All of us want to have a clean, fresh skin at all times, but clogged pores and dead skin cells can not only cause blemishes and acne but can also make our complexions look dull and lifeless. It is difficult for an ordinary face wash or soap to remove all the dry, dead skin that has accumulated. The decision to add a facial scrub, or exfoliant, to your beauty regimen will depend upon your skin type and condition. Your facial care will eventually come down to finding out what products treat your skin best and improve your complexion.
Some facial scrubs are composed of small, ground ingredients added to a carrier. The carrier can be a cream, lotion, or gel, and the exfoliating ingredients can be bits of crushed nut shells, clay, polymer beads, or powdered rice. Facial scrubs will ordinarily be used after you have washed your face, before you apply moisturizer. Because these exfoliants do really scrub your skin, you will not use them every day, only every second or third day.
The Benefits of Facial Scrubs
Your facial health will depend, in good measure, in how clean your skin is. Skin that is clogged with old makeup and moisturizers or has an accumulation of dead skin is not healthy skin, and will be more likely to experience skin eruptions. Blocked pores can lead to blackheads, or worse, and if you live in a city, you will be exposed to pollution that can further affect your complexion. A facial scrub can be helpful in keeping the skin cleaner. When you do use an exfoliant, be sure that it can be used on the very delicate skin around your eyes, or avoid the eyes completely.
•Facial scrubs will help to root out dead skin cells from in and around pores, helping to shrink their size and make them less likely to become clogged.
•Dead skin cells will be whisked away as the action of the abrasive ingredients go to work.
•Oily, acne-prone skin can really be cleaned more thoroughly by the use of a facial scrub. Dealing with pimples is difficult, but some answers to your questions can be found on Facing Acne.
•If you have sensitive skin, you will definitely want to stay away from exfoliants that contain small chunks of substances, these can irritate your skin and cause more problems than you may already have. However, there are scrubs designed specifically for sensitive skin that will deep clean without harm.
•Dry skin is the type more subject to flaking, so it’s easy to see how an exfoliating face scrub can help to get rid of flakes, as well as clear away dead skin cells from pores.
What’s Wrong with Facial Scrubs?
Because facial scrubs are designed specifically to remove more than ordinary washes, you have to be careful why deciding which one to use, or whether you want to use one at all. Exfoliants won’t cure your acne and can actually make it worse if you use the wrong one. The wrong scrub is not the only way that these products can harm your skin, either, using them too frequently can also damage your skin.
•Scrubs that contain ground up nut shells can actually scratch and tear your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin or acne.
•Some scrubs will actually remove too much of the skin, not just the top dead layer, leaving your skin more vulnerable to damage
•Exfoliants can cause excessive drying of the skin, making flaking of dry skin actually worse in the long run.
•Sea salt scrubs may sound like a good idea since you will be benefiting from the minerals found in this salt, but these are generally too harsh to use on your face. In addition to drying out your facial skin to a great degree, sea salt scrubs can also scratch up and irritate your skin.
Parting Words
Deciding on whether or not to include a facial scrub in your facial health program will depend upon a number of factors. Skin sensitivity will be important since sensitive skin will be much more likely to be damaged by harsh scrubs. Over-scrubbing is another problem with even the best of exfoliants; all too often we think if a little work so well, more will work even better. However, you only need to use a scrub once or twice a week, especially if your skin is dry or sensitive. Those who are struggling with acne will have to be very careful with their choice of scrub – you will want a scrub that will remove dead skin and clean pores without causing irritation to the acne.
