Body scrubs
Today's post I will be covering the benefits of using body scrubs and why I think the scrubs from my small business Jane & Juliet Organics are a great choice. Keep reading to learn more.
What is a body scrub?
A body scrub is a treatment used to exfoliate and cleanse the skin. Although it is more common to exfoliate the face, the body needs attention too. Exfoliating helps to unclog pores and get rid of dead skin. Regularly exfoliating (2-4 times per week) can help improve dark spots and age spots, dark elbows and knees, cellulite, acne and breakouts, and other skin related issues. It can also be a great therapy.
After using a body scrub your skin will feel very soft and smooth. It will look healthier and less dry. A natural high quality lotion will pair great after use.
Why use a scrub?
With so many products out on the market today it is common to overuse soaps, lotions, sunscreen, makeup etc. These products can be drying to the skin and they continue to pile up and potentially clog your pores, which can then lead to breakouts, blackheads, wrinkles, etc.
What's wrong with regular scrubs?
Conventional products carry so many added ingredients that are very unhealthy for your body. If you take a look at the ingredients of commercial scrubs out there you will find a long list of words that are hard to pronounce and understand. Down below I have the ingredients in a Bath and Body works scrub: Cherry Blossom as an example.
Sucrose, petrolatum, isopropyl palmitate, hydrated silica, fragrance, sunflower seed oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, safflower oil, apricot oil, castor seed oil, tocopheryl acetate, tocopherol, water, styrene/butadiene copolymer, PPG-26-buteth-26, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, ethylhexyl salicylate, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, BHT, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, alpha-isomethyl ionone, benzyl salicylate, coumarin, linalool, annatto, violet 2, red 17, yellow 11
That is a whopping 35 ingredients! There are only about 8 ingredients on there that are recognizable and they are not even at the top of the list (the amount of ingredients in the product are listed in descending order from greatest to least amount used). Let's look at a couple ingredients a little closer
It's great to see sucrose is at the top of the list, but it is followed by Petrolatum or petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly is used to lubricate heavy machinery, but it is commonly used in everyday beauty products especially baby creams! Petroleum jelly is made with hydrocarbons a ingredient used in gasoline, furniture polish, and other fuels. Not good at all.
According to a study published on a Women's Health journal there is strong evidence that hydrocarbons are the greatest contaminant found in the human body. During the study fat specimens were removed from 142 women who were undergoing a c section and breastmilk samples were also tested after delivery. The researchers found that this ingredient was present in both samples. They also found that according to age over time this stuff accumulates. Meaning hydrocarbon cannot be metabolized. It just keeps piling up. Scary stuff.
If you skip down the ingredient list you will see a bunch of words ending in paraben. They are preservatives which you might of already heard have been found in breast cancer tumors. Parabens mimic estrogen in the body which has been linked to reproductive issues, early onset of puberty, and low sperm count.
Phew! That was only a couple ingredients that might make you think twice about your skincare routine. I will get more into detail about toxic ingredients (in case that wasn't enough) found in everyday products on a future post. But why is it that beauty always has to come with a price? or pain? or... Cancer??
This is when my body scrubs come in (or any other natural/organic brand).
What's with Jane and Juliet Organics body scrubs?
Jane and Juliet Organics body scrubs are made with all organic ingredients. They are basically made with sugar, oil, and essential oils. I use high quality potent essential oils which can contain many natural medicinal properties. (Future post coming soon covering essential oils). The combination of ingredients, especially with essential oils, can help improve more specific skin issues. For example: lemon essential oil has shown to help with brightening or lighting the skin, and coffee's been shown to help blood circulation which helps improve cellulite.
My body scrubs do not contain any harmful preservatives or harsh chemicals. Vitamin E is added to my products to help preserve them a bit longer. Avoid adding water to the scrub container will also extend the shelf life. My products are handmade and made to order, so they are made fresh. That's the beauty of purchasing from a small business. There's no need to add synthetic ingredients to help preserve or make a product seem "perfect". My scrubs are not being made in bulk. They do not sit on a store shelf for days or weeks or months, after traveling from the factory to await being purchased.
So why not switch over to a beauty product that will benefit you in multiple ways. And if you normally don't use scrubs well Jane and Juliet Oragnics scrubs are the better place to start adding them to your bath and beauty routine..Because why wouldn't you want just a few straightforward honest ingredients that get the job done. Isn't that all we ever really wanted?
Check out my handmade products at JaneAndJulietOrganic@etsy
Thanks for reading
What did you think about this post? Did you find the information useful?
Let me know In the comments section below!
Xoxo Melissa
