My Quest for the Best Scrubs for Women
Confession: I’m a total face scrub addict! Exfoliating away all those dead, dulling skin cells leaves me with the clearest, glowiest complexion. However, not all scrubs are created equal as I’ve learned the hard way from irritation, redness and even breakouts using the wrong formulas.
Through extensive trial and error, I’ve honed in on must-have characteristics that set the best scrubs for women apart. Ideal face scrubs feature spherical jojoba beads rounding edges of skin cells without trauma from sharp particles. Soothing chamomile, green tea and aloe prevent inflammation too. Those with hydrating ceramides, plant oils and hyaluronic acid never leave my face dry or stripped. And added antioxidants like vitamin C give radiance while combating pollution and UV damage from scrubbing.
I now save myself time, money, and skin damage by identifying these core elements that define the best face scrubs for women. My aesthetician swears by them as well for gentle, effective exfoliation without disturbing the skin’s protective moisture barrier. Face scrub time equals self care aiming for both outer and inner glow!
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Face scrub commercials really sell it. We've all seen the footage: A woman lathers up with a scrub, splashes her face with water (without it going everywhere, the lie of our time), and smiles at her fresh, clean skin in the mirror. The reality is, of course, much more nuanced—and given that exfoliation is the key to glowy skin, it's worth it to get into the nitty-gritty before grabbing a random bottle off the shelf.
Physical scrubs with a sandy, powder base are a good place to start for sensitive skin, since the fine grit lets you decide how intense it gets. The more water you mix in, the gentler they get, and they don't have acids (if those make your skin freak out). But if you're dealing with a breakout more often than not, look for exfoliating acids over scrubs. Beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) work by dissolving dead skin cells and zit-causing oil without manual scrubbing. And if you have dry skin, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) will help you glow without the heavy lifting. Lastly, for combination skin, derms often recommend a physical-chemical hybrid. The sandy texture removes dead skin cells with friction, while acids and enzymes get rid of oil without bothering your dry spots.
It often takes a lot of trial and error to find which kind of exfoliant works best for your skin, so we turned it over to our staff and narrowed down the options to ones with proven results. Read on for the best face scrubs AuliLifestyle editors swear by.
Paula’s Choice The UnScrub Cleansing Gentle Face Scrub
I'm obsessed with the jojoba beads in this product that can slough away a day’s worth of full coverage makeup and leave behind gleaming skin. Face scrubs have a bad rep and usually frighten people like me (who have eczema and desert-dry skin). This product is gentle and gave me baby-smooth skin I had never experienced before.
Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator
I got this as a sample at Sephora years ago and never looked back. It's my go-to whenever I fall asleep in my makeup and need to fix my face, which usually ends up being around once a week. I rub it on in circles very gently—just barely with my fingertips—so it isn't too abrasive. Paired with that technique, it's one of the few scrubs that doesn't make me red and really improves the texture of my skin.
Tatcha The Rice Polish: Classic
The best changes I’ve made to my beauty routines have all involved adding a pretreatment, like putting on Tatcha’s silky primer before my foundation or spritzing on Amika’s heat-protectant spray before curling my hair. Tatcha’s Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder is yet another first first step that’s made a huge difference in my skin-care routine. I pour a quarter-size pile of the powder in the palm of my hand, then sprinkle on warm water to create a foam. I smother it on for about a minute, followed by a rinse with warm water and my face wash (It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cleanser). Since I added it to my routine, my skin has been softer with less redness.
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When I was a little child, there was a particular library book I checked out week after week, endlessly renewing it as much as I was able. The book, How to Raise and Keep a Dragon by John Topsell was a quasi-nonfiction guide to, as you guessed, rearing different species of dragons. I loved it. Tiny-me had plans.
As an adult, I tried to buy it a few times. No dice. The book was so old that no mainstream bookseller stocked it. Even when I tried niche websites recommended by various booksellers and librarians, I still couldn't find it. It was sadly lost to time, apparently not popular enough to make it into the archives.
But.
My best friend had a copy of that book. We're going to call her G, for several reasons not relevant at the moment. I was discussing my search with G one day, for some reason I can't remember now. She got a funny look on her face, asked me a few questions about the cover, listened to me do a very poor job of explaining with my hands how the hardcover copy had included a real gemstone in the dragon's forehead, and then went off to fish it out of her bookcase.
I was Gobsmacked.
I should not have been, given that the history of shared childhood books between us both would have made a circle with ragged edges, more so than a venn diagram, but I digress. The book came home to live in my house for a few months, and I was delighted by the chance to read it again.
