Natural Skin Care: The Cane Sugar Scrub

This weekend, I spent some time with my girlfriends doing something I haven't done in a LONG time - window shop. In between a delicious lunch at Diner's Corner (one of my favourite Jamaican restaurants) and a screening of Better Mus' Come at the University of Toronto (yes, my 2nd time watching), we strolled down Bloor Street, popping into Holt Renfrew and Sephora to see what was new.

This post isn't about makeup, but inspired by it. At the one of the makeup counters in Holt Renfrew, I fell in love with two of the bronzers/blushes, and realized I had to have them. I don't wear foundation or a ton of other makeup, but was looking for something to give me a bit of an extra glow and twinkle. The product mix I sampled accomplished that perfectly, however, when I took a look in the 20x magnifying glass to see the rep's handiwork, I cringed. Blemishes and enlarged pores were right there in high-definition, and I realized that before I could beautify with any makeup, I would have to get my skin right.

For about the last year or so, I've been cleansing my skin with the Oil Cleansing Method, which I wrote about here. Right now, I use a mixture of 50% castor oil, 25% grapeseed oil, and 25% jojoba oil - slather it on my face and massage it in, then wipe off with a warm washcloth. I follow up by moisturizing with a few drops of avocado oil, and boom - I'm good to go. I love the OCM, and have had amazing results with it - my skin is smoother, my tone is even, and I've only had a few hormone-related pimples in the past year. My excess oil production is no more, which proves that yes, people with oily skin can use the OCM with success.

What I realized over the weekend was that I've been forgetting a key step in my skin care regimen: a good exfoliator. On a late night run to the drug store, I thought of grabbing something off the shelf - but then a lightbulb went off and I realized I had everything I needed at home to create a nice natural scrub!

When I first started the OCM, I used a natural exfoliator in conjunction. I think somewhere along the way, I ran out of sugar or honey, and the practice dropped off. I looked back at some pics from when I was doing the scrub, and the motivation to begin again was in full force. Allow me to introduce you to the Cane Sugar Scrub:

  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Cane Sugar
  • 1 tsp of Raw Honey
  • 3 tbsp of Jojoba Oil
  • 3 tbsp of Grapeseed Oil

Ingredient benefits:

Cane Sugar - chock full of glycolic acid, which helps slough away dead skin cells and protects skin from toxins

Raw Honey - increases skin's ability to absorb and retain moisture, and improves collagen production in the skin

Jojoba Oil - a non-comodegenic (= does not block pores) wax ester, not actually an "oil" - it is theorized that it mimics the skin's natural sebum, so it tricks the skin into thinking it's creating enough oil, and reduces excess oil production

Grapeseed Oil - rich in antioxidants, slightly astringent (works to tone the skin), and helps to even skin tone

In the past, I found that I was using too much cane sugar at first, which led me to more irritation than anything. Don't hesitate to use a bit less sugar and see how your skin responds, or grind your cane sugar up a bit to make it finer.

I used this scrub 3 times a week on my face, knees, and elbows - and any time I was stepping out with exposed skin (especially chest/shoulders/back), I'd rub a bit there to help add to my glow. Summer weather calls for all things strapless and backless and tastefully exposed to allow for maximum sunkissing. So, next time I decide to step out in a dress like this:

...I'll be sure to scrub!

Do you exfoliate? Have you tried any natural scrub mixtures? Let me know what has worked for you! Also, for optimal skin care, DO NOT FORGET YOUR H2O! Sigh. Water is so boring, yet so vital...let me go get my glass now!

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