November 26, 2017

Basics of the Scrubs

I should start by saying that I will do pretty much anything to get out of writing a blog post. Anything. Dishes, toilets, spider solitaire. It doesn’t matter. I can’t tell you how many times I have sat down with the intention of writing only to discover that it is urgent that the pantry be completely reorganized. Or whatever. That is, in case it wasn’t immediately clear, my apology.

It has been an interesting market season, to say the least. To be fair, both my market seasons have been interesting. I am always amazed at the number of people who have no idea what scrubbing is and what scrubs do. So maybe I should explain it here a little bit.

At their very basic, scrubs are a means of exfoliating your skin. You could literally take a handful of sugar and rub it on your skin and it would, technically, be a scrub. You are using an abrasive substance to remove the dead skin that will eventually turn scaly and rough looking before it will fall off on its own. By preemptively removing it, you can catch it before it reaches that point and maintain smooth looking and feeling skin. Does that make sense? Plus, you are removing the bacteria and other gunk you have accumulated on your skin as you have moved throughout your daily life. And believe me, it’s a lot of gunk. The world is a dirty place. Finally, you know that rosy glow we associate with being in love / healthy / youthful? Scrubbing can help to give you that by raising your circulation. High blood flow = flushed skin. But not that scary “Tom Coughlin coaching the New York Giants” red. A nice, subtle, healthy glow.

You don’t even have to scrub hard to get all of these benefits. No, seriously. I have had people who tell me that they scrub as hard as they can when they use exfoliants. Please don’t. Let the sugar or the salt do the work. That is what they are there for. Gentle scrubbing will still exfoliate while not inducing pain. If you are concerned that you aren’t getting enough exfoliation, go up a granule size. So, go from cane sugar to raw sugar, as an example. Just be gentle to your skin. It deserves it.

One last thing, and I get push back on this all the time – timing. Scrub once or twice a week. Maximum. Anything more can and will irritate your skin. This leads to pain. Again, No Pain is the desirable outcome. You want your skin to feel good when you scrub. If it feels good, you are going to keep doing it. Just be smart and listen to your skin. If you are like me and your skin’s sensitivity depends on the time of the month, cycle of the moon, frustration levels with those around me, scrub accordingly. Listen to what your skin is saying to you. This (simple) concept is worth repeating.

Get some rest and enjoy the lead up to the holiday season.

Carmin