Helpe flay the dead skin off my legs

June 13, 2009 8:28 AM

Exfoliation: Are there any products that are better than a $2 natural loofah from the dollar store?

After I epilate or get my legs waxed, a large number of hairs are wont to grow back under a layer of skin, sometimes irritating (redness) or just happily growing (no irritation). Scrapping at the hair with needlenosed tweezers will bring them out with varying difficulty.

I've been using a loofah at the end of a shower for years and get a new one whenever it starts getting saggy. I have started moisturizing daily for a couple of months now, but it hasn't helped much.

Recommend exfoliation products/techniques please?

posted by porpoise to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

Best answer: The same thing happens to me. Get a good sugar or salt scrub. Works really well for exfoliating legs.
posted by cmgonzalez at 8:46 AM on June 13, 2009

Best answer: Salt scrubs are very effective and so easy to make yourself. Buy salt, pour some in a small bowl, mix in some body wash or shampoo (anything you already use in the shower works here), and scrub on your legs. I haven't measured, but I estimate a 1:3-5 part bodywash:salt mixture. You don't want it too soupy. I would think that a sugar scrub would be just as easy, as long as your product mix-in didn't dissolve the sugar.

The home-made salt scrub has really helped with some heinous itching that I can get after shaving my legs if they aren't exfoliated enough. I try to scrub about 3 times a week, using a tablespoon or two per leg, so as not to overdo it.
posted by odi.et.amo at 9:30 AM on June 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

If you want to save the cost of body wash or shampoo just add a bit of milk to the salt.
posted by koahiatamadl at 9:33 AM on June 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Or sugar/salt and olive oil! I think the loofah or a basic scrub is all you need--there are a lot of products that will try to make you believe you need to scrub your face with tiny shards of pearls or dead sea salts or whatever, for example, but their job is to do exactly that. You may just have skin that is sensitive and prone to ingrowns, which happens, especially in coarser hair areas. Scrubbing it with lots of harsh products is only going to irritate it more if it's already that sensitive. There are also lots of products like Bikini Zone (there are lots of different ones made especially for the bikini area, since that's a very common problem, but I imagine they work on leg skin too) that help reduce ingrowns.

If you are moisturizing daily also, I would make sure that the lotions you're using aren't the "makes your hair grow back more slowly" kind, or aren't very thick and clogging the hair follicles, which could be contributing to the issue.
posted by so_gracefully at 9:40 AM on June 13, 2009

Best answer: Tend Skin works wonders. There are some homemade recipes online too (just google) but I'm usually just too lazy to make and store them.
posted by barnone at 10:15 AM on June 13, 2009

Bath and Body Works is currently having a semi-annual sale, ending tomorrow. I got a great sugar scrub that was originally $20 for $5. Here's a coupon.
posted by girlmightlive at 10:32 AM on June 13, 2009

There was another thread similar to this about a week ago. As with that question, I use exfoliating gloves every day in the bath/shower to soap up. Mine are dark green, very thick and scrubby.
They came from the local health food store, but they can also be found at the larger "Bed and Bath" department store places and beauty supply. I wax and have sensitive skin prone to the same problems as yours.
Good luck and hope you find something that works. :)
posted by Cookbooks and Chaos at 10:35 AM on June 13, 2009

I also wanted to recommend using bath gloves which I think are even better than a loofah. I've also made my own scrub with salt and oil -- just be careful of scented things; some I've tried were very irritating, more so to newly waxed skin.
posted by olecranon at 11:03 AM on June 13, 2009

I use this, Japanese exfoliating towel, which allows me to reach my back as well.
posted by jadepearl at 11:56 AM on June 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

i use a body wash with pumice in it. seems to work well
posted by nadawi at 12:24 PM on June 13, 2009

My boyfriend swears by his scrubby cloth from The Body Shop. You can also use a chemical exfoliant like a lotion containing AHA or BHA.
posted by transporter accident amy at 1:00 PM on June 13, 2009

Mrs. Jones uses baking soda, moistened at bathroom sink, rubbed on. Great skin. Does NOT use moisturizer. (She did just mention the other day some problems being reported with moisturizers in general - I have nothing more substantial than that vague rumor, but you might want to run it down.)
posted by IndigoJones at 4:31 PM on June 13, 2009

I have the same problem and use Tend skin lotion. It seems to get rid of the redness/irritation much better than anything else and lets me get rid of the ingrown hairs easier.
posted by Melsky at 4:42 PM on June 13, 2009

Response by poster: After reading cmgonzalez's comment this morning, I mixed a slurry of kosher salt and some bath salts in olive oil and gave my legs a good scrub. Had some left over so I did my upper body too (although it made the bathtub scary slippery...). Went out running errands, doing stuff, just came back and checked... mission mostly accomplished! Kosher salt might be a little too course, I might have to crush it a bit in a mortar next time.

Thanks everyone! I'll keep an eye out for exfoliating towels and gloves.
posted by porpoise at 5:09 PM on June 13, 2009