5 Gentle Body Exfoliators for Sensitive Skin

You’ve probably heard about how important is to exfoliate your skin on a regular basis. Getting rid of the gunk always feels good, right? It absolutely does, but in this case, less is more, especially if you have sensitive skin. While it can be tempting to slough all the dead skin off with force, gentleness is key. Exfoliating too hard or too frequently irritates your skin even further. 

Benefits of Body Exfoliation

You might be wondering why we should exfoliate and why full body exfoliation is beneficial. With age and accumulated sun damage, the skin’s natural ability to shed dead surface cells slows down—sometimes stopping altogether. The result is a build up of dry, ashy-looking skin that can make your arms, elbows, legs—pretty much everywhere—look dull, uneven, and older than they really are.

How often should you use a body scrub? 

It’s best not to use a body scrub on your skin every day. Over exfoliating your skin can leave it dry, sensitive, and irritated.
It’s generally safe to exfoliate your skin two to three times a week. If your skin is dry and sensitive, you may want to exfoliate only once a week. If you have a skin condition, or if you’re unsure how often you should exfoliate your skin, talk to a dermatologist.
It’s usually easiest to apply a body scrub in the shower or bath. Gently massage the scrub into your skin in a circular motion and rinse it off thoroughly with warm water.

What do you need to make a DIY body scrub?

To make a DIY body scrub, keep the following items on hand:

• spoons for mixing
• mixing bowl
• measuring spoons or cups
• sealed container to store the scrub in

To help you ease into exfoliation, I’ve rounded up a few of my favourite gentle DIY exfoliators for sensitive skin:

1. Exfoliating Lemon Sugar Scrub

A homemade sugar scrub recipe that you can use on your hands, body & face for softer, glowing skin that's super moisturized. Even better, it won't clog pores and is completely non-toxic! Put it in a glass mason jar for a lovely homemade gift all year long.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of organic sugar
1/4-1/2 cup of grapeseed oil or jojoba oil
5-7 drops of 100% pure lemon essential oil

2. Green tea sugar scrub
Rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, green tea may benefit your skin in several ways.

Ingredients:
2 teabags green tea
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

3. Yoghurt Body Scrub For Glowing Skin
Yoghurt has excellent cleansing properties that help clean your skin by removing dead skin cells and impurities. It also helps moisturize your skin.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Yogurt
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tsp Honey
3 tbsp Granulated Sugar

4. Coconut Rose Sea Salt Scrub
It gives you a fresh glow, exfoliates your skin, facilitates blood circulation due to the abrasive nature of salt and induces relaxation.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Himalayan sea salt (you can use sea salt, Himalayan sea salt is just pink in colour)
1/2 cup of coconut oil (solidified but soft)
1/2 cup of dried crushed rose petals
5-6 drops of rose essential oil

5. Lavender Sugar Scrub
It has a calming and relaxing effect, improves mood and reduces stress.

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup of oil (almond, olive or coconut will work fine).  Please, note that you can adjust the amount of oil to your liking.
1/2 tsp of vitamin E oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
15 drops of lavender essential oil
lavender buds – optional

After you’ve used one of these DIY exfoliants, it’s crucial to moisturize. This prevents pollutants from clinging to your skin. I recommend choosing a lotion that’s formulated for sensitive skin. Check them out here.