Should you use a sugar and coconut oil face scrub?

Can you use a sugar scrub on your face?

A sugar scrub used to rub away surface skin belongs to mechanical exfoliation: particles physically remove dead skin cells. That can improve dullness, but rubbing too hard can irritate and inflame skin. General advice for facial scrubs applies here; a homemade mixture is not a reason to scrub more firmly or more often.3

Exfoliation can improve skin's appearance by removing a dull surface layer, but it will not fix wrinkles. There is no useful timetable to promise for a homemade sugar scrub. Judge an exfoliant by whether your skin tolerates it, rather than expecting a particular result after a set number of applications. More pressure is not a shortcut: harsh physical exfoliation can aggravate inflammatory acne.3

Does coconut oil make the scrub gentler?

Coconut oil can help skin retain moisture by reducing water loss through its surface. That makes it useful as a body moisturizer, particularly for dry areas, but moisturizing ability does not make it a good facial ingredient. Coconut oil is highly comedogenic, meaning it can clog pores. It can contribute to acne, blackheads and whiteheads, especially on oily skin. Adding an oil to an abrasive scrub does not remove the need to consider both pore clogging and irritation.2

Avoid using the mixture around your eyes. Coconut oil can also contribute to milia, tiny white or yellow bumps, particularly where skin is thinner, such as under the eyes. Coconut oil used briefly to remove makeup is a different use from leaving an oily scrub residue on your face: follow it with a gentle cleanser and rinse thoroughly.2

Who should be especially careful?

• Dry, sensitive or acne prone skin can find mechanical exfoliation too irritating. A mild chemical exfoliant can be a more suitable option.
• Oily, thicker skin can tolerate mechanical exfoliation better, but coconut oil still brings a pore clogging concern.
• Darker skin tones, or skin that develops dark marks after acne, burns or bites, need particular care with aggressive exfoliation because it can increase dark spots.
• Skin with open cuts, wounds or sunburn should not be exfoliated.

Check your existing routine before adding any exfoliant. Prescription retinoid creams, retinol and benzoyl peroxide can make skin more sensitive or cause peeling. Exfoliating alongside them can worsen dryness or trigger breakouts. If a prescribed treatment is already making your skin peel, do not try to scrub the peeling away.4

What should you use instead?

Start with cleansing, not abrasion. Washing removes excess oil, dirt, makeup and sunscreen. Cleansers contain surfactants, ingredients that loosen oily dirt and allow water to carry it away. A scrub and a cleanser do different jobs, even if a kitchen recipe tries to hire one mixture for both. A gritty texture is not necessary for cleaning your face.5

1. 1Wet your face with lukewarm water.
2. 2Apply a gentle, nonabrasive cleanser without alcohol using your fingertips. Do not add a brush, mesh sponge or scrubbing motion.
3. 3Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry with a soft towel.
4. 4Apply moisturizer if your skin is dry or itchy, using a gentle touch around your eyes.

Wash once in the morning and once at night, and after heavy sweating. Do not add extra washes to chase an oily feeling. Overwashing can remove the skin's surface oil film, increase moisture loss and leave skin dry or irritated. If you use an acne cleanser as well as a treatment that stays on the skin, watch for excessive dryness from combining them.15

If you still want to exfoliate

Choose a gentle facial exfoliant rather than making the sugar and coconut oil mixture your starting point. Chemical exfoliants use acids to dissolve dead skin cells instead of rubbing them away. Start with a lower concentration of a hydroxy acid or salicylic acid, and increase strength only if needed. Chemical exfoliation can also irritate skin, so switching methods is not permission to use a stronger product immediately.3

For a suitable facial scrub or chemical exfoliant, use these general application steps rather than treating them as a homemade recipe:

1. 1Apply gently with small circular motions for about 30 seconds.
2. 2Rinse well with lukewarm water, not hot water.
3. 3Apply moisturizer immediately afterward.

Do not exfoliate every day. Two or three times a week is an upper limit in general guidance, not a target for a sugar scrub. The appropriate frequency depends on your skin and the method; more aggressive exfoliation needs longer gaps. Exfoliation can also increase susceptibility to sunburn.34

What if the scrub causes breakouts or irritation?

Stop scrubbing if your skin becomes red, chapped, itchy or burning. Do not add another exfoliant to correct the reaction. If you suspect the mixture is causing breakouts, remove it from your routine for two weeks and watch whether fewer spots develop. Change one product at a time so you can identify the likely trigger. For a replacement moisturizer, look for a fragrance free, noncomedogenic formula, meaning one less likely to clog pores.6

Acne involves follicles blocked by excess oil and dead skin cells; scrubbing can irritate skin and make acne worse. For mild acne, a pharmacist can advise on treatments such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide instead of a homemade scrub. These are acne treatments, not ingredients to add to the mixing bowl.7

See a doctor if acne is not improving with treatment, if you have many spots, or if spots are deep, painful or causing scars. Get medical advice for hot, swollen skin with redness, which can be harder to see on brown or black skin. Acne affecting your mental health is also a reason to seek help. A dermatologist can help you decide whether exfoliation belongs in your routine at all.47