I have a volatile relationship with facial scrubs as I think, if used correctly and carefully, they can give your skin that polished, clean feel after a single use that a lot of chemical exfoliators can’t, but at the same time, if you go even slightly too heavy, they can cause chaos on your skin, giving you micro tears, a compromised skin barrier and even broken capillaries and scarring! My point being that, I think a lot of people use them incorrectly and risk damaging their skin unnecessarily. Having said that, if used right in a facial routine (and not too often) then they can quickly and effectively improve skin texture, glow and product penetration. So you see, it really is a balancing act!
I’ve been lucky enough to try a few Ole Henriksen products recently, since they came to the UK via Boots, and the Ole Henriksen Lemonade Smoothing Scrub is a really good example of products that Ole do so well; it provides a number of benefits, looks fun and generates quick results. The Ole Henriksen Lemonade Smoothing Scrub is a hybrid of chemical and manual exfoliation, with Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid and Lemon Peel providing the chemical elements, whilst sugar provides the manual.
I tend to put my manual exfoliators into three categories: gentle that you can get away with using a few times a week, medium that you can use a couple of times a month, and harsh that you should just keep far away from your skin (but great for the hands!) The Ole Henriksen Lemonade Smoothing Scrub, in my opinion, sits within the medium category, so it’s something you should use a couple of times a month to give your skin a slightly more rigorous exfoliation. Obviously I’m almost 37 with skin that reacts quite easily, so if you have hardier skin then chances are you can get away with using it more, this is just my recommendation based on my particular needs.
The Ole Henriksen Lemonade Smoothing Scrub is a really nice product to use. It’s fresh and fun and it feels really smoothing. The lemon is also done really well; I think lemon in skincare can often smell quite synthetic, but this is zingy without being too overpowering. I also love the fact that it includes a mix of both types of exfoliants so you really feel like your getting a good level of exfoliation. I’m not sure I would repurchase this based on the fact that I don’t use medium level scrubs in my facial routine enough to warrant it, but if you’re someone who loves a manual scrub, this one is a really lovely choice.
The Ole Henriksen Lemonade Smoothing Scrub is available now for £25 from Boots here – link.
Disclosure: PR Sample, I was not paid to feature
