While shopping for a new face wash this weekend, I realized how popular face scrubs have become. The one that seems to be the most common is St. Ives Apricot Scrub. While you should exfoliate your skin to keep it in it’s best shape, I’ve often wondered if these facial scrubs do more harm than good. Do facial scrubs treat your skin right?

Surprisingly, the answer is both yes and no. Scrubs the pride themselves on natural ingredients, such as the St. Ives scrub mentioned above, actually damage your skin. How does this happen? To create these natural scrubs, pits and seeds of fruits are often ground up. These contain jagged edges that cause tiny scrapes on the surface of your skin. This can lead to irritation and, in extreme cases, infections. Scrubs that contain from synthetic beads, don’t damage your skin. The scrubbing beads contained in these scrubs are uniform and round in shape. They do their job without causing unnecessary damage to your skin.

In the future, it’s a wise choice to stick to the synthetic facial scrubs. Even if you don’t see a difference in your skin now, over time the small scrapes and abrasions will have an effect on your skin. An exception to this rule are scrubs that you can easily make at home. Combine some warm olive oil (heat it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds) with un-cooked oatmeal and massage into your skin. For an extra beauty boost, add some warm honey as well. Honey moisturizes and is a natural toner. It’s quick, easy, cheap, and is great for your skin. Contrary to popular belief, olive oil will not clog your pores and is a great moisturizer.

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