When showering or taking a bath, we often use different body soaps or shower gels on our skin. With dry skin, it can be easy to use the wrong ones that make your skin feel scaly and cracked. Yet, the question remains—are we using the best products to maintain the health of our skin?
Different ingredients in body scrubs can either help or harm the skin. The rule of thumb is you want to avoid anything that can cause abrasions or negative reactions in the skin. Bubbly Belle makes some amazing scrubs that can help with dry skin. Below we will discuss the different benefits of the Coffee Scrub, Coconut Coffee Scrub, Disco Scrub, and Destress Scrub (available here) on dry skin, and the ingredients that benefit you.
Coffee Scrub
The Coffee Scrub has multiple benefits despite the main ingredient being simply coffee. The reason is that the coffee itself contains antioxidant characteristics as well as firming characteristics. The coffee scrub can serve as an exfoliant, for example, in order to rid yourself of dead skin and to help aid with ingrown hair removal. Aside from this, the coffee contains antimicrobial properties that can help keep germs at bay.
Aside from this, caffeic acid is a known antioxidant. This antioxidant can keep your cells from aging prematurely and aid in increasing collagen levels. This can keep your skin looking more firm, young, and healthy. Because of the firming property, the increased collagen can help maintain moisture in the skin around the legs and arms, helping combat dry skin.
Coconut Coffee Scrub
The Coconut Coffee Scrub contains the same benefit as the regular coffee scrub in terms of caffeic acid and skin firming as well as being antimicrobial. Just like the coffee scrub, it also benefits the skin by removing dead skin cells and helping with ingrown hairs. The main difference between this one and the regular coffee scrub, though, is the coconut oil.
Coconut oil has many uses, such as anti-inflammatory benefits. This oil can help lessen the inflammation and redness of the skin with different problems such as psoriasis. It can help reduce redness and swelling of the skin, allowing you to relax rather than constantly scratch and worry.
Despite being anti-inflammatory, it is better known for providing moisture to the skin. Moisturizing the skin is one part of maintaining healthy skin, especially since well hydrated and moisturized skin helps to maintain the skin barrier, keeping bacteria and microbes out of your body, as well as promoting faster healing.
Providing this moisture helps with your dry skin, but also helps the skin barrier receive the needed softness and moisture it needs for its day-to-day activities.
This scrub, because of the coconut oil and olive oil it contains, can also help with acne. Both these oils have the ability to keep out or rid the skin of bacteria known to cause acne. Thus, it is helpful in keeping the skin acne-free, and clean. It can also be used after back waxing to help avoid irritation.
Disco Scrub
The predominant scent in the Disco Scrub is lavender, which we know through previous discussions is well recommended for both skincare and relaxation. In terms of skincare, the lavender oil in this scrub is essential in not only removing toxins but also in helping the skin heal and remain refreshed.
Like coconut oil, lavender oil also contains properties that help with acne. Lavender oil not only helps by reducing the inflammation and redness of the acne but, like coconut oil, it helps to remove bacterias from the skin. It also helps to combat dry skin and lock in moisture, thus being one of the main reasons the Disco Scrub would be beneficial as a form of skincare for dry skin.
Lavender oil is also said to help with different dry skin conditions, such as eczema, by helping with its antifungal characteristics. Lavender oil can also help reduce irritation of dry skin and other conditions.
Aside from having lavender oil, though, it also contains jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is a moisturizer because of the property it contains which allows it to attract water, especially when placed on the skin. This way, it locks in moisture and maintains a hydrated skin barrier. This keeps it from drying out constantly and drastically.
Jojoba oil also contains a greater positive aspect in terms of moisture: it is similar to body-produced sebum, meaning your pores will not become clogged and overly filled with oil. Rather, your body will treat it like naturally produced oils. This keeps acne from happening as often, unlike when using other oils.
This lack of acne is because the oil is treated like naturally produced sebum, meaning your body will realize it does not need to produce more and will refrain from excreting more sebum.
So aside from helping lock in moisture and increasing the effects of lavender oil, it also keeps the body from overproducing oils, meaning the addition of this oil will not cause a breakout. Both these oils make it an essential product for dry skin.
Destress Scrub
The Destress Scrub has similar ingredients to that of the Disco Scrub. Because it has both lavender oil and jojoba oil, it contains all of those same benefits, including the moisturization of dry skin and the reduction of breakouts when over-applying oils. One of the added benefits of both, of course, is that lavender oil is also known to help relax as well as to help with pain and inflammation.
That being said, there are more aspects of this scrub that make it perfect for dry skin. This scrub contains grapeseed oil, which like the other oils, serves as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. What sets it apart the most is the high amount of omega fatty acids and vitamin E.
These two are essential in maintaining healthy, moisturized skin and avoiding dryness in the skin. A research study was actually used to show that these two properties of grapeseed oil were able to increase moisture and softness of the skin.
Aside from this, there is an added bonus when using this scrub for dry skin. If you struggle from hyperpigmentation as well, which is when different parts of your skin darken but not others (such as in armpits, behind the neck, or behind the knees), you can benefit from the proanthocyanidin in the grapeseed oil. Regular application can help even out the skin tone without lightening your actual skin tone.
For these reasons, along with grapeseed oil’s ability to keep the skin from absorbing a great amount of the sun’s UV rays, it can be extremely helpful with dry skin, or even just for overall skin health.
Which Scrub Should You Use?
Choosing which of these is best for you is dependent on the effects you want from the products. If you simply want help with dry skin, you may want to use the Disco Scrub, but if you want help with dry skin and want firming properties, either of the coffee scrubs could work for you. If you have hyperpigmentation and dry skin, you may want to use the Destress Scrub.
While choosing, keep in mind that exfoliants and scrubs should only be used twice a week in order to avoid abrasions and excess oil production on the skin. This allows you to be moisturized, clean, and ready to go week long.
Scrubs Can Help With Skin Problems: Dry Skin and More
Though scrubs are often just thought of as exfoliants and body cleansers, they have a variety of benefits, especially for dry skin and related conditions. As described above, you can use them for eczema, psoriasis, hyperpigmentation, and more.
These different scrubs can not only place needed oils and softness into your skin but can also help repair the skin barrier, to help maintain moisture in the skin for longer periods of time, making it healthier and increasing the ability for it to push away bacteria and microbes.
These scrubs are not just essential for those with dry skin, but also for people with unhealthy skin, different skin conditions, or for regular skincare as well. Though it is always best to know what you are allergic to and test any products for potential allergies. So remember to stay safe when trying out scrubs and make sure to take care of your skin!
Sources:
Coffee for skin and hair: 8 benefits and how to use it | Medical News Today
Is Coconut Oil Good for Your Skin? | Healthline
Lavender Oil for Skin: Uses and Benefits | Healthline
Jojoba Oil for Face: 13 Benefits for Acne, Wrinkles, and More | Healthline