All this cold weather can be brutal on your skin. But truth be told, winter isn’t the only season that can leave your skin feeling dry, chapped, or irritated. Your skin needs love and attention all year long – from the sunny days of summer to the cold days of winter.
Keep on reading for powerful ways to nourish your skin regardless of the season.
Exfoliate Your Skin Regularly
Scrubbing off dead skin cells helps brighten your skin and promote that youthful-looking, vibrant glow. Regularly exfoliating also helps to:
- Reduce hyperpigmentation (AKA dark spots)
- Prevent clogged pores, blackheads, and acne
- Reduce fine lines and wrinkles
- Stimulate the synthesis of collagen, which keeps your skin looking tight, plump, and young
Creating your own exfoliant is simple. Look for granular ingredients that help get the dead skin cells off your body. We recommend white sugar, coffee grounds, oats, or baking soda.
When exfoliating, here are a couple of pointers to keep in mind:
- Be mindful of your skin type. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to choose an exfoliant that’s a bit gentler (like oats). If your skin feels irritated afterward, that might be a sign to go for something milder.
- Don’t overdo it. Your skin still needs some protective layers, so try not to overdo it. If you have sensitive or dry skin, start with exfoliating once a week. If you have normal or oily skin, you can probably get away with two or three times a week.
Once you exfoliate, keep your skin hydrated by moisturizing your skin immediately afterward.
Don’t Forget The Body Scrub
Take your exfoliation up a notch by incorporating a body scrub. While exfoliating helps to slough off dead skin cells, a good body scrub does so much more. It helps boost your circulation and moisturizes your skin.
When creating a DIY scrub, make sure it has these two key components:
- An exfoliant. Could be something like white sugar, coffee grounds, oats, or baking soda.
- An emollient, or carrier oil. This brings the moisturizing element to your scrub. Go for oil-based options like olive, jojoba, almond, argan, avocado, grapeseed, or coconut oil. Shea butter works great, too!
Once you choose your exfoliant and emollient, here’s how to put it all together:
- Place 1 cup of your chosen exfoliant into a bowl.
- Add in 1 tablespoon of your emollient (the carrier oil) and mix it with your exfoliant.
- Keep adding more tablespoons (and mixing each time) until you have a thick paste. It’ll usually take a few tablespoons to get the right consistency.
That’s it! You can use the body scrub right away or you can store it in a cool, dry spot in your bathroom.
Want to take your body scrub to the next level? Try these fun add-ons:
- To lock in moisture: Add in a few tablespoons of honey. (This works best if you choose shea butter as your emollient.)
- For an extra lift: Brew some coffee and use the cooled-off grounds as your exfoliant.
- For something super soothing: Pair an almond oil emollient with oats and a dash of honey.
The goal here is to pamper and nourish your skin – not scratch or damage it. So, remember that “less is more” and stick to scrubbing once a week.
Nourish Your Skin All Year Long
Making exfoliants and body scrubs is simple and super easy. Plus, there’s plenty of room for creativity and fun.
Try your hand at creating your own special DIY exfoliant and body scrub so you can keep your skin feeling fresh and luminous all year long!