Last Updated on January 10, 2017 by Femniqe
Scrubs and masks are fun to use. They make us feel pampered and have the ability to provide a good laugh when used among friends.
But do they actually benefit the skin? Absolutely!
Let’s take a look at the specific benefits of scrubs and masks.
Benefits of Face Scrubs
The main job of facial scrubs is to remove dead skin cells. Dead cells make the skin appear dull and lackluster, removing these cells gives the skin a more vibrant, glowing appearance.
Besides brightening the skin, scrubs also smooth and soften.
Scrubs are even said to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Benefits of Face Masks
Masks cleanse, nourish, and rejuvenate the skin.
Face masks have many abilities, depending on the ingredients used. They could draw out impurities and oil, soothe and calm aggravated and inflamed skin, or hydrate dry or overtired skin.
But Why Make Instead of Buy?
Control over ingredients!
Controlling ingredients is the number one joy when making homemade skin care products of any variety.
When making your own beauty products, you have the ability to use ingredients that are safe for you and the environment. It also allows you to customize products to suit a particular skin type and personal preferences.
Save money In general, homemade skin care is much less expensive than store bought. Especially when comparing to the organic/natural products available.
Satisfaction and enjoyment Creating homemade body care is easy and fun. Plus, making something yourself (whether it be bread, home decor, or natural body care), brings a lot of satisfaction.
What’s Wrong with Commercial Scrubs and Masks?
Sadly, many have grown very distrusting of the commercial skin care industry over the years. Many products are marketed as natural, yet they are far from it.
One must become a label-sleuth to understand what is actually in products and even then, there is not always truth in labeling, so potentially harmful ingredients may not even be listed. It’s frustrating.
Learning about some commercial ingredients is down-right maddening. Potentially toxic, and having the ability to disrupt body systems, these ingredients should not be anywhere near our skin.
It is true that scrubs are washed off the skin after a short amount of time, so even though store-bought varieties may not contain optimal ingredients, the potential for harm is less than that of masks which stay on the face for close to 20 minutes, soaking in to the skin.
With that said, many scrubs leave a residue which is absorbed, so, we’re not comfortable using them if they contain undesirable ingredients.
Some of the most unpleasant ingredients in commercially made face masks and scrubs include:
- Propylparaben – Often used as preservatives in personal care products, parabens mimic hormones and can potentially disrupt the endocrine system and cause reproductive and developmental toxicity (more here)
- Retinyl Acetate – Linked to reproductive and developmental toxicity and cancer (check it out).
- Various alcohols (I believe these are too harsh for the delicate skin of the face) • Added fragrance – can be irritating to eyes, skin, and lungs • And many more. . .
And let’s not forget that even though a product claims to contain “organic ingredients,” this doesn’t mean it contains ALL organic ingredients or that it is free of other harmful substances, additives and preservatives.
Our skin is the largest organ of the body. What we put on it is absorbed and eventually ends up on the blood stream.
The more junk we put in our body, the harder it has to work to process and eliminate it. This takes our energy and vitality not to mention the possibility of other health issues cropping up.
If you would like to check out the safety of beauty and skin care products you use
(or are considering using), visit the Environmental Working Group Database. Thousands of products are listed and rated along with information about ingredients and possible concerns. Search the database here.
Now we can agree that there are many benefits to using scrubs and masks, and plenty of reasons to make them at home!