Summer skin can become clogged and blemished from sunscreens, chlorinated or salt water and perspiration. These skin scrubs will help keep it glowing.. Shonagh Walker reports
Skin scrubs for both face and body will become your complexion’s BFF in summer. They help prevent congestion caused by make-up, sunscreen and the environment, which can create myriad skin problems.
“Perspiration mixing with make-up and deeply absorbed sunblock can blog the skin and ruin it’s texture and glow,” says Anna Field from The Paddington Beauty Room in Sydney. “Skin scrubs are one of the best ways to prevent this.”
“If you can afford it, invest in one for your face neck, and décolletage, and then a separate one for your body,” Anna advises. “The face formulas will treat the delicate skin here, so it remains supple and youthful. Those for the body work a little harder, while still ensuring skin is fresh, cleansed and undamaged.”
Exfoliation with skin scrubs also clears the way for treatments products to absorb effectively, adds Mardi Johnson from The Skin Club in Bowral, NSW. “If you have an excess of dead skin cells and debris sitting on the skin’s surface, it causes blockages in the pores, prevent product penetration and leave your skin dull and dehydrated. Plus, we are constantly reapplying sunscreen in summer, so a proper exfoliation routine will remove built-up product effectively.
“It works by dissolving the bonds of dead skin cells on the skin’s surface,” explains Mardi. “If this isn’t performed regularly, it may lead to pore congestion and bacteria build up, which quickly cause breakouts.”
Anna suggests using a scrub at least once a week, depending on your skin type, to allow for that ‘bounce’ of light that creates a ‘skin-lit-from-within’ look.
Different Types Of Skin Scrubs
There are many skin scrubs to choose from, including straight up bead scrubs (please use naturally derived beads over and above synthetic micro-beads always), acid-based exfoliants work in conjunction with beads, sugars or salts, or even enzymatic scrubs that work to nibble away at the debris that sits on the skin’s surface.
The one you choose will depend on your skin type, obviously, but it’s really the ‘how-to’ that is most important. The Golden Rule is YOU don’t have to scrub and rub hard – the product is already a skin scrub. Massaging too hard or rigorously can damage delicate skin. Instead, gently glide the product over damp skin according to the instructions and let the formula do the hard work!
Here, our list of some of this summer’s hottest and most effective skin scrubs.
Retreatment Botanics Refining Face Polish, $55.
The brainchild of Australia’s sweetheart Olivia Newton-John and Trudi Jaye, Olivia’s Master Facialist at Gaia Retreat & Spa in the Byron Bay Hinterland, plus the entire Gaia team, this triple action skin scrub uses AHA rich Lilly Pilly, gentle fruit acids and eco-friendly jojoba beads to dissolve dull surface build-up of dead cells and debris. On a deeper level, Kaolin clay draws out excess dirt, oil and impurities. Suited to all skin types, this leaves you with a soft, smooth, luminous complexion. It can be used daily as a regular scrub in the shower, or applied as a mask, left on to dry and then gently buffed off for a deeper desquamation.
Men Who Scrub Freshly Shaven Australian Sugar Scrub, $32.
Guys need great skin care too! Whether sporting a beard, or a more clean-shaven look, it’s important for guys to regularly exfoliate the skin on their face and body. Enter, Men Who Scrub.
Available in seven varieties, plus ancillary products, it prevents ingrown hairs and helps keep the skin free from acne, blemishes and excess oil. It’s especially great for tradies, chefs, or anyone who works with their hands every day (confession: I keep a tub by my kitchen sink and use it on the regular when cooking). Massage it into your face, body and hands after work each day to get rid of the day’s grime and reveal beautifully cleansed, soft skin.
Milch Made Blossom Magnesium Bath Soak, $20.
Hailing from Falls Creek, Victoria, this lush blend of magnesium salts and essential oils of sweet orange, ylang ylang, rose, palmarosa and sweet almond oil is technically a bath soak, but it also works wonders as a body scrub. Simply place some in your palm and add a few drops of olive oil or vegetable oil of your choice (coconut oil works really well). lend to make a paste and massage into the skin to remove dryness and dull patches.
Bangn Body Smooth Skin Scrub, $42
Skin Scrubs combining exfoliation and mask benefits are high on our summer wish list. This two-in-one coffee mousse scrub and mask combats dry, bumpy, dull skin while hydrating all over. Formulated with Australian kaolin white clay to help detoxify the skin and reduce breakouts and scarring, it also contains bamboo to gently slough away debris. Arabica coffee seeds add further exfoliating benefits, while sunflower oil delivers a good dose of moisture. It can be used on the face and/or body and works for all skin types. Aim to use it about two to three times weekly.
SALT LAB Deconstructed Bath Bomb Reset, $19.99
Magnesium Chloride, Dead Sea Salts and Bentonite Clay make up this vegan, skin softening salt soak, which can easily be transformed to a hydrating body scrub simply by adding a few drops of olive oil to a handful of the salts. Blend in the palm of your hand, and then massage gently over your body. Australian made, in Melbourne, it’s a dream to use and totally addictive.
Uspa Coffee Sea Kelp and Macadamia Contour Scrub, $35
This little beauty contains caffeine to increase circulation and sea kelp to rejuvenate the skin. It also has natural pumice grounds to deliver an invigorating exfoliation. It’s ideal for congestion around the thighs, tummy and derrière that can sometimes appear as cellulite. Use a few times a week and follow with a firming body cream.
Bathefex Epsom Salt Bath Breathe Easy, $12.99
While technically a bath soak, again, you can add some olive or coconut oil to a handful of these salts and turn them into a DIY home body scrub in seconds. With magnesium sulphate and sodium bicarbonate, it eases weary muscles and relieves stress and tension. Eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils decongest and clear the mind.
Arbonne RE9 Advanced Prepwork Cleansing Polish, $32
Formulated with exfoliants from lingonberry and apricot, this gorgeous skin is an absolute fave of ours. It gently buffs away dull surface skin cells, makeup, excess oil and deep-seated sunscreens, leaving skin feeling fresh and looking brighter.
RAWW Superfood Infused beauty Buff Me Sugar Coffee Body Scrub, $24.95
Natural, superfood ingredients combine to remove rough skin patches dry spots. Super-fine coffee grounds and brown sugar work together to invigorate and smooth the skin, while cocoa butter, shea butter and coconut oil deliver a hydrating boost.
SKINSTITUT Glycolic Scrub 14%, $49
AHA based scrubs work to gently dissolve the bonds that glue dead cells to the skin’s surface and are often combined with granular beads to add further exfoliating benefits. This is exactly how Skinstitut’s Glycolic Scrub performs and it’s a reason it’s one of our faves. it buffs skin to a radiant glow and is highly active, so it helps rid the complexion of congestion and breakouts as well as minimise the appearance of sunspots and pigmentation. it can be applied daily in the morning as a mask. Leave to dry then gently massage away in the shower.
Saarinen Organics Scrub Cleanser, $35
Skin scrubs that double duty as a cleanser are a fantastic time saver at any time of year. This all-natural formula uses jojoba wax beads, honey and citrus essential oils to whisk away make-up and debris as well as purge the tires of deep-seated grime that may cause congestion. Love it!
