What is a body scrub?

Body scrubs have been around for centuries…several different cultures worldwide have practiced using essential oils and natural salts to exfoliate and moisturize their skin for eons.

Historically speaking, each culture has had its own unique way of exfoliating. For example, Ancient Egyptians – both men and women – would use salt deposits add water, milk, and essential oils to keep their skin moisturized from the dry sun. In Native American cultures, riverbed sand or dried corn cobs were used, while Polynesian cultures used finely crushed seashells.

The body scrubs of today are more of a traditional oil- and salt- or sugar-based scrub that gently rubs dead skin cells away. Along with removing dead skin cells and dirt from the outer layers of the skin, body scrubs are very moisturizing. The oils in a scrub create a barrier on the skin to ensure moisture is not lost, leaving you with silky smooth skin and stimulating your body’s natural healing mechanism to encourage cell regeneration. Other ingredients such as sea salts, honey, coffee grounds or seeds, and essential oils give you a variety to choose from to best fit what your skin is needing most.

How to use a body scrub:

1. Stir body scrub before each use.
2. Scoop out a small amount of the scrub into your hands and begin to apply it to the desired area of your body in a light circular motion.
3. After you’re done, make sure to completely rinse the area of your body where the scrub was applied with warm water.
4. We like to follow up with our favorite lotion or body oil once we are out of the shower for soft moisturized skin.

How often should you use a body scrub?
If you have a skin care regimen, then you’ll definitely want to include body scrubs into your routine! Scrubs are best for removing the top layer of dead skin cells, but you shouldn’t be exfoliating everyday, as it could lead to skin irritation. You should always give your skin a few days to maximize the effect of the scrub. We suggest using a good exfoliation one to two times a week so that your skin can hold its refreshing glow before your next scrub down is due.

Important tips

1. Choose a scrub that is going to fit your needs:
o For dry or rough skin we suggest going with a sea salt-based scrub.
o For sensitive skin we suggest picking a sugar-based scrub.
o Look for scents that are going to match your mood – for a calming experience we suggest a lavender scent, for a more energized mood we suggest going with a citrus scent.
2. To avoid any allergic reactions or skin irritations we suggest testing the scrub on a small patch of skin before fully jumping in and applying the scrub all over. If you experience any stinging, burning or redness, do not continue to use the scrub.
3. Please do not use body scrubs on cracked, cut or sunburned skin or on your face.
4. It’s always best to use any body scrub before you shave. This helps to remove dirt and soften body hair; making razor burn less likely to happen.
5. Looking to get super moisturized skin? We suggest using your body scrub before you go to sleep so that way the moisturizing oils can soak in your skin overnight while you are sleeping.
6. Wash your skin before you exfoliate to get rid of sweat and dirt – this helps with keeping toxins out of your pores.
7. Soak in a bath or shower for approximately 10 minutes before using the scrub to exfoliate.
8. After you have fully exfoliated, rinse off with warm water – you do not need to re-wash with soap or shower gel. If you do, you will rinse off the moisturizing oils!
9. When you are ready to step out of the shower, you’ll want to pat dry not rub. Rubbing dry will take off the moisture barrier you have just created for the skin.
10. For silky smooth skin apply your favorite lotion, body butter or body oil before completely drying off.

Say NO to Microbeads

At Bella Rose Boutique, we are dedicated to bringing our customers the finest and natural ingredients when it comes to our bath products. Even before Congress passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, whereas microbeads – tiny pieces of plastic that were found in several health and beauty products – were banned from products, we made sure that none of our merchandise included any microbeads whatsoever. It’s important to us that our products are plastic-free and only include more natural types of exfoliants like seeds and sugar.

Different types of scrubs

Sugar Scrubs

One of the most popular types of scrubs because of how less abrasive it is compared to salt, sugar is extremely effective on your skin as a scrub. Sugar has humectant properties, which means it’s great for introducing moisture to your skin and keeping it there! Sugar is also a natural source of glycolic acid, which means that it encourages new cell turnover by breaking down the lipids that hold dead skin cells together.

Nut and Oat Scrubs

Oats, ground-up nut shells, dried fruit, berries, and seeds naturally contain antioxidants and are commonly used exfoliants that deliver a gentler scrub. These are a great option for individuals with very dry skin. You can pair these ingredients with things like aloe vera or plain yogurt to make a more moisturizing scrub.

Salt Scrubs

For a more abrasive scrub, salt is a good option to choose if you’re wanting to exfoliate tougher areas like your heels or elbows. Salt granules are larger and tend to be one of the more effective scrubs, especially for oily skin types. The salt will absorb the extra oils from your skin and as an added bonus, salt also has a natural antiseptic that kills the pore-clogging bacteria that can cause breakouts. It can help draw out toxins from your skin and may even help reduce skin inflammation due to the natural magnesium and sulfate found in salt.

Herbal Scrubs

If you prefer a softer and more relaxing scrub for your skin, then plant-based and herbal body scrubs may be the way to go. Each herb contains its own unique fragrance, and also harnesses specific qualities that add to your overall scrub experience. For example, if you’re wanting a more invigorating and clean feel than orange peel would be the best choice. While dried lavender buds would be the calming and fresh option. Herbal scrubs are an excellent option for those who have sensitive skin as they are less abrasive compared to sugar and salt scrubs.

Coffee Scrubs

As we all know, coffee is a natural stimulant and that includes waking up your skin! Coffee is packed with tons of beneficial agents that your skin will love, such as caffeine, vitamins, essential oils, fatty acids, amino acids, polyphenols, and antioxidants. All of these ingredients are extremely helpful in keeping your skin looking and feeling healthy. The caffeine in the coffee helps to encourage quicker cell regeneration and restricts surface blood vessels, which can help reduce the appearance of cellulite. Coffee is a great option for body scrubs and can be beneficial in improving skin discoloration by increasing blood circulation. As far as abrasiveness goes, coffee is more on the gentler side and is somewhere in between sugar and herbal scrubs. This option as a scrub can generally do well on most skin types.

For more information about our products, give us a call at (360) 746-8163 or email us at [email protected]