As anyone who has ever been to a spa knows, there are some lovely benefits of a brown sugar scrub. While a spa treatment might be pricey, whipping up a sugar scrub to use on a regular basis at home is dirt-cheap - but you'll look like you spent plenty!
Benefits of a Brown Sugar Scrub
Skin that is regularly exfoliated is healthier skin, both in appearance and function. Cleansed of dead skin, the largest organ can circulate more efficiently, breathing in good nourishment and expelling toxins. It also glows, is more uniform in appearance with tighter pores, and is soft to the touch.
Exfoliating with a sugar scrub doesn't relax the muscles, the way salt does, but it relaxes the mind with its delicious smell. Sugar is also full of glycolic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid that is crucial for maintaining healthy skin and is usually a key ingredient in pricey products. The natural glycolic acid in sugar not only helps condition and moisturize skin, but protect it from toxins.
Far from clogging the skin, sugar works well to cleanse completely, so it can reduce any current body acne you may have and also help prevent further breakouts. Sugar moisturizes on its own, but as most sugar scrub recipes require oil or honey to help form a paste, it provides even further moisture and allows your skin to achieve more of its natural balance.
So what's the difference with using brown sugar as opposed to white? Brown sugar is gentler, making it ideal for super-sensitive skin. The benefits of a brown sugar scrub extend not just to the body, but also the scalp. Many women with highly sensitive, dandruff-prone scalps find that a brown sugar scrub prior to washing or treating results in healthier, happier hair.
And one big benefit of a brown sugar scrub - it smells wonderful. It has a very deep, rich smell that can allow you to completely relax and pamper yourself.
Creating a Spa Experience at Home
There's no point in lathering your body in this kind of loving attention without going a bit further and being wholly generous to yourself. Of course, you can do a quick scrub in your morning shower just to wake up the body and get your skin moving, but once a week or so, you should treat yourself to a home spa.
Brown sugar, when warm and slathered over the skin, has a strong, soothing aroma that encourages bliss and relaxation. You can use any of a number of recipes to create your scrub and enhance this sensation. Try mixing the sugar with coconut oil, a little honey and a few drops of vanilla. Light some candles in the bathroom and turn on some low music. Already, you've got the feel of a spa. While it would be more truly luxurious experience to have someone else do the work of scrubbing, if you do it right, you'll enjoy the solitude even more.
Scrub for Health and Beauty
In a spa setting, you want to scrub slowly, beginning at the feet, and work your way to your neck and even your scalp. Use circular motions, going clockwise for a few counts, then counter-clockwise. This will achieve the most complete exfoliation and allow your skin thorough circulation.
When you're covered in sugar, lie back for a bit and enjoy what should be a lightly tingling sensation, along with the great smell. Rinse off gently with warm water. As tempting as it may be, try to resist adding any more moisturizer after rinsing. Simply allow your skin to balance itself and breathe. Performed regularly, a sugar scrub will keep your entire body looking and feeling its best.
