Ingrown hairs. I get them, you get them, your neighbor gets them—even cats and dogs get them! Chances are, most furry mammals walking around this planet have dealt with a pesky ingrown hair or two in their time. For me, shaving seemed to be the biggest culprit when it came to waking up to an uninvited array of ingrown hairs. No matter what direction I shaved, how many blades my razor boasted, or what fancy variety of shaving cream I slathered on, within a couple of days, my skin always found a way to proclaim its defiance towards my razor in the form of itchy, red bumps. However, all of this changed when I discovered I was missing a critical step in any well-seasoned shaver’s routine—exfoliation!
Exfoliating is the process of using a chemical exfoliant (such as salicylic acid) or physical exfoliant to rid the skin of dead cells. This layer of excess skin cells can smother hair follicles, causing the hair to grow inwards, leading to (you guessed it!) ingrown hairs. Shaving without exfoliating creates a breeding ground for ingrown hairs, as the sharp hairs flush to the skin’s surface can easily wiggle their way under the hair follicle. When this happens, the body recognizes the hair as a foreign invader, which triggers an itchy, red, and bumpy inflammatory response. Yep, you read that right. The discomfort from ingrown hairs is just your body trying to help you! The good news is that exfoliation offers a simple solution to transform skin prone to the body’s well-meaning inflammatory response into smooth, moisturized skin. Better yet, you can make an easy-peasy exfoliating scrub using ingredients you likely have stashed in your pantry!
This sweet and salty sugar scrub offers powerful physical exfoliation that has been a shaving game-changer for me and anyone I’ve whipped up a batch for. This scrub not only removes dead skin cells but also prevents irritated bumps with the help of two essential oils that I’ve coined “the enemies of ingrowns”—tea tree and copaiba balsam. Although I’ve fine-tuned this recipe with herbal incorporations such as soothing chamomile powder, the beauty of DIY scrubs is how customizable and simplistic they can be. Even if you only have sugar and carrier oil on hand, you’re well on your way to revealing the softest skin of your life and saying good riddance to the agony of ingrown hairs!
Makes approximately 10 ounces of sugar scrub.
Ingredients
Directions
Usage
Pro Tips
You may also be interested in:
DIY Moisturizing Skin Serum
Warming Lotion Bars for Autumn & Winter
6 Ways to Use Jojoba Oil for Skin & Hair
Topics: Natural Body Care, Herbal Gift Ideas, Recipes
Hailey grew up on a small rural farm in Oregon surrounded by trees and more animals than you could count on your fingers and toes. Hailey's collective passions for exploration, art, biology, and animals have led her through various career paths, including veterinary medicine, neurodiverse healthcare, and glazing instruction at a local pottery studio. These accumulated skills brought her to the front steps of Mountain Rose Herbs, where she holds the position of Partnership & Event Coordinator. When Hailey isn’t planning community events, you can find her cooking up nourishing plant-based food, snuggling with her beloved kitty, Indigo, or wandering around mossy creek beds looking for agates and animal bones to breathe new life into her jewelry creations.
Ingrown hairs. I get them, you get them, your neighbor gets them—even cats and dogs get them! Chances are, most furry mammals walking around this planet have dealt with a pesky ingrown hair or two in their time. For me, shaving seemed to be the biggest culprit when it came to waking up to an uninvited array of ingrown hairs. No matter what direction I shaved, how many blades my razor boasted, or what fancy variety of shaving cream I slathered on, within a couple of days, my skin always found a way to proclaim its defiance towards my razor in the form of itchy, red bumps. However, all of this changed when I discovered I was missing a critical step in any well-seasoned shaver’s routine—exfoliation!
Exfoliating is the process of using a chemical exfoliant (such as salicylic acid) or physical exfoliant to rid the skin of dead cells. This layer of excess skin cells can smother hair follicles, causing the hair to grow inwards, leading to (you guessed it!) ingrown hairs. Shaving without exfoliating creates a breeding ground for ingrown hairs, as the sharp hairs flush to the skin’s surface can easily wiggle their way under the hair follicle. When this happens, the body recognizes the hair as a foreign invader, which triggers an itchy, red, and bumpy inflammatory response. Yep, you read that right. The discomfort from ingrown hairs is just your body trying to help you! The good news is that exfoliation offers a simple solution to transform skin prone to the body’s well-meaning inflammatory response into smooth, moisturized skin. Better yet, you can make an easy-peasy exfoliating scrub using ingredients you likely have stashed in your pantry!
This sweet and salty sugar scrub offers powerful physical exfoliation that has been a shaving game-changer for me and anyone I’ve whipped up a batch for. This scrub not only removes dead skin cells but also prevents irritated bumps with the help of two essential oils that I’ve coined “the enemies of ingrowns”—tea tree and copaiba balsam. Although I’ve fine-tuned this recipe with herbal incorporations such as soothing chamomile powder, the beauty of DIY scrubs is how customizable and simplistic they can be. Even if you only have sugar and carrier oil on hand, you’re well on your way to revealing the softest skin of your life and saying good riddance to the agony of ingrown hairs!
Makes approximately 10 ounces of sugar scrub.
Ingredients
Directions
Usage
Pro Tips
You may also be interested in:
DIY Moisturizing Skin Serum
Warming Lotion Bars for Autumn & Winter
6 Ways to Use Jojoba Oil for Skin & Hair
Topics: Natural Body Care, Herbal Gift Ideas, Recipes
Hailey grew up on a small rural farm in Oregon surrounded by trees and more animals than you could count on your fingers and toes. Hailey's collective passions for exploration, art, biology, and animals have led her through various career paths, including veterinary medicine, neurodiverse healthcare, and glazing instruction at a local pottery studio. These accumulated skills brought her to the front steps of Mountain Rose Herbs, where she holds the position of Partnership & Event Coordinator. When Hailey isn’t planning community events, you can find her cooking up nourishing plant-based food, snuggling with her beloved kitty, Indigo, or wandering around mossy creek beds looking for agates and animal bones to breathe new life into her jewelry creations.
