We are always told not to eat too much sugar, but did you know that sugar is actually good for your skin? If you haven't noticed, all of our scrubs are made from sugar, and occasionally we are asked why don't we make a salt scrub.
Salt is typically a larger and sharper granule than sugar and usually does not melt as quickly. Because of this, salt is a very hard scrub and can cause microscopic tears in the skin, especially very delicate skin. I always recommend saving salt for very calloused areas that do need a good hard scrub like the feet, certainly not the face. Salt can also sting if there are any areas of broken skin. There are certainly plenty of nonabrasive scrubbing particles out there, think jojoba beads, but if it's too soft a scrub, it's hardly worth the trouble. So where's the sweet spot asks the April, 2015 edition of Oprah magazine. "I think sugar grains are ideal," says Miami dermatologist Leslie Baumann, MD. Just don't overdo any physical exfoliant: you risk going from dull skin to irritated skin. Sugar is usually a smaller and less-sharp crystal than salt it is not as abrasive. It also melts quickly when it comes in contact with water, so it does not allow you to scrub for very long.
Sugar has other wonderful benefits for the skin. It is a natural source of glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that penetrates the skin and breaks down the "glue" that bonds skin cells, encouraging cell turnover and generating fresher, younger-looking skin. Glycolic acid is typically used to treat sun-damaged and aging skin. I always recommend when using a sugar scrub, to very gently scrub until the sugar melts, but then, after the sugar is melted, continue to massage the sugar and oils into the skin. It is the magical blend of these oils with the sugar that is so good for the skin. It is this blend that helps to gently and naturally exfoliate the dead skin cells and reveal the new skin underneath. The benefits of sugar for the skin go even further. Sugar is an amazing natural humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the environment into the skin. So when you apply products with sugar or sugar derivatives, they'll actually help hydrate your skin and keep moisture within. Because of sugar's natural humectants properties, sugar scrubs are more hydrating than salt scrubs, which can strip skin of natural oils.
All this being said, I do love salt scrubs and Sans will be coming out with a salt scrub in the very near future, but we will definitely be saving the salt scrubs for the feet!
