Sugar vs. Salt
"I want healthy glowing skin!" Many of you have said this. Well, one easy step to take is to exfoliate. What is exfoliation you ask? We will get into more details about exfoliation later but real quick, exfoliation refers to the removal of the dead skin cells on the skin’s surface. Exfoliation can be performed mechanically, by using slightly abrasive scrubs on the skin or chemically, by using scrubs that contain special kinds of acids that dissolve and remove the dead skin cells without scrubbing.
Now that we know what exfoliation is, let’s discuss the differences and benefits of using sugar or salt to exfoliate, why should you exfoliate, how to exfoliate using a scrub, and how often should you exfoliate.
The main difference is the size of the exfoliating granules.
Sugar: Sugar granules tend to be smaller and finer, making sugar scrubs less abrasive than salt scrubs and excellent for sensitive skin and delicate areas of the body. Sugar has naturally occurring Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) or glycolic acid. According to research from Naturopathica, AHAs were found to promote softer, smoother skin, faded wrinkles, lightened age spots and decreased blemishes. Generally, sugar scrubs can be used all over your body, literally from head to toe.
Salt: Salt, has antiseptic properties and is more "detoxifying" to the skin, making it a great option for foot and body soaks. Salt granules can be a little larger and coarse, excellent for extremely thick calluses, feet, elbow, and knees. Some salt scrubs that are made of Himalayan or Dead Sea salt are full of naturally occurring beneficial minerals.
Why should you exfoliate?
Cell regeneration slows down as we age and our body is slow to shed new skin cells and generate new ones. Our old skin cells then start to pile up, and can often leave our skin looking dull, rough, and dry. In turn, the build-up of dead skin cells can result in excess oil and clogged pores, leading to blemishes and acne. Exfoliation removes the barrier of dead skin cells clogging the skin and uncovers fresh new cells below. This opens the way for moisturizing products to penetrate more deeply into the skin, which makes them more effective.
How do you exfoliate using a scrub?
When using Nailah’s Shea’s Exfoliating Sugar Scrubs, we recommend to first wash and rinse with our organic handcrafted Shea Butter soap. After cleansing; take a small scoop of the scrub and gently rub in a circular motion on damp skin. Rinse off when done. Then pat yourself dry. To seal in the moisture from the oils in the sugar scrub choose your favorite moisturizer like our organic whipped Shea Body Butter.
How often should you exfoliate?
Yes, exfoliating your skin is one key to achieving that healthy natural glow but you don’t want to over-exfoliate your skin. Over exfoliating, your skin can leave your skin dry, irritated, and damaged. Exfoliate at least 1-2 times a week.
I hope you found this blog helpful. Now let’s continue our journey to healthy, naturally glowing skin!
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