Scrubs: sea salt vs. sugar

  When shopping for scrubs there are lots of options.  Sugar and salt tend to be the most commonly used exfoliating ingredients when it comes to all-natural scrubs.  We often get asked: "Why does scrub me™ choose sea salt as the exfoliator in the body scrubs?" and "What's the difference between products containing sugar and the ones containing sea salt?".  We have our reasons for choosing sea salts but that doesn't mean sugar doesn't have some positive benefits of its own.

scrub me secret: coffee is another common exfoliating ingredient.  it has great skin firming and anti-aging properties but leaves a bit of a mess and does not dissolve in water like sugar and salt.

  Unlike sugar, salt contains minerals like: iron, magnesium, potassium, and more.  These minerals can help oxygenate cells, healing wounds and strengthening skin.  Dead sea salt also has great detoxification benefits. This means it is great for drawing impurities like dirt and oil from the skin.  Overall, these minerals and detoxification benefits can help detox, heal, smooth, and firm skin.

Sugar doesn't contain minerals but it does have properties that help draw moisture to the skin, making it more hydrating than salt.  Plant sugars are known to brighten skin over time  because they contain alpha hydroxy acids that break down dead skin cells.

scrub me secret: many of us are magnesium deficient. magnesium deficiency can cause muscle soreness, weakness, nausea, dizziness, and more symptoms.  while you can absorb some magnesium through a sea salt exfoliation, it is more beneficial to take a sea salt soak at least once a week.

 

    Exfoliation also differs between sugar and salt.  Sugar is a very fine grain and is therefore more gentle on skin.  Salt comes in all different types of grain but they are all too rough for most facial skin.

scrub me secret: salt is usually never suggested for use as a facial scrub. however, a fine grain salt can be okay for exfoliating men's beard area or very resilient skin types.

A more abrasive scrub is good for the skin on our bodies because it is less delicate than our facial skin.  Make sure the salt or sugar granules do not have sharp or jagged edges as this can cause damage to the skin or small cuts.  The best way to avoid that is using a high quality, fine grain salt.

scrub me secret: because all our scrubs are made with dead sea salts, they are only intended for use on the body.  in 2016 we formulated our antioxidant powder mask for the face.  this is a powder blend of rich antioxidants that can also exfoliate when added to a cleanser, water, or nourishing serum.

 

We choose to stick with sea salt because we truly believe that the mineral and detoxification benefits are important for skin.  Even though dead sea salt does not have hydration benefits of its own, we formulate our scrubs with a small amount of sweet almond and coconut oil for nourishment.  Also, our wellness energy scrub has added antioxidant tea for dehydrated skin.  Follow up with one of our shea butters for extra moisture!  A deep exfoliation is really great for cell renewal, circulation, and dead cell removal. We think sea salt is the right ingredient for the job.  That doesn't mean we don't enjoy a good sugar scrub every now and again.  We just always seem to end up back at our old faithful, salt.  Happy scrubbing!