skin. You don’t want to leave any traces of the scrub lingering as not only will this leave your skin feeling gritty but it can also cause irritation.
Make sure that you use warm, rather than hot, water to rinse your scrub off. Hot water is notorious for damaging the skin’s natural protective barrier. After exfoliating, this barrier becomes even more vulnerable for a while, making it even more important to prevent heat damage.
Shave If Needed
If you plan on shaving any areas of your body, post-exfoliation would be the best time to do that. Since your skin will be freshly buffed, you’ll enjoy a closer shave and a much smoother finish!
Dry Off
After exfoliating your skin, dry off gently. As we mentioned earlier, exfoliation leaves the skin temporarily more vulnerable to damage. Instead, pat your skin with a clean and soft towel, allowing it to absorb excess moisture. Once your skin is no longer dripping wet but is still damp, move on to aftercare…
Body Scrubbing Aftercare
Now that you’ve used a body scrub to remove all of those dead skin cells on your skin’s surface, it’s the perfect time to apply one or two skincare products. Anything that you apply won’t need to first fight through a layer of dead skin. Instead, it will have direct access to your skin cells, meaning better results from your products!
What should you apply to your body after exfoliating it?
A moisturizer would be the best way to go. Apply one onto damp, freshly exfoliated skin and your skin will feel unbelievably soft and silky!
When it comes to deciding which moisturizer to use, this should be based on your skin type. If you have dry skin, you’ll need a thick formula that will saturate your skin with the conditioning agents that it’s lacking. This is something that the Lionesse Body Butter excels at. The shea butter in this formula is brimming with fatty acids that give the skin a more supple finish. Meanwhile, the inclusion of diamond powder ensures that your skin glows after every application!
If your skin type is oily, you may find a body butter to be too heavy for your skin, even though ours is pretty lightweight. A body lotion or cream, like the Lionesse Body Cream, may be a better choice. It feels weightless when applied to the skin and the addition of pearl powder in this formula leaves the skin looking luminescent.
What should you do if some areas of your skin are dry and others are oily? Start with the Body Cream all over your skin. Then, scoop out some of the Body Butter and focus this on your dry areas. You’ll be giving your combination skin the customized care that it deserves!
Mastering the Art of Body Scrubbing With Lionesse
If you want to make sure that your skin is reaping maximum benefits from your exfoliation efforts, it pays to spend some time fine-tuning your habits and techniques. From understanding how to choose the best body scrub for your skin to knowing exactly how, as well as how often, to use it, get things right and you’ll soon have people envious of how soft, smooth, and youthful the skin on your body looks!
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