The Body Scrub

ABOUT

Every year billions of dollars are spent on various creams, lotions, topical treatments, remedies, ointments and other miracle promising potions in our quest for perfect skin and flawless complexions. Of course, we know here that what you eat is the super important first step in creating glowing, healthy skin. The Body Scrub is the next step- and you can start doing it today. It’s easy to do, will cost you the amount of a scratchy organic wash cloth and it really does work!

BENEFITS

Your skin is constantly sloughing off old, dead cells. Actually, it completely renews itself every 28 days!! Because your skin is always rejuvenating, you don’t have to wait for the perfect time, or a specific date to start… you can start creating healthy, naturally gorgeous skin today!

Great skin is just one of the rewards you’ll get for doing the body scrub. Here are a few more perks:

• Increased circulation
• Morning rub = better + more calm energy all day
• Evening rub = a deeper sleep! When you sleep longer and better you are more energized and will look fresh and glowing- without makeup!! After doing the body scrub at night I find I fall asleep easily and sleep more deeply.
• Smooth, soft, glowing skin
• Helps release any stored toxins that have accumulated under your skin
• Helps you think more clearly (great for studying/long days at work)
• More positive outlook
• Increased awareness to touch and other senses
• With all of these benefits, it only makes sense that you’ll also find yourself with improved self awareness and a glowing self-image!!!

CLOTH VS. LOOFAH

Close your eyes for a minute. Imagine taking a scratchy loofah or bristly brush, dipping it in hot water and then scrubbing it against your skin. Initially it might seem invigorating, but now imagine using it on the more sensitive parts of your body- behind your ears, all over your face, along the insides of your fingers. Does it make you feel more open and relaxed or slightly tight and closed? Does it retain the heat and moisture from the hot water, or become cold quickly?

Now imagine dipping your organic, unbleached, cotton washcloth into a sink filled with hot water. It’s so full and saturated with water that before you can even use it you have to wring it out. Now place that hot, wet cloth on your face. How does it feel? Imagine yourself gently rubbing back and forth. Now imagine how it feels as you rub behind your ears, or along the insides of your fingers.

Think for a minute about how these two methods feel different.

The objective of the body rub is to gently draw out fat and toxins that have accumulated beneath the surface of the skin which are currently clogging your pores, making it difficult for your skin to discharge and breathe! If you rub your skin with a surface that is too harsh or abrasive, the skin actually tightens and contracts making it very difficult for any rubbish to exit through your pores.  For the body rub, using an organic, cotton washcloth is best. Preferably one that isn’t too thick, but instead is a bit thinner and slightly coarse. Also- please make sure that you are not using any sort of fabric softener! As well as decreasing the absorbency of the towels fibres, fabric softener can add unnecessary chemicals into your body and the environment.

SCRUB VS. RUB

Although in most macrobiotic literature you’ll see this referred to as The Body Scrub, the word scrub can often conjure up images of aggressively scrubbing the skin, similar to the way you would attack the bathtub when you clean it!! In our overzealousness we just scrub too hard. Your skin is delicate- and is your largest organ- you want to be careful with it!! Instead of scrubbing like a fiend, think of this more like a gentle rub, using just a little pressure from your hands. The key word here is gentle.

USEFUL + IMPORTANT TIPS 

There are 2 ways to do The Body Scrub. You can either start at the face working down to the feet or you can work in from your extremities (fingers, toes) in towards just below your navel. Working from the top of your head down to your toes has a more relaxing effect, whereas working from fingers/head/toes in towards your navel has a more energizing effect. Experiment with both and see how you feel!

If you’re pressed for time, the most important areas for you to do are:

• The hands, wrists, fingers- don’t forget between the fingers!! The tops and bottoms of your feet, your ankles, your toes and between each toe.
• The face and neck (Don’t forget behind your ears- it feels glorious!!!)
• Your armpits and groin area.

You should do the body rub either before or after showering, but please don’t do this in the shower or bath.  Three reasons why:

• Steam from the shower feels relaxing, but can also draw minerals out of the body if you’re in it for too long. (Aim for about 5 – 7 minutes in your shower!) I personally like to do my scrub before I shower, and then have a nice quick rinse off/hair wash under the warm water after my rub is complete.
• When doing this scrub/rub you are directing the flow of blood and energy to various parts of your body. It’s why your skin starts to turn pink from the heat and rubbing! When you are in the shower, simply being under a steady stream of hot water makes it difficult to have control over the direction and the scrub loses its effectiveness.
• The water in the sink acts as a powerful magnet. You’ll notice that as you progress through the scrub, especially when you are new to it, that the water in the sink becomes, errr, less clear and pristine as you go. If the water gets cool you can add more hot to it, but don’t be tempted to let the water drain out and start with new. I heard at a lecture by a great macro teacher/counsellor that the rubbish that collects in the water actually acts as a magnet and helps to pull more out from the body as your scrub progresses.

Areas to be especially careful on:

• Face- esp forehead and bridge of nose
• The skin along the spine.

Areas to avoid:

• Women- avoid the breasts
• Women and men- avoid the genitals, but do the groin area.

About Dry Skin:

For the first month you may notice that your skin is dry and maybe even flaking or rough. Don’t worry!  In fact, be happy and know that your skin is starting to regenerate. It’s just a matter of time now!! If you can, try not to use any moisturizer. This can clog the pores and results will be slower to come. If your skin is severely dry, use a vegetable oil in the evenings after your scrub- Sesame, olive or wild rosehip seed oil. If you must use a lotion/oil (hello, northern winter with zero humidity!!), use one with as little ingredients as possible, and one without chemicals/parabens/preservatives etc. etc.

THE BODY SCRUB

First, fill your sink with hot water. As hot as you can stand, but not scalding hot- burning is bad!!

Fold your cloth into quarters, and dip it into the water. Squeeze out the excess water, so the cloth is damp but not dripping.

Decide whether you are going to work down, or inwards. Remember that this is a rub- and that you only need the gentle pressure from the weight of your hand. You don’t need to use any force!

Place the hot cloth on your skin and, keeping the movement fairly vigorous, start to scrub. Your skin should turn a nice pink colour, which shows you that your circulation is responding to the scrub. Great!! (Note- if at first your skin doesn’t respond and turn pink right away, don’t be tempted to scrub harder/longer. As your circulation improves throughout the month your skin will respond more quickly. Be gentle and patient).

When the cloth begins to cool, dip it in the water, wring it out and continue to do the rest of your body.

Enjoy how amazing you feel!!

Special thanks to my gorgeous friend Karin for modelling! Seriously- you would never guess her age because she has ahhhhmazing skin. There’s something to be said for a good diet, keeping active and being careful with the sun.

Also, it’s not every day that I get to shoot in such a gorgeous space (that bathtub! swoon! and you should have seen the kitchen!!). Our landlord is an incredible contractor and restores heritage homes. We were fortunate to shoot in the master bathroom of one of his newest completed restorations- only a couple of days before it went on the market! Thank you Michelis Contractors!!