How to Use Body Scrub: A Step-by-Step Guide

You might already know that exfoliating your face comes with a few massive benefits for your skin. A good face scrub can slough off dead skin cells, revitalize dull skin and reduce acne breakouts, to name just a few.

Why not extend these benefits to your entire body? Using a body scrub for guys can help control your chest and back acne, smooth out rough patches of skin and make you feel like a new man.

Besides, incorporating a body scrub into your skin care regimen is surprisingly easy to do. Here are three things you ought to know about using a body scrub for guys:

• You should only scrub your body once or twice a week to avoid irritating your skin.
• A body scrub can rejuvenate skin and leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed.
• Following up with a moisturizer will lock in hydration for smooth, supple skin.

Why Every Guy Needs a Body Scrub

If you aren’t yet convinced that you truly need a body scrub, let’s quickly examine the facts. First, guys generally have oilier skin compared to women, which can result in more acne breakouts due to an increased buildup of dead skin cells and oil.

Scientists believe that men tend to have oilier skin due to the greater number of androgens in the body—specifically, dihydrotestosterone (aka DHT, a metabolite of testosterone). According to a 2012 study published in Archives of Dermatological Research, scientists suggest that testosterone and DHT can activate sebaceous glands, triggering excess oil production (see claim:
“…DHT produced locally by type I 5α-reductase enhances sebum production.”)

Another reason why you need a body scrub: It keeps skin healthy and youthful. Removing a layer of dead skin cells will allow your skin care ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin for maximum benefits.

Step One: Take a Warm Shower

The first step to properly using your body scrub is to take a warm shower. Why does it need to be warm? Because the warm water opens up your pores and allows your body scrub to do what it does best: remove dead skin cells and dirt.

At the same, you don’t want the shower to be too hot or else it could dry out your skin. According to an early study published in Contact Dermatitis, water that is too hot (around 104 degrees F) can negatively affect the integrity of the skin, leading to dryness, redness and irritation (see claim: “…the penetration of irritants through the skin is significantly influenced by the temperature of the solution.”)

Before you step into the shower, test the temperature by using your elbow. The elbow is more sensitive to heat, making it an efficient method for testing water temperature.

Wait five minutes before exfoliating. This will give your pores enough time to open to help your skin achieve the maximum exfoliation benefits.

Step Two: Scrub in a Circular Motion

Squeeze some body scrub onto your hands and use a circular motion to rub the body scrub into your skin. Start at the top of your feet (be careful not to slip), working your way up to your torso and arms.

Be cautious when using a loofah. Although they are great tools, you don’t want to press too hard on the skin and risk irritating it.

After you’ve thoroughly scrubbed your body, rinse off the scrub and gently pat your body dry—don’t rub. Rubbing the skin after you’ve exfoliated can irritate it.

Also, keep in mind that using your body scrub on your face isn’t a good idea. Body scrubs are specifically designed to penetrate the skin on your body, which happens to differ significantly from the skin on your face. The skin on your face is much softer and requires a gentle scrub that promotes cell turnover without causing irritation or redness.

Step Three: Follow Up with a Moisturizer

Finally, remember to moisturize your entire body after exfoliation. If you also scrubbed your face with a men’s face scrub, be sure to moisturize with a daily facial moisturizer, not your regular lotion.

You can then moisturize the rest of your body with your favorite lotion. The reason why you want to do your face first is because many body lotions contain pore-clogging ingredients that you don’t want to accidentally rub into your face.

Final Tips

Using a body scrub is fairly straightforward. However, there are a few additional things you’ll want to keep in mind.

First, never exfoliate after being badly sunburned or injured. Not only will it hurt to exfoliate, it’s also important that you don’t hurt the skin’s healing process.

Second, the skin on your face is different from the skin on your body. So never use a body scrub on your face—doing so is unlikely to provide any benefits, and it could even unintentionally damage your facial skin.

Lastly, remember to test patch a part of your body when using any skin care product for the first time. If your skin isn’t overly irritated by the product, feel free to use it as directed.