Do people remember those type of books? Dragonology, Egyptology, The Stone Age - a way of introducing children to non fiction. They very earnestly spoke about the responsibilities needed to raise dragons, the practicalities involved. There was a record of registration you could fill out, if you had carefully considered the information to your self and felt you were responsible enough to to go through with adopting a dragon.
I vaguely remember filling out some of the riddle and puzzle questions in the Dragonology books. I would never have written in John Topsell's book, it was a library book.
But.
When I re-read G's copy at home, smiling over the familiar artwork, I was surprised to turn the page and find the painstaking, somewhat-wonky handwriting staring back at at me. Baby G, with her name spelled out in freshly-joined but still-not-quite-got-the-hang-of-this-yet cursive lettering. Baby G had filled the registration out in her best handwriting, in glittery green gel pen to denote the importance of the document. This was compared to the earlier, less important checklists done in plain black ink.
I read the registration certificate. Smiled. Smiled some more at the names listed for G's dragon, her dam, and her sire - Eragon was also a great book. Go off, Christopher Paolini.
Breed; standard Western Dragon. The box 'miniture' was ticked, to show that G's dragon was of the minature specic variety, rather than a full size dragon. This was, as she would later explain to me, chosen on the basis that baby-G felt it was the more financially responsible choice. Also so she could keep her dragon in her house with her, but we're not there yet.
I looked at that certificate. Looked at it again. Looked at the calendar, and then looked at the sewing machine I had just been given for Christmas.
G celebrates her birthday in January.
The template came first. I studied the different images of the standard western dragon through the book, picked my favourite, and re-drew it to a significantly larger scale.
Inking the design to the fabric, four times over probably took the longest.
I very subtly asked G the next time she was over (after hurling all dragon-related materials in a panic into the depths of my wardrobe) what type of colour dragon she would have, should it come up. As G later said, that type of question from me truly did not register as anything other than a question asked from theoretical interest. I transitioned the topic as discreetly as I could after she answered, and delightfully, my sneakiness went in one ear, out the other, and she forgot I had ever asked until several weeks later.
I enjoyed painting them.
Don't ask me how many mistakes I made through this process. So many. I do already know how to sew, but it's been a long time. I'd been meaning to get back into it for a while.
Given that various aunts and grandmothers and my mother had a knack for calling when I was up to my elbows in either paint or pins, it became a family affair. Each of them peered at the project through face time and offered their advice.
Some of the advice I took, some I didn't. No regrets about sewing it in pink thread. Considerable regrets about accidentally slicing one of the feet in half and having to fix that.
In the end though, she was finished.
I carefully pinned on her name tag, with the name baby-G had chosen with a little blue ribbon. A collar was unacceptable, this is a dragon, people, come on. Dragon's don't wear collars.
I put the book in the box, open to the registration certificate, and put the dragon on top. Wrapped the whole thing up with a bow and then refused to touch it before I sent myself mad trying to fix details that didn't really need to be fixed.
A bit late for her birthday, sure, but there we are. We'd gone for a trip off to nowhere for a weekend, to go try wine made out of blueberries and hike up a waterfall. (And climb on it. And swim in it. It was a very good waterfall).
I gave her the box, informed her she wasn't allowed to keep the box, just the contents (it was the only thing I had that was big enough for me to keep all of my A3 portfolios in, it had only been temporarily-repurposed as dragon housing), and then left the next bit up to the gods.
A surprise, sitting un-awaited for some 15 years in amber, to catch up to baby G and adult G together.
Happy Birthday, baby and adult G.
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okay but what about showering with Joel?
I don't mean anything sexual, but instead, stepping into the shower with him after a hard of work, in which you can see he arrived home all sweaty, exhausted and sore. You could see he just needed some affection and soft touch, a way to relax, and thinking of how he ALWAYS talks about how good your hair smells and how soft your skin is, you decide to do something nice for him, getting under the stream of water and using all your products on him: your expensive shampoo, your soap, body scrub, lotion, etc, anything so he can feel good
And let me tell you, Joel wouldn't care if you are using female cosmetics on him at all, quite the opposite, he would close his eyes and groan at the moment he feels your finger tips massaging his scalp while the sweet scent of your shampoo floods his senses, the way you would rub his back, his chest, even his stomach, it would be such a state of relaxation, not even blinking when you apply scrub on his handsome face and then wash it gently
When you are done treating him well, he would just wrap his arms around you, pulling you closer, your head resting on his chest, his heartbeat soothing your embrace as he keeps you there some more, just appreciating how lucky he truly is to have him ❤️
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