What goes inside your head when you hear the words "salt" and "sugar"? Well, apart from thinking about condiments, did you know that salt and sugar are also used as an exfoliant in your body scrubs?

While there are plenty of ingredients available to formulate a scrub, salt and sugar scrubs are undoubtedly two of the most common ones you see in many beauty brands. Now, here comes the million dollar question - What's the difference?

Before we focus on their differences, we should understand why exfoliating is important for our skin.

Why exfoliate?

As mentioned in our earlier articles on achieving youthful and healthy skin, exfoliation is one key step one should not miss. If you miss out on exfoliating your skin, not only will you have rough skin, the buildup of dead skin cells will only leave your skin looking dull and lacklustre.

Body scrubs exist for this reason: to make your skin glow.

As we all know, salt particles tends to be coarser and grainer compared to sugar. This grainy texture is suitable for thicker skin such as the feet, knees and elbows. Salt is also naturally antiseptic, so it also helps to improve blood circulation and ease muscle aches. Perfect for those who does sports!

Keep in mind that salt will sting if you apply on open wounds, so if you had nicked yourself while shaving or sustained a little cut the day before, hold on to the salt and go for a sugar scrub until the wound heals.

Sugar scrubs are finer and less abrasive on the skin. This makes it suitable for delicate areas like your neck and face. You should also take into account your skin type as it also determines which kind of scrub is good for your skin. If you have sensitive skin, you should choose sugar scrubs as it is gentle and less likely to cause irritation.

Ultimately, whether you pick salt or sugar scrub, it all boils down to your skin type and the areas which you want to scrub. Just remember, always follow up with a moisturiser after exfoliating so your skin stays protected and hydrated throughout the day.