Ever notice how near the end of winter your skin starts looking a little dull and listless?  Dry, winter skin causes a build up of dead cells on your skin that make the outer layer look a little less than fabulous.  Though there are a lot of good facial scrubs on the market, sometimes all those added ingredients aren’t all that necessary.. I’ve found that a really effective, super easy, and decidedly cheap option is a simply at-home sugar scrub.  I did one this morning to wake up my skin a little bit, and noticed an immediate improvement in the brightness, smoothness, and moisture of my skin, not to mention a marked shrinking of a pesky zit I woke up with.

I recommend using a raw, organic sugar of a medium coarse size (a little finer than Sugar in the Raw, but not nearly as fine as table sugar).  This size gives you a really good exfoliating effect without being too harsh on the skin.

Directions:

Just sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar into your hand and start massaging it onto wet skin, paying special attention to your lips, T-zone, and any other problem areas.  Keep exfoliating for a minute or so, until the sugar starts to melt a little bit.  Once most of the larger pieces have melted into your skin, leave the sugary sweetness on your face for a few minutes as a mask to reap maximum benefits.  Then rinse with warm water.

For dry skin:

Mix the sugar with some olive oil for a super moisturizing scrub!

Variations:

Add some fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, or use coconut oil instead of olive oil!

What are these amazing benefits, you might ask?  Well…

• Raw sugar is super rich in alpha-hydroxy acids, to help your skin brighten and glow
• Sugar has healing properties that can benefit those with skin issues like psoriasis, eczema, and acne
• Sugar is super hydrating and absorbs into your skin very quickly, without clogging pores
• Sugar absorbs dirt and oil from pores, and works to balance the natural oils of your skin
• Sugar stimulates healthy cell growth and helps circulation of lymphatic fluid
• Sugar is super exfoliating to rough patches not only on your face, but on elbows, knees, and feet as well!

Convinced??  Well then whip your sugar out of your pantry, and get your skin healthy and glowing for spring!