5 Ways You Can Exfoliate Your Skin For A Smooth Texture

Our grandmothers still don’t know how and what sunscreen does, but we never step out of the house without an SPF 50, right ladies? That’s how much skincare has changed over the decades. Women back then applied ubtan to get smooth, tan-free skin and now we have all these fancy scrubs available to choose from. We have started using various natural ingredients such as coffee, green tea and even walnuts in the scrubs that are available in the market. Women also use chemical scrubs for the face. But one thing that has remained the same is the need to learn how to exfoliate skin.

5 Benefits Of Exfoliation

1. Scrubs exfoliate the skin and help shed dead skin cells, revealing smooth and glowing skin.
2. Exfoliating helps remove the dead skin cells and other remaining impurities. It also helps keep your complexion blemish-free and your skin looking healthy.
3. It helps peel off the dead skin, remove dullness from your skin, bringing your healthy glow back.
4. Regular exfoliation helps stimulate collagen synthesis to improve the skin’s texture, integrity, and keep the skin looking plump, tight, and young.
5. It helps other skincare products like serums and moisturisers penetrate deeper.

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Dos & Don’ts Of Exfoliation

1. If you don’t know how to exfoliate skin before exfoliating, always cleanse and dry your skin.
2. Daily makeup wearers should exfoliate at night to help remove leftover residue.
3. If you have dry and sensitive skin, you should exfoliate once or twice a week.
4. If you have oily skin, you can exfoliate two or three times a week if your skin allows it
5. Exfoliation can have a drying effect, so it’s important to apply a moisturiser afterwards.
6. Do not over-exfoliate, it leads to redness, irritation, breakouts and dry, flaky skin.
7. Do not exfoliate if it causes irritation.

Body Scrubs 101: Find here 25 DIY skincare recipes for head to toe exfoliation.

5 Exfoliating Scrubs For Your Body From Head To Toe

1.  Revitalising Tea Tree Mint Foot Scrub

When it comes to how to exfoliate skin this foot scrub makes it really energising and refreshing. The tea tree is known for all its great properties. The tea tree and the peppermint give the right solution for tired and aching feet. Tea tree oil is known for its various properties such as antibacterial, antiseptic, balsamic and fungicide. Peppermint oil when applied to the skin causes surface warmth which helps to soothe the pain.

You Will Need:

• 1 handful of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil 
• 2-3 drops of tea tree oil
• 2-3 drops of peppermint oil

Method:

1. Put the sea salt in a glass bowl.
2. Add the olive oil, tea tree oil and peppermint oil. Stir it well.
3. Scrub the mixture on your feet.
4. Leave the scrub on your feet for 10 minutes.
5. Rinse and pat dry your feet.
6. Apply moisturiser to avoid cracking.

Note: If you already have cracks, this scrub may cause a little tingly feeling on your feet. It is completely normal and only means that the tea tree oil and salt are working.

Say hi to soft feet with 10 homemade foot scrubs here.

2. Sugar & Honey Lip Scrub

This homemade sugar lip scrub is by far the best to obtain soft lips. You can add 2 drops of lavender essential oil to take care of any sunburns as well. 

You Will Need:

• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of sugar (you can also use brown sugar)
• 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil

Method:

1. Mix the sugar with raw honey well. 
2. Next, add those few drops of lavender oil to the mix. 
3. Once it’s completely blended in, apply the lip scrubs to your lips and rub it well in circular motions for two to three minutes. 
4. Apply some lip balm after washing off with lukewarm water. 

Who doesn’t want soft lips! But for that, you need to know what you apply to your lips. Find here super easy DIY lip balms, scrubs and products.

3. Aloe Vera Nail Scrub

Aloe vera is a good source of hydration and is an effective answer on how to make nails stronger. For shiny and clean nails use this scrub once a week.

Nail Care 101: Find here desi nuskhe, tips, tricks for longer, stronger nails.

You Will Need:

• Aloe vera leaf

Method:

1. Simply, cut a small piece of the aloe vera leaf and apply the gel onto your nails and massage them into your cuticles. 
2. After rinsing, apply lotion to keep your nails supple.

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4. Orange Peels Scrub To Tackle Tanning & Hyperpigmentation

The skin around the underarms, knees and elbows is stretched a lot and is sensitive. Thus it is prone to hyperpigmentation. Orange peels are popularly used to brighten these areas as they are rich in skin brightening and exfoliating properties. 

You Will Need:

• 1 cup of sun-dried orange peels or orange peel powder
• 2 tablespoons rosewater (gulab jal)
• 2 tablespoons milk

Method:

1. Grind the dried orange peels into a coarse powder.
2. Mix the peel powder with some rose water and milk to form a thick paste. 
3. Gently scrub the desired area with the paste and leave it to dry for 15-20 minutes.
4. Wash it off thoroughly and pat dry. 

5. Chocolate Face Scrub

This homemade face scrub for oily skin is very simple and delicious. A chocolate homemade face scrub for oily skin is perfect. Chocolate is high in antioxidants and has anti-ageing properties. It also increases the production of collagen, hydrates skin and imparts a glow to the face making it silky soft.

You Will Need:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  
2. Lather generously onto a clean face, rubbing gently into the skin for 60 seconds.
3. Allow it to set on the skin for 10 minutes, if desired, then rinse clean with warm water.

Coffee can be the perfect partner in achieving your desired hair and skin. Take a look here and find ways to use coffee for hair and skin care.

Key Takeaways

1. Any scrub is very easy to make and readily available but that doesn’t mean you should scrub daily. Don’t over-exfoliate and make sure you use a scrub only twice or thrice a week.
2. Don’t start scrubbing unclean body parts. If you’re wearing makeup, make sure to remove it first and clean it before using any homemade scrub. 
3. Air conditioning can dry your skin so it’s better to keep a humidifier in your room to make sure your skin remains moist.
4. If you’re exfoliating your lips in the morning, make sure to wear a lip balm that has SPF in it. On the other hand, if you’re exfoliating before bed remember to use a hydrating lip balm. 

Scrubs can be great when mild, and corrosive when they have ingredients that cause micro-tears in the skin. This can happen when you don’t know how to exfoliate skin. That’s why we rely on DIY homemade scrubs that are suitable for sensitive skin and err on the side of caution. Try these recipes and let us know your experience in the comments!