Glow Up: 2 DIY Body Scrubs Tailored for Oily and Dry Skin Types

Who doesn’t love the feeling of a fresh exfoliation? Whether it is foot, face, or body scrubs, these home spa essentials are truly a treat. But should we treat them that way? Best Health magazine suggests not, quoting Holly Sherrard, the education manager for Dermalogica Canada, in saying that these scrubs are great for “increas[ing] cell turnover to reveal newer, healthier skin cells…and decreas[ing] blackheads, minimiz[ing] hyperpigmentation and fine lines, and impart[ing] an all-over healthy glow.” So if it’s great for our skin and feels amazing, why don’t we make this part of a regular skin-care routine?

Before getting into the DIY recipes, here are some store-bought recommendations:

• Ginger Lily Farms Botanicals Revitalizing Organic Sugar Scrub

• Brooklyn Botany Dead Sea Salt and Sweet Orange Body Scrub

• Bare Botanics Unscented Body Scrub 

• Second Layer All Natural Body Scrub with Walnut Shells and Orange Peel

• Kitsch Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub Bar 

• HERBIVORE In-Shower Moisturizer and Exfoliating Body Scrub 

• POP MODERN.C Turmeric and Vitamin C Body Scrub

• Beauty by Earth Peppermint Tea Tree Organic Body Scrub

The tip sheet below will help you make your scrubs at home, based on your specific skin type. Save your expensive crubs for special occasions!

1. Salt Scrubs: For Those With Oily Skin

Salt draws out oils and leaves your skin toned and renewed. Oils work to deep-condition your skin and leave it soft, smooth, and refreshed. This scrub works best on heels, legs, upper arms, back, and chest areas. Make sure not to “scrub” firmly with this, but rather, gently rub the scrub on your skin and wash away with warm water. Now, here’s the mixture so you can make it in any quantity you want: equal parts of kosher salt and coarse salt with enough oil (coconut, almond, avocado, olive, flax, etc.) as necessary to soak into the salt mix, creating a slightly paste-like texture. You can add any essential oils to this base as well to fit you and your family’s needs. Some great scents are: citrus, lavender, peppermint, and vanilla. To make, you just mix salts, add oils and stir!

2. Sugar Scrubs: For Those With Dry, Sensitive Skin

Sugar scrubs are my favourite because they are so gentle and so effective at removing dirt. They are best used for persons with sensitive skin. Their gentle scrubbing action ever so easily washes away pore cloggers and dead skin cells, and they don’t come with the risk of drying you out. Just like the salt scrub recipe, add just enough oil of your choice to the sugar mix (equal parts coarse sugar and fine sugar), creating a paste-like texture. I recommend adding some warm-scented essential oils: vanilla, ginger or clove, for instance. Again, like the sugar scrub, this home spa essential is best used on the body, rather than the face. However, that being said, without the essential oils, the sugar scrub itself makes a delicious lip scrub! To make, you just mix salts, add oils, and stir!

You don’t have to hit the spa to get a good scrub. You don’t even have to pay the mark-ups of other vendors. Making your scrubs is easy, as long as you can get access to these salts, preferably in bulk to save the most money. Most bulk bin stores have great organic and raw options for these salts, sugars, and oils. These scrubs make great gifts, to,o and don’t take a lot of time to make. Play around with essential oil scents, getting to know which are tailored for what kind of skin concern,n and have fun trying them out! For now, know that peppermint works great to cool the skin, and it, as well as clove, aids in pain relief; citrus is great for mood-lifting, and lavender for calming.

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