How to Exfoliate Your Legs with Salt

Co-authored by Joanna Kula

Last Updated: February 23, 2022 References

Using a salt scrub to exfoliate can leave your legs feeling soft and smooth. The abrasive texture of the salt will lift the dead skin that has built up on your legs to reveal new and beautiful skin. You can easily exfoliate your legs with salt by making a salt scrub, exfoliating your skin, and locking in moisture.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making a Salt Scrub

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Gather your materials. You will need sea salt and your favorite oil. Olive oil or coconut oil work well. Do not substitute table salt for sea salt. Not only is table salt too fine, the refining process removes all of the beneficial minerals.^{[1]
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- Sugar can be substituted for sea salt, as it is less abrasive.^{[2]
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Combine the oil and sea salt. Add one cup of sea salt to a bowl. Mix in one tablespoon of your chosen oil. Continue to add oil to the mixture until the salt is thick and moist. Use a large spoon or your fingers to combine the ingredients until you have reached the desired consistency.^{[3]
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- If you are using an oil that is a solid at room temperature, such as coconut oil, consider warming the oil slightly until it is in its liquid form. Put a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl and heat it up for 10-15 seconds. This will enable you to combine the ingredients better. Be careful to not get the oil too hot as it can dissolve the salt.
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Add your favorite essential oil. Different essential oils have a wide array of healing properties. It will also give your body scrub a very appealing scent. You can select an essential oil by its smell or its healing properties.
- Cinnamon, pine, and peppermint oils are great scents for winter. Add these essential oils to your body scrub for a great homemade Christmas gift.
- Lavender and chamomile have a calming effect. They can help to relieve stress and anxiety.
- Try combining essential oils to spice up the aroma of your body scrub. Citrus oils (lemon or orange) pair nicely with woodsy oils (pine or cedar).^{[4]
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Store the scrub. If you made enough body scrub to use for multiple applications, make sure that you store the leftover in an airtight container, such as a mason jar or plastic Tupperware.
- Decorate and label a mason jar full of body scrub to give as a homemade gift.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Exfoliating Your Skin

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Avoid shaving before exfoliating. Exfoliating your legs before you shave will allow for a closer shave. It will remove any dead skin that often builds up in a razor and prevents a close shave. Exfoliating regularly will also help to prevent ingrown hairs which can be painful.^{[5]
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Exfoliate in the bathtub or shower. You will achieve the best results if you exfoliate in the shower or bathtub. The steam will help soften your skin and open up your pores. The water will also allow for easy rinsing and clean up.
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Apply the exfoliate to your leg. Using the tips of your fingers, apply a small amount of salt scrub to a small portion of your leg. Start at the bottom of your leg, near your ankle, and work your way up.
- Use an exfoliation mitt if the salt scrub is too rough on your hands. Just remember to thoroughly wash out your mitt after each use. The buildup of dead skin on the mitt can result in bacteria growth.^{[6]
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Scrub your skin. Using the tips of your fingers, massage the salt scrub onto your leg in a circular motion. The circular motion will help to prevent or free ingrown hairs. Continue to add more salt scrub as you move to new parts of your leg.^{[7]
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- Avoid rubbing too hard or too long. If you see your skin start to appear red or irritated, stop rubbing.
- Be careful around sensitive areas such as your ankles and bikini line.
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Repeat on your other leg. Start near your ankle on the opposite leg. Continue to apply salt scrub while you exfoliate your shin, knee, and thigh.
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Exfoliate your legs once or twice a week for best results. If you suffer from rough, dry patches on your legs, consider exfoliating twice a week. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to consider exfoliating only once a week. Note that every body reacts differently to different ingredients. Try different oils and abrasives until you find the perfect match for your skin type.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Locking in Moisture

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Rinse off your legs. Once you are finished exfoliating both legs, rinse them thoroughly with warm water. Before you get out of the shower, rinse them again with cool water. This will close your pores and prevent irritation.^{[8]
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Pat your legs dry with a towel. Do not rub your legs dry as it can cause irritation and dry out your skin. Take care not to dry off too thoroughly before moisturizing. You want your skin to feel slightly damp.^{[9]
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Apply a moisturizer. Be sure to apply your moisturizer immediately after you pat your legs dry to lock in the moisture. Aim to moisturize within two minutes of stepping out of the shower or bath. The pores of your skin will still be saturated with water and the moisturizer will prevent some of the water from evaporating from your skin, leaving your skin soft and moisturized.^{[10]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

What should I do once I'm done exfoliating my legs?

Joanna Kula
Licensed Esthetician
Joanna Kula is a Licensed Esthetician, Owner and Founder of Skin Devotee Facial Studio in Philadelphia. With over 10 years of experience in skincare, Joanna specializes in transformative facial treatments to help clients achieve a lifetime of healthy, beautiful, and radiant skin. She is also a contributing author for the prestigious Les Nouvelles Esthetiques & Spa magazine and has been featured in a number of magazines including InStyle.

Joanna Kula

Licensed Esthetician

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Your skin will absorb moisture most right after exfoliating, so be sure to apply a moisturizing oil or body lotion after rinsing off the salt scrub. This will leave your legs feeling silky smooth!
Question

Will this method really remove all of my ingrown hairs?

Community Answer

No, but it will help remove some. I would recommend removing any remaining ingrown hairs with tweezers.
Question

I have heaps of them. Should I increase the amount of times I do it a week if it's not very effective?

Community Answer

Once or twice a week is good enough. If it still doesn't affect anything try using gloves that are specific to exfoliating (exfoliating bath gloves). You normally have a shower using normal soap as this will allow for exfoliation. You can find the gloves on ASOS if you want to buy it online; you can also find it in places such as the Body Shop.