Skin Care Review: St. Ives Blackhead and Blemish Scrub

Rating
Good

Benefits
Exfoliates skin and leaves it looking fresh, glowing, and best of all, pimple free!

Drawbacks
It may be a little harsh for those of you with sensitive skin.

Details
I began using this scrub about two and a half years ago towards the end of my sophomore year in high school. My mom is a devoted St. Ives product user (she started using them in her teens, too), and recommended that I try some of their facial products as I was having some problems with acne and oily skin. The first time I used it, I loved it and have been using it ever since. This is your typical scrub: it's coarse and grainy like a good face scrub is supposed to be - not creamy and lotion-like like other facial scrubs out there. Those are more like cleansers to me. And it smells good, too, which is a plus, because I've come across quite a few funky smelling facial products in my day...

I use this product before I cleanse (I don't know why, but I doubt the order in which I use it doesn't make a difference). I wet my hands and face, squeeze about a half inch to an inch long segment onto my finger tips, rub my fingers together, then slowly massage the scrub onto my face. Like I said before, it's very coarse and grainy, so you have to be gentle not to over-exfoliate your skin. (This scrub may be a little too rough for people with sensitive skin, too. My little sister started using it and after about a week she developed some rough patches on her cheeks. If that happens, then switch to a milder, creamier scrub.) After about a minute or two, I rinse with warm water, then pat my face dry. The only annoying thing about this product is that it's easy for the grainy bits to get stuck to the sides of your face and in your hair, so pay attention to those areas as your rinsing.

You can feel the difference in your skin right away. My face was fresh and glowing, and because this product contains salicylic acid, after about a week I noticed a significant change in the amount of pimples on my face. Of course I use it in conjunction with an anti-acne cleanser, but the use of the scrub really added to the clarity of my skin.

Conclusions
I absolutely recommend this product. Major results in little time!

Price (paid by reviewer)
$3.99

Where to find it
Any drug store