Turn Up The Glow with St.Ives Face Scrubs

Turn Up The Glow

Have you been exfoliating your skin on a weekly basis? Scrubbing away the dead skin cells and the buildup of dirt and excess oil is essential to smooth glowing skin. After the news of how Microbeads exfoliants in scrubs can harm the environment, companies have started banning the use of microbeads in products. Furthermore, many consumers have also been turning to scrubs which contain natural exfoliants like walnut shell powder as eco-friendly alternatives.

St.Ives Facial Scrubs

One of best drugstore scrubs that uses 100% natural exfoliants is St.Ives. This brand of facial scrubs has been really popular for a very long time ever since I was a teen. I had a hard time getting one of these products in the past because they always fly off the shelves so quickly. Ever since then, I have not really check them out until now. This year, they have revamped their packaging for their own six variants of scrubs!

Types of Facial Scrubs

· Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub
· Acne Control Apricot Scrub
· Blackhead Clearing Green Tea Scrub
· Radiant Skin Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub
· Energizing Coconut & Coffee Scrub
· Gentle Smoothing Oatmeal Scrub and Mask

Interestingly, they have also started to categorize their scrubs according to the intensity of exfoliation – gentle, moderate and deep. I prefer to use scrubs which have a gentle to moderate exfoliating action as I have acne-prone skin. Also, I find that the gentle scrubs which have fine scrub beads tend to be more effective in cleansing the pores. Which do you prefer?

Walnut Shell Powder

Walnut shell powder is the gentle, natural ingredient found in these scrubs. They are biodegradable and thus eco-friendly. The walnuts are grown in California and once harvested; they are washed, dried and cracked before going through a process to separate the walnuts from the shells. The shells are then grounded into a fine powder to create a soft scrub that is gentle enough for the skin.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve tried and tested them all. Read on to find out which of these scrubs deserves the crowning glory and which are the ones you must have in your beauty stash.

Blackhead Clearing Green Tea Scrub (Medium Exfoliation)

There are not many acne-friendly facial scrubs available in the market, so I was very excited to know that St.Ives has created this variant meant for acne-prone skin. It contains salicylic acid and has a finer walnut scrub granules which are much gentler for the skin.

Energizing Coconut & Coffee Scrub (Deep Exfoliation)

If you love the scent of coconuts and coffee, you will find it a joy using this scrub all over your face. There is also this hint of caramel in the scrub as well.

Gentle Smoothing Oatmeal Scrub and Mask (Gentle Exfoliation)

The oatmeal scrub took me by surprise because it doubles very effectively as a scrub and a mask. I would first apply a thin layer of the product on my face using a brush and leave the mask on for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes or so, the product will feel dry on your skin, and that is when you know it is time to wash it off.

I will wet my palms with water and start to scrubbing action by massaging my skin in a circulation motion. The pleasant surprise came after I rinse everything off my skin. I noticed that my skin was glowing after the mask and scrub. It looked so much more radiant and fairer. It gives an instant glow, and I definitely highly recommend this product.

From left to right: Blackhead Clearing Green Tea scrub, Energizing Coconut & Coffee Scrub and Gentle Smoothing Oatmeal Scrub and Mask

Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub (Deep Exfoliation)

If I am not wrong, this is one of St.Ives first original scrub variant. It is a cult classic. One of the key ingredients is Apricot fruit extract. Sometimes, I would use it as a body scrub because of the relatively large scrub beads which work great as the scrub to get rid of back acne.

Acne Control Apricot Scrub (Moderate Exfoliation)

They also came up with another apricot scrub variant with a moderate exfoliation action which is more suited for acne-prone skin. Salicylic acid was added to the signature apricot scrub to create this variant so that.

Radiant Skin Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub (Gentle Exfoliation)

This citrusy scrub smells like summer. I love the refreshing citrus scent of the Pink lemon mixed with mandarin orange. As such, I find joy in using this scrub. It gives me that spa-like experience whenever I use it. It is now part of my morning skincare routine to perk me up and awaken my senses.

My recommendations

Gentle Smoothing Oatmeal Scrub and Mask, Radiant Skin Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub

From left to right: Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub, Acne Control Apricot Scrub, Radiant Skin Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange scrub.

All St.Ives facial scrubs contain 100% natural exfoliants, moisturizers and fruit extracts in their products.

Price

The full range of St. Ives 6oz face scrubs is now available island-wide in Singapore at a recommended RRP (Retail Recommended Price) of $9.90.

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Turn Up The Glow with St.Ives Face Scrubs