I love scrubbing.
Bathtubs, ship decks, potatoes… you name it.
But my favourite thing to exfoliate is… well… me.
That’s why I’ve been an afficionado of scrubs for many, many years, back to the days of rocking out a tube of Aapri back when my skin had nothing major I needed to scrub away other than really terrible shades of Cover Girl Cheekers blush.
Now, after years of abuse and sun damage and hormonal ups and downs (and let’s be honest… sheer neglect at points), I have a lot more refining to do than I used to. My dead skin builds up like consumer debt in a recession.
So I scrub.
And not just my face.
If it’s got granules, I love it.
I’ve done everything from the high-level “microfine crystals” to homemade brown sugar/sesame oil/lemon juice concoctions, with varying measures of success. In fact, I’ve probably rinsed hundreds (I’ll leave it at that, thousands makes me tremble) of bucks down the drain. Literally AND figuratively.
But all this trying and buying means I can give you some solid recommendations for the best scrubbing for you… and a few to avoid.
Note: I’m just discussing manual exfoliators here. Chemical exfoliators are coming soon!
Best Scrubs for Dry/Sensitive Skin
A lot of sensitive skins can’t take scrubbing, just as they can’t bear too much chemical exfoliation. If your face or body tends to be more reactionary than an NRA member at a PETA meeting, then you need to be really careful about what you use. This only gets more crucial if you have a condition like rosacea or eczema. You’re likely better off seeing a dermatologist to get specific recommendation so you’re not interrupting how your body is dealing with dead skin or dermal layers.
However, if you simply tend to react a little if you come across something with too much in the way of perfumes or chemicals or abrasives, you can still use a scrub once or twice a week to keep your skin refreshed and renewed.
Here are my picks:
Face
Make sure to wet your face well before you work any product in, and use GENTLE circles across your skin to exfoliate. And don’t forget to moisturize your damp skin well once you’re done. Scrubs are great before moisturizing masques, too!
Clinique 7-Day Scrub Cream: It’s an old-y but a goody. No extra fragrances, a gentle cream base, and even-shaped granules that don’t feel harsh.
Fresh Sugar Face Polish: It actually feels like it’s moisturizing while you buff dull skin away, instead of just rinsing dead cells down the drain. If you have horrible allergies to natural oils, skip it, but even my mom (who is sensitive), used this without any ill effects.
Caudalie Gentle Buffing Cream: A dream scrub for sensitive girls. It does the trick without leaving you feeling stripped.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Relaxing Nightly Scrub: The micro-beads don’t leave skin feeling abused, and the fragrance is nice without being irritating or potentially allergenic.
Body
Dry skin on your body is tougher and more scrub-ready than dry skin on your face, but it’s just as easy to work yourself into an angry red mess. Use scrubs designed to leave moisture behind to ensure that you towel off softer than you started.
Caudalie Sauvingnon Scrub: This creamy delicious scrub leaves you feeling smooth and moisturized without harsh salts that could dry your skin out further — but not oily, like some moisturizing scrubs might. And no crazy smells to speak of, either.
100% Pure Vanilla Buttercream Scrub: If you don’t eat it with a spoon, you can use it to soften and moisturize to the Nth degree. You’d think it would grease up your tub or shower, too, but miraculously? Not. Your skin is a bit slick afterwards, but it towels off to a purely moisturized finish. Gorgeous.
Queen Helene Naturals Cocoa Butter Scrub: Less smelly than the scrub above, but slightly less emollient, too. Still very gentle but effective for a few times a week use.
Bliss Super Slough Scrub: A gel-based liquid scrub that moisturizes as it works off dead cells.
Best Scrubs for Normal/Oily Skin
Normal and oily skins are generally tougher and thicker than dry or sensitive skins, but that’s no excuse to dig in like a belt sander. Any of the picks above would do fine for your skin as well, but I’m going to focus here on home microdermabrasion scrubs (which are generally too harsh for sensitive skins) and problem solving formulas.
Face
Don’t forget to moisturize after you scrub, even if your skin tends to be naturally oily. Stripping off without replenishing can force your skin to produce more oil and more dead skin to protect your exposed layers.
MAC Microfine Refinisher: The least harsh microderm I’ve come across — sensitive skins ight even want to give it a try. Use in the shower after your skin has steamed up a bit, and rinse and moisturize your damp skin well.
Origins Modern Friction: It’s advertised as non-harsh, but it definitely brings more friction than the MAC formula. Great for blackheads and unevenness, and smells fantastic!
St Ives Microdermabrasion Scrub: A drugstore formula that packs the punch of a department store brand. No wonder Allure Magazine editors recommended it!
Clean and Clear Blackhead-Clearing Scrub: Works like a dream on blackheads around the nose and chin. Focus on t-zone, however — might be a bit drying on cheeks.
Body
Oily skins (especially those with blemishes on back or chest) need to be carefully not to strip skin or exacerbate blemishes with a body scrub — it can only make things worse. On the other hand, oilier scrubs can just layer oil on top of oil, and that’s not a great situation, either!
If you have bad back or chest acne, speak to a dermatologist about salycylic acid treatments, and use an appropriate shower gel (Neutrogena Deep Clean or Phisoderm or Murad Acne Body Wash) with a soft cloth to scrub lightly.
If your skin is normal, however, indulge merrily in these picks:
Fresh Brown Sugar Scrub: It purports to be super-gentle, but it’s been too much for most of my sensitive friends. The rest of us are happy to dig in — if we can handle the steep price tag. This one is ALWAYS recommended by celebs and beauty experts, and for good reason: it works, and smells like a dream. But it DOES leave your tub with enough of an oil slick to take out a few ducks.
Bliss Hot Salt Scrub: Invigorating doesn’t even begin to cover it! Like toothpaste and Tiger Balm and a saltshaker combined.
Clinique Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliator: This blue gel saves me from lizard legs — but I make sure to moisturize after, since it leaves no moisturizing ingredients behind.
Aveeno Positively Radiant Exfoliating Body Wash: The best drugstore brand for a quick scrub with a shower puff in the morning.
Origins Incredible Spreadable Scrub: Oy, I love how this stuff smells and feels. Not too harsh, with an invigorating minty scent that becomes addictive, especially in hot summer months.
One more note: Never use a scrub on sunburned or wind-burned skin, or freshly shaven or waxed skin. It might seem obvious, but many people forget to protect sundamaged skin or freshly-exposed skin in the midst of their routine, even if it gets a bit ouchy to tell you to STOP.
For a quick fix, take a cotton ball and dip it in milk and apply to stressed skin. The lactic acid will both soothe the area and keep the turnover process humming.
