Exfoliating with a high-quality scrub is one of the most refreshing ways you can pamper your skin. It leaves your skin feeling clean and smooth by getting rid of all those nasty flakes, especially when it has been on the more dehydrated side. A scrub makes your complexion feel as though it has a clean slate.
But there’s a misconception that using sea salt scrubs is only for those with dry skin. On the contrary, anyone can benefit from using a scrub regularly. Even those with extremely oily skin will find physical scrubs very useful.
Whether it’s to minimize the look of enlarged pores or bring the feeling of firmness back to the skin, Venofye believes that exfoliation is an important part of any skincare routine. Here are eight things you need to remember when using a scrub of your own, and why the Venofye Salt Scrub could very well be the best option for you!
The Benefits of Using a Salt Scrub
If you think that any grainy physical scrub can do the trick when it comes to exfoliating your skin, think again. Some types of exfoliators are friendlier to your skin than others.
Loofahs are prone to becoming a breeding ground for bacteria, while large-particle scrubs (like those made of walnut shells) can be too rough and abrasive. That’s why many skincare experts recommend going instead for water-soluble scrubs.
One of the most popular forms of safe, fine, water-soluble scrubs is the classic salt scrub. Our all-time fave is the Venofye Salt Scrub, which is formulated with minimal ingredients to make sure you only get what you need to exfoliate dry, flaky skin and leave your skin feeling baby-smooth.
The main purpose of a salt scrub is to shed dead skin cells that are making your skin look dull, uneven, and patchy. Regularly getting rid of dead skin also promotes faster skin cell turnover, revealing a fresher, clearer, brighter appearance waiting underneath.
Massaging a salt scrub into your skin boosts blood flow and circulation too, giving your skin a healthy-looking flush. It also eases and soothes the feeling of tension in your muscles when used all over the body, helping you relax more.
Now, on to some tips…
1) Don’t Be Too Rough When Exfoliating
Always be very gentle when dealing with a salt scrub. It takes just a little bit of unnecessary pressure to spell disaster for your skin, especially on your face, where your skin is very delicate. It’s prone to tearing and having small lesions if there’s too much tugging and roughness with a salt scrub.
It’s important to remember that while a salt scrub’s particles are very fine, they can still do damage if you’re careless about how hard you’re rubbing it into your skin. When you’re excessively abrasive with your salt scrub, you can create micro-tears in your skin.
Micro-tears are tiny wounds on the top layer of your skin. Creating these tears damages your skin barrier, making your complexion more susceptible to damage from free radicals, pollution, and the skin. This can, in turn, speed up aging and cause age spots and wrinkles way faster than you expect.
Rubbing your skin too hard can also make it tender and red — a tell-tale sign that you’ve broken your skin barrier. If this happens, soothe the feel of your skin immediately with some moisturizer.
Instead, be gentle with how you massage your salt scrub into your skin. If you do it properly, you can thoroughly cleanse your skin while boosting blood circulation, both of which give you a radiant, glowy appearance.
2) Use it From Head to Toe, Not Just on Your Face
Your face isn’t the only place where dead skin turns up — it happens all over your body too. So don’t neglect the other areas of your skin.
You should especially focus your Venofye Salt Scrub on areas of your skin where there are folds, like behind your knees and elbows. You might also enjoy the exfoliation on your neck, legs, and feet.
A salt scrub can give your skin such a rejuvenating feeling, and it’s never a bad thing to feel extra clean when you exfoliate from head to toe. When giving yourself a full-body scrub session, it’s best to do so in the shower so as not to create a mess. Once you’re done, layer on some of the Venofye Body Cream for skin that feels ultra-soft.
3) Get Creative By Mixing Your Salt Scrub with Other Ingredients
If you have extremely dry skin and want a little extra care, you can incorporate some of your favorite natural oils into your salt scrub. Just combine your salt scrub with a small amount of coconut, avocado, rosehip oil, or any other natural oil your skin loves.
This technique is excellent when you’re scrubbing large areas of skin, like your legs and arms. It gives your scrub that extra slip to make it less abrasive.
Try not to do this on your face, though. Heavy, comedogenic oils can cause breakouts, so it’s best to avoid doing this if you have sensitive, acne-prone skin.
4) Use it Only Once or Twice a Week
Even if it’s super tempting to exfoliate your skin every day, you have to be careful about how often you use your Venofye Salt Scrub. In some situations, you may have to use it more frequently, but as a general rule of thumb, only scrub your skin up to two times a week.
Exfoliating too often tends to dry out your skin, which is counterproductive if you’re scrubbing your face to get rid of all those nasty flakes of skin. If your face feels tight, like you can’t move your face muscles anymore, it’s a sign that you’ve gone too far and your skin is dehydrated from over-exfoliation.
If you have naturally oily, congested skin, you might feel the need to exfoliate more often. But that’s not always a great idea. The more you dry out your skin, the more it will overcompensate by producing more sebum, which can potentially lead to more breakouts.
