AT HOME: make your own facial/body scrub!

The key ingredient to this scrub is *drumroll* sugar! Yep, you read that correctly, it's sugar! I have indeed significantly reduced my sugar intake however I have been using white sugar (the regular kind you all most likely already have in your kitchen cupboards) as my exfoliator. 

I have always been weary about over-exfoliating (those moments when your skin just looks bright red for days...urgh!) so I'll be honest, I went for months and months without using any exfoliator at all. At first, I didn't realise the importance of exfoliating and felt as though I could get away without doing it. My skin wasn't going red and I wasn't getting any spots. However, I did find that the longer I went without exfoliating my skin, the more "rougher" it would feel, meaning that although the surface of my skin wasn't majorly bumpy, it wasn't exactly smooth either. I have a Clarasonic Mia that I like to use every now and then however I prefer not to use it too much as my skin is a bit more sensitive. 

Of course our skin isn't entirely the same all year round. It may be more oily/ combination during the warmer months and much drier during the colder months. I for one, don't often experience dry patches on my face, but it does get "rough" during the winter season. As we age, our cell turnover rate decelerates, thus potentially giving our skin a dull/ lifeless complexion. Exfoliating the skin lifts away old dead skin cells and stimulates the newer skin cells to reveal brighter, radiant looking skin. In addition to that, when you exfoliate your skin, your moisterisers and serums will absorb and penetrate into the skin much more effectively. 

So when is the best time to exfoliate? According to experts, the best time to exfoliate your skin is actually in the mornings as the skin goes into "repair" mode whilst you sleep at night. By the time morning comes, you will wake up with lots of dead skin cells which are simply sitting on the surface of your skin. It has also been recommended that we exfoliate our skin approximately 2-3 times a week. You simply don't want to over-do it. 

Okay let's get down to business. There are three (3) sugar scrub variations that I like to alternate with:

1. Sugar + your facial cleanser 

I find that gel cleansers and sugar work really well together. So I essentially wash my face using my ordinary Avene  Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser and leave the cleanser on my face. Then I take about 1-2 tablespoons of white sugar and apply it in circular motions to my face whilst avoiding the eye area. Work it into a nice lather but don't be too rough on your skin.  I like give my face a bit of a massage for about 3-4 minutes to really lift and remove those dead skin cells. Then simply rinse your face and remove all traces of sugar on your face. It is super important to remove ALL traces of sugar to avoid any left over residue/stickiness. Then complete your routine with your usual moisteriser(s)/ serum(s).

2. Sugar + honey

This is one of the simplest sugar scrub recipes that I like doing which also doubles up as a facial mask too. The sugar granules are rough enough to lift and remove the dead skin cells whilst the honey moisterises and soothes the skin without stripping your skin of its natural oils. I mix about 2x tablespoons of sugar along with 2x tablespoons of organic/ manuka honey into a small bowl. After cleansing the face with your usual cleanser, proceed to apply the sugar and honey scrub to your face as you would when exfoliating. As honey has antibacterial properties, I like to keep it on as a mask after really working it on my skin. I let it sit for approximately 10-15 minutes before I rinse it off and pat the skin dry. Again, complete your routine with usual moisteriser(s)/ serum(s). This sugar and honey combo also works really well as a lip scrub and you can only need to mix 1x teaspoon of sugar with 1x teaspoon of honey for this. In my opinion, exfoliating the lips prior to lipstick application is one of the key steps in ensuring that the lipstick lasts longer!

3. Sugar + honey + olive oil

This is pretty much the same as the scrub recipe as listed above (sugar + honey) however, we're adding some extra virgin olive oil into the mix. I only like to do this scrub when my skin is feeling super duper dry. In my opinion, the olive oil works as a moisterising booster. So in a small bowl, mix together 2x tablespoon sugar, 2x tablespoon honey, 1x tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and massage it into your face after cleansing (I say after cleansing because you wouldn't want to jump right into exfoliating if you have a face full of makeup). Work it all over the face for a few minutes and again, this recipe can double up as a face mask. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes if you're looking to to give your skin that extra "umph of hydration" if it needs it. Then rinse off, pat your skin dry and proceed to apply your moisteriser(s)/ serum(s). This recipe is also excellent as an all over body scrub to really exfoliate other areas of your body which may become dry such as legs, knees and elbows. 

I hope this post has been helpful! Give it a try and see for yourself how awesome using sugar as a scrub really is! Sugar is such an inexpensive yet effective exfoliating product to use on the face!

Love, Twin #1 x