Remember the good ‘ol days when self-care meant scrubbing your face raw with a gritty, nutty scrub that smelled like the apricot orchards of our childhood? Ah, the nostalgia of it all. If you’re in your 30s, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Those glorious walnut and apricot scrubs that left our skin feeling like a freshly sanded piece of fine furniture—smooth, glowing, and maybe just a little bit red.
But that’s how we knew they worked, right? The sting was a small price to pay for the satisfaction of seeing a little extra gleam in the mirror. It was the ultimate beauty badge of honour: a slightly pinkish hue that screamed, “I exfoliate, therefore I glow.”
Extreme Exfoliation Era
Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s. The thrill of squeezing out that rough, grainy paste, knowing you were about to wage war on blackheads and rough patches—it was invigorating. And the best part? The feeling of absolute, undeniable cleanliness afterwards. But then, the skincare gods decided to rain on our parade. Experts and dermatologists started to tell us that maybe, just maybe, scrubbing our faces with crushed walnut shells wasn’t the best idea. Apparently, our beloved scrubs were a little too effective at their job, leaving micro-tears and irritated skin in their wake.
The Shift
Suddenly, we pivoted to gentle, chemical exfoliants, and the once-revered scrubs were quietly relegated to the past. I get it—times change, science advances, and our skin deserves the best. But can we just take a moment to appreciate the raw, unfiltered joy of those scrubs? They were the exfoliating equivalent of a deep-cleaning power wash. Sure, they were a little harsh, but damn, did they make you feel like you’d stripped away every ounce of dirt, oil, and general life grime. There was something so satisfyingly primal about it—like using nature’s tools to polish your skin to perfection. And let’s be honest, who among us doesn’t miss the instant gratification? The silky-smooth finish, the way your moisturiser seemed to sink in just a little deeper afterwards, the subtle yet satisfying burn that reminded you beauty is pain. We didn’t need science to tell us they worked; we had the squeaky-clean faces to prove it.
A Guilty Pleasure
So here we are, in 2024, with our shelves full of gentle exfoliants, serums, and peels that promise to renew our skin without the drama. But every once in a while, I catch myself yearning for that gritty, intense scrub that made my skin feel like it could survive a nuclear winter. Yes, I know better now—my mature, well-educated skincare routine doesn’t involve walnut shards or apricot pits. But that doesn’t mean I can’t miss it.
It’s like craving a snack—one that you know isn’t great for you, but boy, does it hit the spot. I suppose there’s something to be said for progress and taking better care of our skin. But I’ll always have a soft spot (or should I say a scrubbed-to-the-core spot) for those unapologetically abrasive products of yesteryear. Because this seems like a safe space I can also admit that I do always have an emotional support tube of my favourite walnut scrub and may or may not use it once in a while. I moisturise to the GODS after, but, I still use it. Honestly, have you ever thought that these scrubs might actually be the reason why people in their 30s don’t really look 30?
Here’s to the walnut scrubs and apricot pits of our past—may they rest in peace, and may our skin forever remember the clean, polished glory they gave us.