You also run the risk of hastening the development of wrinkles and fine lines on your skin if you exfoliate too often. Over-exfoliating can irritate your skin, leading to inflammation and consequently, faster skin aging.
However, expect to exfoliate with your scrub more often during the summer. When you’re extra sweaty and oily, it’s easier for your pores to feel clogged. So the Venofye Salt Scrub will likely be your BFF in the summer months.
5) Skip the Scrub When Your Skin Feels Irritated or Sensitive
While it’s true that exfoliating is beneficial for everyone, there are a few skin types and conditions that might be better off skipping a week or two of physical scrubs.
For example, if you’re experiencing bad flare-ups because of eczema or psoriasis, you should avoid rubbing salt into your wounds — literally! Using a grainy scrub can lead to more inflammation of the skin.
The same goes for other temporary skin conditions that can make your complexion more sensitive than usual. This includes active acne and sunburn.
You might also want to skip exfoliating with your salt scrub if you’re planning on using actives like retinol and benzoyl peroxide in your routine. These ingredients make your skin more susceptible to peeling and flaking, and you don’t want to stress your skin out even more by exfoliating on top of all that.
6) Revitalize the Look of Your Skin with Moisturizer and Lotion After
Because exfoliating with a salt scrub tends to dry out the skin, it’s important to always follow up with moisturizing products. That means using a moisturizer for your face and a hydrating lotion or body oil for the rest of your body.
Moisturizing your skin after exfoliating it soothes the feel of your skin. This is especially useful if your delicate skin feels a bit tingly after you exfoliate. We recommend the Venofye Body Butter for your body and the Beehive Silk Cream for your face.
But there’s another incentive to following up your Venofye Salt Scrub sesh with the best serums, lotions, and night creams you have in your skincare arsenal. Check out the next item on this list to see it.
7) It Helps the Rest of Your Skincare Products Penetrate Deeper
Another reason why you should make it a point to moisturize right away after exfoliating is that your products will penetrate the deeper layers of your skin after the dead skin has been shed and washed away.
When dead cells clog your skin, they create a barrier between your complexion and your products. So before exfoliating, there’s a chance that you don’t really reap all the benefits of your expensive serums and creams.
But when you exfoliate and decongest your pores, you free them of the dead skin and dry flakes blocking the way. This allows your skincare products to go deeper into your skin, working harder to moisturize it.
8) Exfoliating Prevents Ingrown Hairs and Razor Burn When Shaving
When dead skin clogs your pores, it can trap hair trying to grow out of your follicles. This forces your little hairs to grow inwards, thus creating ingrown hairs. Shaving becomes a lot harder then, since you’ll try to avoid the painful little bumps the ingrown hairs create.
Because of all that, it would be a wise idea to exfoliate with the Venofye Salt Scrub before you start shaving your skin, be it for your facial hair or your more intimate areas.
Just be extra careful when scrubbing your skin. You don’t want to be rough or cause any micro-tears. Remember, you’ll be following up with a shave, which is another process that can cause a few cuts and lesions.
Should I Exfoliate Before or After Cleansing?
Exfoliating should be one of the first steps of your skincare routine. But whether it goes before or after your cleansing step is entirely up to you. Each one has its advantages, so you can incorporate it into your cleansing routine the way you’re most comfortable with.
If you cleanse your skin with a facial wash before exfoliating, you’re getting rid of the top layer of sweat, oil, and makeup first. That means that when your Venofye Salt Scrub hits your skin, it can give you a deeper exfoliation, getting rid only of the stubborn bits and flakes congesting your skin.
But exfoliating before cleansing is great too. If you use a scrub first and then cleanse with a facial wash, you can get rid of the residue left behind from your scrub, making your skin feel squeaky clean. It also helps wash away the dead skin your scrub has shed in the previous step, ensuring your skin looks smooth.
If you don’t yet have a go-to cleaner, try Venofye’s Queen Bee Cleansing Duo – it pairs perfectly with the Venofye Salt Scrub!
How to Use a Salt Scrub
Using the Venofye Salt Scrub is pretty self-explanatory. First, rinse your skin with warm water to help relax the feel of your pores a bit. Then, scoop up a tiny bit of the salt scrub into your fingers and gently work it into the skin, massaging it in circular motions.
Scrub each area of the skin for about 30 seconds—no more and no less. Rinse your skin with lukewarm to cool water afterward. And voila! Skin that looks clean, smooth, and refreshed, all thanks to your trusty salt scrub.
Conclusion
The Venofye Salt Scrub has many skin benefits, from diminishing the look of congested pores to exfoliating dead skin. But while it works great on its own, you have to keep a lot of things in mind so that you can make the most out of it.
Remember to be careful with handling your skin when you use the salt scrub and to follow up with moisturizing products. Don’t forget to make your exfoliating scrub an integral part of your shaving routine, too!
Carve out some space in your beauty regimen for a high-quality physical exfoliant like the Venofye Salt Scrub, and you’ll always have a clean, glowy, rejuvenated appearance from head to toe.
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