I know I should be worried about global warming, but...

February 20, 2008 10:52 AM

ExfoliantFilter: My favorite exfoliant has been discontinued!

I've been using Mary Kay Body Care Buffing Cream. Its a very gentle fine grain, kinda sandy, and I cannot find anything comparable-- all the ones I've tried, including the new Mary Kay one, have had too large a grain. (Plus, it's baby blue, a completely bizarre and wonderful color for body cream, not that it really matters.)

Or, if you're a Mary Kay consultant and can get your hands on some, I'll pretty much pay any money.

posted by nax to clothing, beauty, & fashion (15 comments total)

Check E-bay - you can usually get discontinued MK items through reps or old sellers. Search with these keywords - Satin Hands Buffing Cream.
posted by blackkar at 11:05 AM on February 20

I know! I love that stuff too, and was sad when it was discontinued.

Definitely check ebay. Decent prices, but sometimes you'll get some seriously old product.

I just picked up some St. Ives Apricot scrub (so different from when it was sold in a big orange tub!) and it's pretty nice. You might try that.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 11:30 AM on February 20

Have you tried Kiehl's Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub? It's so fine, it almost doesn't feel like a scrub at all.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:47 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

i'm a big fan of sea salt and honey as a facial scrub. you might give it a shot. it is guaranteed not to make you break out (as long as you wash your face after).
posted by thinkingwoman at 11:48 AM on February 20

You might want to check out Clinique's 7-day scrub. It also has a very fine grain.

If you try St. Ives, avoid the original formula. The 'grain' (I think it is actually ground up walnut shells) is the largest of all scrub products I have tried.
posted by wg at 12:14 PM on February 20

i'm a huge fan of dermalogica's microfoliant. it's so wonderful and feels awesome, does a great job, and can be used every day. the cheapest place i've found on the internet for all of dermalogica's awesome products is whatgreatskin.com. they may even be willing to send you a free sample!
posted by Soulbee at 12:23 PM on February 20

I like sea salt too, but if you're after fine grains, baking soda (added to whatever regular cream you like) is pretty great.
posted by clavicle at 12:53 PM on February 20

I don't have any specific recommendations, but I learned something recently that might be of interest. The scrubby beads in many exfoliants are tiny plastic beads, which go straight down the drain, into the sewer, and out into the ocean, where they are small enough to be consumed by plankton. So we're potentially messing with the very foundation of the food chain. I can't find the thing I read originally, but there's a long article about it here. I kind of smacked my forehead when I read this. I mean, I knew the beads were often plastic, but I just never put two and two together.

All-natural scrubs are perfectly fine, apparently. It's just the polymer beads that are a problem.
posted by Enroute at 12:57 PM on February 20 [1 favorite]

I'm a fan of LUSH's Angels on Bare Skin. My sensitive skin loves it.

I'll ask my MaryKay selling colleague for your stuff, too.
posted by pointystick at 1:00 PM on February 20

Aaaand the colleague says ebay or Pinkdiscounts.com might be of help.
posted by pointystick at 1:03 PM on February 20

Okay-- you guys are going to cost me a packet. I'll come and"best answer" someone after I've tried a bunch of these. Keep em coming!
posted by nax at 1:15 PM on February 20

Origins Modern Friction now comes in a body formula too. I've got insanely sensitive skin and am allergic to everything and this stuff is amazing... it's extremely gentle and smells wonderful. Go to the local mall and have them do your hand. You'll freak out over how soft and wonderful you feel. Rice starch is used to exfoliate, and it's not really even a grain, but more of a texture.

Skin Disclaimer: I get carded regularly, even though I'm 35. Also, if a stranger accidentally touches me, one out of three times the response is "omg you are so soft!" It's a little creepy, but nice to know the stuff works.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 1:29 PM on February 20

I use a half teaspoon of fine sugar moistened with jojoba oil for my face. You can mix up a bunch for use in the shower. Other exfoliants that are natural and fairly gentle are salt, jojoba beads, baking soda, and ground almonds. Avoid walnut hulls and crshed apricot shells because they can be very scratchy (some people think they damage skin, though I have no good documentation to back that up).

I don't have any advice on name brand exfoliants, because I haven't bought any in years.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:47 PM on February 20

Toss some dry azuki beans in a coffee grinder for a nice, soft powdery scrub.
posted by Scram at 2:54 PM on February 20

dr. brandt microdermabrasion
posted by Lleyam at 5:24 AM on February 21