Exfoliation and Other Pleasures

There are basically two ways to exfoliate your skin. Scrubs or Chemical

• Scrubs with small particles, like sand, salt and ground up plant parts, to create friction that rubs off dead skin cells.
• Loofah and brushes work in the same way. Abrasives also increase blood flow to the skin.

Even if you don't care about stuff like exfoliation, I heartily recommend giving yourself a good scrub now and then.  Using a semi-stiff bristled brush on your skin every morning before I shower and it makes a huge difference in how awake you feel.

Chemical scrubs even hundred-dollar ones, generally depend on hydroxide acids, which work by dissolving the inter-cellular glue between bits of dead skin.  Hydroxy acids are present in many fruits, milk, sugar and other plants like birch.  They're seriously everywhere, it's pretty ridiculous that people pay so much money to get them in a jar.

• If you have sensitive skin, avoid really grainy scrubs
• Scrubs and brushes/loofahs work best on dry skin.
• If you're scrubbing your whole body, do your legs first, then your arms, then your torso.  Always rub towards your heart, and be gentle with the skin atop your vital organs

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The directions for use are the same for all the following: Just rub the scrub around on your skin for about 20 seconds, and rinse well.  most can be used for face and body' the exception, would be very coarse, salt based scrubs, which you should keep to below the neck.

FOR OILY SKIN:

• Baking soda, a crushed aspirin, and enough water to make a paste.
• Handful of sea salt and 1 Tablespoon ground sage, moistened with birch or lavender infusion.
• Sugar moistened with lemon juice.
• Equal parts milk powder and honey, plus a little lemon juice and cornmeal.
• Sea Salt with 2 drops tea tree oil.

FOR NORMAL SKIN:

• Equal parts ground oatmeal and plain yogurt. 
• A handful of cornmeal moistened with honey.
• A slushee of sugar and almond oil or aloe vera gel
• Ground dried adzuki beans and a pinch of dried calendula petals, and a little water.
• Rice flour, a tiny bit of liquid soap and water.
• One or two ground aspirins and a dab of honey
• Brown sugar, a pinch of ground rose petals and a wee bit of apple cider vinegar.
• Sea Salt, zest from one lemon, and almond oil.

FOR DRY SKIN:

• Equal parts of honey and finely ground almonds.
• Sea salt and a few drops essential oils enough olive oil to make a thick slush.
• 1/2 avocado with enough oat flour to make a paste
• Ground flax seeds and a little rose water.
• 2 tables ground oats and almonds and 1 tablespoon rose water and 1 tablespoon heavy cream.
• Equial parts plain yogurt and ground almonds
• A little play yogurt mixed with the contents of 1 bag of green tea (about 1 tablespoon).