We all know how important it is to take care of the skin on our face – but what about our body? If your current bodycare routine stops at body wash and lotion, you might want to consider adding a body scrub into the mix. Body scrubs, or polishes, as some brands refer to them, are an essential part of your de-scaling beauty routine as regularly buffing your legs, arms and everything in between not only exfoliates away dead dull skin, but it softens and smooths the skin, boosts circulation and banishes dryness. They also have the added bonus of helping to prevent ingrown hairs and for fake tan-lovers, they’re great for scrubbing away any patchy areas.
When it comes to incorporating them into your body care regime, they should only be used two to three times a week, applied to wet skin and gently massaged on the body in a circular motion, which is less abrasive than a back and forth movement. Make sure to pay particular attention to any rough areas (elbows, feet, knees, back of arms). You can start wherever is most convenient and comfortable, whether this is from the feet up or from the arms down. Rinse it all off with lukewarm water. If you use a body lotion to moisturise after your daily shower, on days you scrub, it can be beneficial to use a body oil, as the pores are open to absorb the oil best. I love REN Skincare Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra Moisturising Body Oil and Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Moisturising Body Oil is another great one. After showering, pat dry skin, but leave skin a little wet, as this water will act as a carrier to absorb and draw in the oil for ultimate moisturisation. Another useful tip – don’t embark on a scrubbing session before you shave/wax your legs because you can irritate the skin, which can create a stinging sensation.
How to decide which is the best one for you? Read on for my roundup of scrubs/polishes that will give you smooth gorgeous glowing skin, and all of them free of environmentally harmful microbeads, so you can scrub away guilt-free.
Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub
This is a super-impressive purse-friendly scrub and smells just like your fruity, oaty morning smoothie. The scrub itself is quite wet, so doesn’t feel scratchy on contact with the skin, and shea butter, the ultimate ingredient for a smooth finish, leaves skin soft and hydrated. Reasonably priced, smells divine, and does what it says on the tin! €10 from Boots.
Ameliorate Skin Smoothing Body Polish
A high-performance scrub, designed to tackle extreme dryness, ingrown hairs, bumpy skin and dullness, Ameliorate’s Skin Smoothing Body Polish contains lactic acid to chemically exfoliate, as well as ground bamboo for manual exfoliation. Enriched with natural skin-conditioners, this also works to promote elasticity and enhance skin’s resilience – leaving it more supple, smooth and luminous, €20.45, lookfantastic.com.
Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub
A gentle exfoliator infused with natural pumice and essential oils that effectively sloughs away dead, dull skin to unveil a radiant tone and a smoother, more refined texture. Long-lasting fragrance technology with fragrance boosting captives ensures the sensuous scent of patchouli, sandalwood and jasmine remains on the skin even 12 hours after use, €8.50 from Boots.
Thalgo Merveille Arctique Salt Flake Scrub
French marine skincare specialists Thalgo, combine their hero active ingredient, Boreal Algae (rich in relaxing magnesium) with micro flakes of three exfoliating salts to delicately exfoliate, soothe and transform the skin, leaving it purified and wonderfully soft. With notes of jasmine, magnolia and orange blossom, it’s like having your own at home spa experience, €35 from thalgo.ie.
Sukin Energising Body Scrub with Coffee & Coconut
This energising scrub uses only the very best, most natural ingredients to exfoliate and revitalise, namely aromatic coffee extracts, walnut and coconut shells along with aloe vera, coconut oil and jojoba to ensure your skin stays nourished, silky smooth and hydrated, €14.60, selected health stores nationwide.
Clinique Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliator
A cool, refreshing body exfoliator that polishes the skin, giving it a healthy glow with a subtle sparkle. Its gel-like formula contains menthol and botanical ingredients to invigorate skin and gives a refreshing experience along with gorgeously soft skin, €30 Debenhams.
Weleda Birch Body Scrub
100 per cent certified natural, this scrub uses plant wax pearls and pure plant oils to gently massage the skin, helping to promote skin cell renewal and boost skin’s natural regeneration process. Whilst organic birch leaf extract known for its purifying and detoxifying properties leaves skin looking and feeling supple and soft, €11.95, selected health stores nationwide and lookfantastic.com.
Nuxe Melting Body Scrub
This cream texture with gentle exfoliating granules gives the skin a refined appearance. Blended with orange blossom and almond blossom petals and 100 per cent plant-based exfoliants (orange, lychee and walnut) this effectively sloughs of dead cells, refines the skin’s texture and leaves skin velvet soft, €20.50, selected pharmacies nationwide.
As always, if you have any beauty concerns you would like to ask me about, please email hello@shernamalone.ie. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook @shernamalone.ie If you would like to begin your journey to healthy beautiful skin, I am available by appointment in Solace Holistic Centre Clonakilty where I offer Skincare Consultations, Murad Facial Treatments, Facial Peel Treatments, Teen Facials and Rejuvapen Micro Needling – all details of these and my Tween and Teen Workshops are on shernamalone.ie.
