SOFT SCRUB

In middle school I began using a certain apricot facial exfoliator (I think it’s become a rite of passage) and with it my love of scrubs began. Now I seem to have a scrub for everything: for my face Arcona Cranberry Gommage, for body Fleur de France lavender salt scrub and Korres Watermelon Body Scrub without salt for self tanner prep (FYI, salt strips skin and leads to streaking). Recently I learned about scalp scrubs. I had no idea. The Sugar and Fig Scalp Massage Scrub from Bain de Terre and Korres Green Silt & Coralina Oligoelements Hair & Scalp Scrub were getting great reviews. They sounded fabulous in theory but wouldn’t they be an oily mess? Wouldn’t they leave my hair gritty? I picked up a box of the Bain de Terre and decided to find out for myself.

The summer heat combined with time spent in the pool has not been kind to my scalp. I was so eager to try it I decided to ignore the rather ridiculous pink line on my scalp where I got a little sunburned the day before (from now on, the California Baby SPF stick is for my hairline too). Opening one of the applicator tubes (each box contains four) I was a bit worried that the oils in the sugar scrub would be a disaster and I would be washing it out for days. Instead it was fabulous.

After wetting hair, you apply it to the scalp in sections like hair dye. The sugar scrub is self-heating and the texture fine and nonabrasive. The fig scent was light and sweet and I could see the oils absorbing into my scalp and roots. Prepared to shampoo more than once to get the product out, I couldn’t believe that with one shampoo all oiliness and sugar was gone. My hair looked shinier and my scalp clean. I only wish the tubes were a bit smaller. I have just below shoulder length hair and I used just half a tube. You can either use the rest as body scrub, which some do, or put the tube in a Ziploc bag to keep it from drying out.

Safe for color treated hair, Bain de Terre uses pesticide free botanicals in their entire line and the sugar scrub is ideal for all hair types from oily to dry. Check out their whole line of hair therapies here. xo a.