What are those beads in exfoliation products?

Exfoliation is known to make the face smoother by rubbing off dead skin cells from the outermost layer of skin.  It may result in a brighter complexion and less visible surface damage, like wrinkles.  It stimulates production of new cells and cycles more.  Every 30 days, dead skin falls in our 20’s.  Older ladies take longer.

Benefits
-  Allows topical products to absorb more readily
-  Increases circulation improving oxygen levels in cells
-  For men, exposes hair follicles, allowing for a better shave

What could those tiny beads made of?
-          Borax
-          Ground fruit pits
-          Polyethylene (plastic)

Why polyethylene?
The polyethylene beads are popular because their smoothness results in less redness or tiny cuts to the skin than some other materials.

Where do those beads end up?
These tiny beads of polyethylene plastic washing down the drain are too small to be caught by waste-water treatment plants and end up in the ocean, where they’ll possibly be ingested by sea creatures.  Plastic doesn’t biodegrade.  The sunlight disintegrates it into smaller pieces of plastic.  New research also suggests that polyethylene is an excellent transporter of phenanthrene, a byproduct of fossil fuel burning that's a dangerous ocean pollutant.

Click here for a list of products containing polyethylene.

Are there other natural ingredients that can be used instead?
-  Sugar
-  Sea salt
-  Pumice
-  Crushed seeds
-  Crushed pits
-  Crushed shells
-  Crushed nuts
-  Quinoa
-  Corn meal
-  Oatmeal
-  Baking soda
-  Coffee

Young Living Essential Oils has a product called Satin Facial Scrub.  It contains jojoba wax beads, MSM, and peppermint oil.
-  Jojoba Wax Beads provide gentle exfoliation without leaving micro-lacerations on delicate skin. These soft, spherical beads are superior to ground nut shells and pumice powders when used in products for the face and body. They are perfect for use within scrubs, body washes and soaps.
-  MSM helps collagen.  Methylsulfonylmethane, abbreviated MSM, is an organic sulfur-containing compound that occurs naturally in a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and in animals. MSM appears to readily cross the blood-brain barrier, which makes it highly available to the body.   MSM is used to support healthy muscles, joints, teeth, skin, and soft tissue.
-  Peppermint oil stimulates the skin leaving a cooling effect.


Sources and Resources:
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2008/06/scrubbing_out_sea_life.html
These are also notes from a workshop by Carla Green at the Young Living Essential Oils Convention in 2012.


For more information: www.oilsforhealthyliving.net