Should your sugar scrub leave a oily feeling on your skin after use? I hope to answer this and more in the following blog.
The picture above is why I am asking this question. We recently bought a sugar scrub from a larger company. We have to cheat a little and see what the competition is making. Both my daughter and I were a little disappointed with the product we received. The oil had seperated and when we mixed it together we lost some of the oil. Is that a bad thing, yes and no. The yes is because we paid for certain amount of product and when we lost that oil we also lost money. The no, it didn't have as much oil and it was not a slick mess when we used it. I can imagine how oily my skin would have been if we didn't lose that oil.
So what do I feel a sugar scrub should be? After much trial and error my daughter came up with what we feel a great product. She used just enough oil to make the scrub stay together. When you use her scrub you will have a slight oily feeling on your skin but it is gone when you use a towel to dry. The great thing about her scrub is that you still get the cleaning properties and benefits of the oil just without an oil slick. If you have used other scrubs you may notice your tub gets a ring and may be slippery after use. Well we worked on that too. Her first scrubs were what I would call dangerous in the tub. I used them and had to grab onto whatever I could to not fall. Again trial and error and she found the perfect match. I no longer fear that I will "ice skating" in the shower after using her scrubs.
We bought other scrubs to compare what we make and see how it holds up against the competition. I won't go back over the oil slick but will focus on the ingredients. I really wanted to see what all these exotic oils and ingredients were all about. Come to find out they really don't do much but drive the cost up. I understand the sales and marketing side of using something like emu oil but there are other oils that do the same thing. If you would like to read about emu oil this is what I found. https://www.healthline.com/health/emu-oil
So why add things like emu oil or parts of bananas, etc, etc, etc? From what I reseachered, mostly markerting and its the next new fade. Am I saying the emu oil may not do a better job than castor oil, no, but the difference may not be worth the extra cost.
Lets talk about sugar type. There is a difference in what type of sugar you use in your scrubs. Sugar is a natural exfoliant. It helps remove dead skin cells which can clog pours, cause acne and black heads and other skin problems. So what is the difference with white and brown sugar in scrubs? Long story short, it is the chemical process that each goes through. Brown sugar is less processed. After reading and watching many videos and articles we decide white sugar was fine. Your skin doesn't absorb the sugar and it is used to remove dead skins cells. Very little if any of the sugar is left behind after you rinse. It is a personal choice and I don't have a real opinion on whether brown is better than white. I have used both and both worked well for me.
Sugar is a natural humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the environment into the skin. So when you apply products with sugar, they'll actually help hydrate your skin and keep moisture within. If you want more information on this I would do a duck duck go search. There is plenty of information out there.
Sugar verse salt salt scrubs. There are benefits to both but salt can be harse on your skin. Because sugar has smaller particles it is gentler than salt and they are more hydrating than salt scrubs. There is a difference in sugar too. Granulated sugar is larger and should be used for body scrubs where as brown sugar with a smaller particle size can be used for more sensitive skin and areas.
You only need to use a topical sugar scrub about twice per week. Sugar scrubs are great to use in the winter, as exfoliating the top layer of skin helps moisturizers penetrate more deeply.
How many ingredients are needed for a good sugar scrub? What we found is that you need three. An oil, sugar and essential oil. Thats it, no more no less. The one draw back to this is that in order to keep your scrub fresh you will need to use it within a month or put it the refrigerator, which will give you about six months. I am willing to use some refrigerator space to get a good product with the least amount ingredients.
Overall I have seen some good products and bad ones in recent months. I never thought I would be using so many different scrubs but it was worth it in the end to make a great product that both my daughter and I can stand behind and be proud of. I hope you learned something from this piece and if you are interested please check out Julzes Sugar Scrubs.