Exfoliation is a time-honored beautification practice that traces its roots back thousands of years ago to the ancient Egyptian times. The process involves removing the outermost layer of your skin – the oldest layer – in order to reveal younger, suppler skin underneath. Done right, it can reveal smoother skin, even out your skin tone, and lighten unsightly marks over a given period.

There are two approaches you can take to exfoliate your body: mechanical or chemical. Mechanical exfoliation involves physical contact, using an abrasive such as a loofah, an exfoliating brush, or body scrubs to remove the dead skin cells. Chemical exfoliation, on the other hand, mostly involves acids and fruit enzymes as main ingredients that act as “glue-loosening” agents. They loosen the substance that holds our outer skin cells together, promoting peeling and revealing younger skin underneath.

Our focus will be on the first approach: mechanical exfoliation. We will be focusing particularly on using body scrubs – in particular, the Origani Philippines’ Body Care Exfoliating Salt Scrub Botannica.

Why body scrubs?

Among the options available to you for exfoliating today, body scrubs are the most ideal exfoliating solution. It’s not as harsh as chemical peels and exfoliants, which can burn through your skin if used improperly or in higher concentrations. It’s more affordable and more easily accessible than clinic-provided solutions such as microdermabrasion. It’s also the gentlest exfoliant on the list, and can go deep enough to remove your dead skin cells without causing scarring or other skin damage. You also get the added bonus of delivering other nutrients to your skin, because body scrubs contain ingredients that help maximize the effects of the exfoliation process and care for your underlying skin.

Body scrubs also come in five main types, each catering to a specific need. Sugar body scrubs are perfect for those who want a mild scrub, while moisturizing scrubs like oatmeal-based scrubs are perfect for hydrating dry skin. Herbal scrubs vary in function depending on the ingredients used, while coffee scrubs are rich in antioxidants and are natural stimulants best used on areas you want to slim down. The most effective scrub for exfoliating, removing dead skin cells and toxins and healing your damaged skin is a salt scrub.

Going organic

There are many cheaper salt scrubs in the market that will be just as abrasive as Origani’s salt scrub. Why choose an organic product?

Debates on the use of body scrubs with synthetic microbeads are heated today. That’s because these microbeads are made of plastic material that are small enough to pass through filters and sieves. This means that every time you wash your body with a scrub that uses microbeads, the beads go from your bathroom to nature, thus contributing to pollution.

An organic body scrub like Origani’s Body Care Exfoliating Salt Scrub Botannica minimizes this pollution by using all-natural ingredients. The luxury brand boasts using certified organic ingredients only in all of their products, enhanced by essential oils and made more appealing with a natural fragrance. Their Body Care Exfoliating Salt Scrub uses natural salts that can be dissolved by water.

Another benefit you can get from Origani’s salt scrub is its healing properties. Salt scrubs are known to be great at removing toxins in your skin, and the minerals in the salt help reduce inflammation. Combined with the essential oils, Origani’s Body Care Exfoliating Salt Scrub replenishes dry skin, hydrating it and preparing the skin to absorb moisturizing lotions or body serums that you might want to use later on.

Using the Salt Scrub

Origani’s Body Care Exfoliating Salt Scrub is pretty straightforward to use. Origani recommends that you use warm water with the bath salt. Salt scrubs are generally coarser than other kinds of body scrubs, but the texture pleasantly surprised me. I didn’t have to scrub hard to feel my dead skin cells being stripped off my body. Beauty experts recommend that you rub your skin in large circular motions to stimulate blood circulation while releasing the toxins from your body.

What I like about salt scrubs is they don’t leave you with a greasy feeling after washing. It’s very easy to wash off and your skin feels supple and hydrated. Even after just one use, Origani’s Body Care Exfoliating Salt Scrub had a visible effect. My skin looks brighter and my color seems more even. A few more uses of this product and I think I might have clearer skin overall.

The only downside of this product for me was its container. Instead of being in a bottle with a narrower neck, it is housed in Origani’s signature jar for its Body Care line – a white jar containing the label of the product, the silver and blue floral lid and Origani’s logo prominently featured on top of the lid. Water can easily get into the container, and it’s easy to spill a larger amount than you need if you’re not careful. I love the luxurious-looking jars of Origani, but you might want to transfer this to another container if you don’t want unnecessary spillage happening in the middle of your bath.

The Verdict

The Body Care Exfoliating Salt Scrub by Origani is a treat for the skin. Exfoliating is a basic skin care step but this product makes it feel relaxing and luxurious – exactly what the brand aims for.  It’s a good first step to your skin care regime as well. After using the salt scrub, my skin absorbed my moisturizer better and stayed hydrated for most of the day.

As for the pricing, Origani’s Body Care Exfoliating Salt Scrub is a little on the expensive side. This makes this salt scrub something you may consider using during special occasions, or when you want to reward yourself with a special skin treat. The good news is you won’t be buying it as often as you will your soap or your moisturizers, because you won’t be using it every day. It’s an investment, but it’s a worthy investment that you should have in your bathroom shelf. It also makes a great gift for someone who’s really into organic beauty products.  Here’s where they’re located:

Origani Philippines Facebook Page SM Annex Branch
Origani Philippines SM BF Parañaque Branch
Origani Philippines SM Mall of Asia Branch
Origani Philippines Pinterest Account