What's the purpose of a scalp scrub? How do you properly exfoliate? And how can you create your own DIY scalp treatment at home?
What is a scrub?
- Exfoliation, or scrubbing, consists of purifying the skin by removing dead cells, thus helping it to renew itself. It makes the skin softer and smoother, as epidermal cells renew more easily.
- Specifically, a scrub involves washing a part of the body with a product containing abrasive substances (salicylic acid, kernel powder, etc.). In fact, it's the same principle as rubbing with a hammam glove or a horsehair glove!
- If you find your skin uneven or if you think your skin texture is not fine enough, regular scrubs are an effective solution.
Is it really useful?
Exfoliation is a very ancient treatment, used by women since Antiquity. It is beneficial for various reasons, provided it is not done too often (see "tips to follow") :
- A scrub refines skin texture, meaning it makes the skin smoother;
- It allows the skin to renew itself better by ridding it of dead cells;
- Following regular scrubs, the penetration of skin care products (creams, treatment oils, masks...) is improved;
- Exfoliation also helps eliminate toxins, which can be blocked by dead cells (cf. Helen Forster, "Detox", ed. Marabou)
Tips to follow:
- Scrubs are part of common facial care. Ideally, one to two scrubs should be performed per week on the face and body. It is strongly advised not to do more, otherwise the skin would not have time to renew itself!
- Scrubs should be avoided on skin with lesions, redness, and very dry skin (which already struggles to produce new cells, and therefore doesn't need to be stimulated further!)
Steps for a scrub:
- Dampen the skin and apply the scrub.
- Proceed with circular movements, focusing only on areas where the skin is thick or a bit calloused (elbows, knees, back, thighs, buttocks...).
- Choose a product suitable for your skin type. Use gentle scrubs for sensitive areas (especially for the face) and reserve "harsher" scrubs (with sugar or salt, for example) for other parts of the body.
Natural scrub recipes:
Slimming coffee grounds scrub:
- Coffee grounds (or ground coffee) contain caffeine, which is a natural anti-cellulite agent.
- Different "recipes":
- For the body: take a handful of coffee grounds and rub yourself directly with it (using a washcloth, horsehair glove, or hammam glove) or mix half a cup of coffee grounds with your shower gel; you'll get an excellent scrub
- For the face: mix coffee grounds with a moisturizing cream
- Do not rub too hard (especially do not use back-and-forth movements), but perform circular movements to exfoliate gently.
- Regular use of this scrub should help you burn fat!
- I personally tested the pure coffee grounds scrub, and it's very effective! The skin is smooth and really soft afterward. The smell washes off easily with a little soap or shower gel.
Other natural recipes
Many natural and easy-to-make recipes are available on the Beauty Naturally Blog (Type these words in "search" to access the article).
