Latina Beauty

The combination of colder air with indoor heating can dry out even the most moisturized skin, leaving it at best itchy and parched and at worse, resembling the skin of  a crocodile.  ¿Que hacer? Well, you could treat yourself to a scrub-down to get rid of dry skin and make it more absorbent to moisturizers.

To make your own scrub at home mix 1/2 cup of white/brown sugar and a teaspoon of ginger with 1/4 cup of jojoba oil and a couple of  vitamin E oil capsules to make a paste.  Sit on the edge of the bathtub and massage the body scrub into the skin, starting with you feet and working up. Give special attention to dry areas such as heels, knees and elbows.  Rinse with warm water, pat skin dry with a towel and seal in moisture with a body cream, balm or oil.

Other things to keep in mind:

• Be gentle in the sensitive chest area
• Skip the legs if you’ve shaved them

For store-bought ideas, here are some of my favorites:

Jason Vitamin E Renewing Body Scrub is so mild, you can use it daily.  This scrub, which I got from the brand’s PR chica, is also ideal for those looking to fight the first signs of aging because it’s full of antioxidants that nourish the skin.  It contains vitamins A, B5, C and E as well as primrose oil and organic aloe vera.  These ingredients are all mixed in with rice bran to gently remove dead cells and leave skin smooth.  This scrub sells for $6.83 and you can find it here.

Yu-Be Foaming Skin Polish also has fine grains of rice but it’s ideal for those looking for scrub to use every other day or twice a week.  This scrub, which I received as a sample from Yu-Be’s PR people, is glycerin-based and contains camphor to soothe the skin.  It also features extracts of ginger root and ginseng to tone and balance skin as well as green tea and geranium oil which provide a refreshing sensation.  It has no parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances or dyes, petrochemicals or phthalates and sells for $18.  You can find it here.

Bliss Hot Salt Scrub is perfect for those looking for an even more aggressive form of exfoliation.  Depending on your skin’s sensitivity, you could use this scrub once or twice a week.  This self-heating salt scrub is glycerin-based and combines dead sea salts with rosemary and eucalyptus oils–a real spa treat!  It sells for $36 and you can find it here.