Rubbing It In — Get Polished With Lavanila’s Vanilla Bean Creamy Body Scrub
Anyone who’s been reading Sicka Than Average for a while now (thank you!) knows that, when it comes to mechanical exfoliants, I tend to sing “I don’t want no scrubs”`a la TLC and look the other way. From a strictly theoretical point-of-view, mechanical exfoliants (those that contain beads, sugar crystals, ground seeds, crushed nuts, and other grainy bits that physically slough away dead skin) are an excellent tool as they polish away all those dead layers of skin to reveal the more radiant, smooth, youthful layers of skin underneath. In the real world, however, mechanical exfoliants can prove to be overly abrasive, irritating sensitive skin, causing inflammation and exacerbating any existing redness. By and large, my experiences with body polishes have been fraught with mishaps. In fact, I’d call them cautionary tales rather than experiences. My skin, which is on the dry and sensitive side, tends to scream in agony whenever those harsh grainy bits roll over it. Why? Because oftentimes many of the granular substances within these scrubs feature uneven, jagged, sharp edges that can and nip at the skin. Another common problem: many scrubs don’t have enough of a lubricant base to protect the skin, which can also led to irritation.
Given my long history of body polish #fails, I’m always giddy with excitement on the rare occasion when an exfoliant really works for me — and that’s what’s happened with the Lavanila Vanilla Bean Creamy Body Scrub ($40 at Lavanila.com and Sephora.com). As with all Lavanila products, this body scrub contains no parabens or aluminums and is formulated with all-natural ingredients. The scrub contains crushed Madagascar vanilla bean seeds that are ground until they’re incredibly small and fine, making them way more gentle than those large salt, coffee seed, and sugar scrubs commonly found in body exfoliants. The other exfoliating agents are walnut shell powder and coconut shell powder. Normally, I’d wince at the thought of crushed walnut and coconut shells being massaged against my skin but, in this product, they’ve been so finely milled that they don’t grate or scrape the skin. Moreover, all these exfoliating granules are mixed within a creamy base that consists primarily of shea butter and cocoa seed butter. Shea butter contains vitamins A, E, and F, as well as oleic, stearic, palmitic and linolenic acids that together nourish and soften the skin while also stimulating collagen production, thereby promoting greater skin elasticity. Cocoa seed butter, meanwhile, also contains oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids, as well as cocoa mass polyphenol (CMP), a substance that inhibits the production of dermatitis-aggravating immunoglobulin IgE. Both cocoa seed butter and shea butter are often used to moisturize and soften the skin, prevent stretch marks, treat eczema, and strengthen the skin against environmental aggressors. In the context of an exfoliant, they serve all of these purposes, but they also provide that cushioning needed to make the skin-polishing process more gentle.
The Lavanila Vanilla Bean Creamy Body Scrub, then, goes beyond polishing off dead skin so as to ensure that those fresh layers of skin being revealed through the exfoliation process remain intact. To that end, the scrub contains such hydrating, nourishing, and soothing ingredients as sesame seed oil, jojoba seed oil, sweet almond oil, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and aloe leaf juice.
When you massage the scrub in your skin, you’ll instantly notice its creaminess, which makes it feel like an indulgent and pampering treat. The vanilla aroma, which is combined with a botanical fragrance blend, meanwhile, proves soothing and comforting. As you massage the product onto your skin using circular motions, you’ll feel the granular bits (and you can certainly see them as they’re black specks in a light brown cream) performing their exfoliation duties, but you won’t recoil as they graze against the skin. Imagine dipping your finger into really damp and fine cornmeal, then running that finger up and down your forearm — that’s the type of gentle sensation produced by this body polish. Once you rinse the product off, your skin will feel smoother and you’ll notice a textural improvement, but it will also feel soft, nourished, and supple. Even better, you might notice your skin has a bit of a glow to it — and who doesn’t want to maintain that radiance all year long?
