Top 5 natural exfoliants in your kitchen

Exfoliation, when done the right way, can make ageing skin look younger and preserve youthful appeal. And what if we tell you that the best of these exfoliants aren't expensive and are available in plenty right where you are! Excited? Read on to discover the top 5 natural exfoliants in your very own kitchen.

Honey. A healthy and sweet addition to your skin care routine, unprocessed honey is a superb antiseptic. This is because it has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral benefits. Loaded with antioxidants, honey helps in protecting and repairing the skin, by reducing skin inflammation too. Mix it in your hydrating facial scrub and it acts as a great moisturiser too.

Yogurt. An excellent staple food in your kitchen and healthy diet regimen, yogurt is full of lactic acid, which contains alpha hydroxyl acid (an acid present in prescription skin care treatments). Combine it with milk, and yogurt works as an excellent skin-smoothening exfoliant. All you have to do is apply yogurt on any part of your body, let it stay for 20 minutes and then rinse.

Baking soda. A must-use in baking and odor control procedures, baking soda is used extensively in high-end spa treatments. Now they may not leak it to you, but baking soda is used extensively in microdermabrasion treatments, which contains sodium bicarbonate. However, do note that the amount of baking soda you should be using on your skin should be quite moderate, as sensitive or mature skin can suffer from its harsh effects. Best would be to add a pinch of it to your facial cleanser in the morning and enjoy a spa-worthy treatment at home.

Ground fruit seeds and nuts. Go for blackberry seeds or raspberry or ground almonds mixture and exfoliate your skin with these easily available ingredients. These ingredients help in removing dead cells, when massaged onto the skin in a smooth, circular motion. Avoid using sharp edged ingredients. Infact, make a puree of the nuts, almonds and readily available fruit seeds and then apply them to your skin for a softer, smoother skin.

Sea salt. If you are looking for a facial scrub that really helps in opening your pores, then mixing sea salt with water is a great idea. Scrubbing your face with it in the morning is a great homemade exfoliation procedure. An inexpensive and quite popular body treatment at spas, sea salt scrubs help in detoxifying the body by stimulating blood circulation through vasodilation of blood capillaries inside the skin.