Wraps and Scrubs that Get Rid of Cellulite – The Definitive Guide

Wraps and scrubs are becoming increasingly popular around the world.
They are available to have in spa treatment centers and information around the web is in abundance with all kinds of recipes and pointers of “best ways to do it”.

Wraps and scrubs are fun and can be effective. A lot of people use these to lose weight, but you should be aware that we are not using wraps or scrubs for this purpose. The weight you lose from wraps in particular is mostly fluid loss through perspiration, and you tend to put the weight you lose straight back on quite naturally.

Effective Wraps that Work

Body wraps are effective methods you can use to help you get rid of those unsightly lumpy cell affected areas of your skin. The effectiveness of the wraps happens as a result of implementing the “greenhouse effect” combined together with detoxification and the absorption of vitamins and minerals. The principle is quite simple and is easy to apply as a home-based treatment, although you can get body wrap treatments in some spas and weight loss salons.

Wraps are big money, especially for salons, and are used extensively as weight loss methods. Now a wrap, when used properly, will help you lose weight in the area where you apply the wrap. However, this is only a temporary loss, mainly due to the sweating and moisture loss from the area you will have wrapped.

What is the Purpose of a Body Wrap?

The Reason Why Certain Body Wraps are Effective

The purpose we are using a wrap for is not to lose weight. Losing weight does not equal reducing the lumpy cell appearance. We are using a wrap to help the body accelerate the removal of toxins from the areas of our body where the lumpy dimpled skin appearance is most present.

Toxin Removal

How To Use a Wrap

This video by Nicole Skyes is helpful, and she shows you not only how to put on a wrap, but gives her own views about it too, which are very honest. But remember when watching, we are not doing wraps for the purpose of losing weight (even though you may well lose weight as a result of using a wrap).

Things to Consider in Applying Body Wraps

Applying a body wrap often requires preparing the skin to be treated. The skin needs to be scrubbed and cleaned thoroughly. Some experts recommend using sea salt or even seaweed extracts to help exfoliate dead skin cells. You can also use certain body scrubs as a preparatory step to body wrap treatment.

In choosing the ingredients to be used in your body wrap, it is essential to choose only organic ingredients that are of high quality. These ingredients should be thoroughly mixed for best results. The mixture consistency should be in the form of a paste in order to facilitate adhesion onto the surface of the skin. Some experts recommend mixing the ingredients with powdered seaweed, which will act as a binding agent to keep all of the ingredients in one convenient packing.

The wrapping mixture should be applied in thick layers over problem areas before covering with plastic film. This traps the ingredients as well as the heat that they generate. The trapped heat allows for the better absorption of the microelements found in the active ingredients of the mixture. If possible, you need to slip into a sleeping bag or wrap a blanket around you to help in the retention of the heat. Be mindful however, that certain wraps necessitate moving.

Remember, you need to drink plenty of water just prior to the application of the body wrap and also whilst you are wearing it. This increases cellular hydration as well as help facilitate the removal of toxins and metabolic waste products when the body wrap is already exerting its effects.

After the body wrap treatment, do not forget to take a shower or bath to rinse off the remaining mixture. You can then apply an effective cream for best results.

The Reason Why Body Wraps Help

Body wraps work by enhancing the circulation of blood and lymph underneath the skin. One of the main reasons why affected lumpy cells form is as a result of inefficient blood and lymph circulation. Poor circulation has a knock on effect that causes other bodily functions to become inefficient.

Poor circulation diminishes the supply of oxygen to the subcutaneous tissue as well as the dermis thereby inducing oxidative reactions that compensate as a result of the diminished supply of oxygen. As a result, toxins are not adequately removed due to the poor blood/lymph circulation. The effect therefore is such that the toxins accumulate significantly, and are stored in the body’s affected cell areas. Dr. Diana Howard writes that “it is poor circulation (blood and lymphatic flow) that ultimately creates the right environment for this formation”. She goes on to say that “Loss of circulation to an area – whether caused by lack of exercise, too much sitting, clogged arteries or nutrient deficiency – can have a serious impact and accelerate the unwanted cell formation”.

The active ingredients used in body wraps, including the heat that gets trapped in the wrap, work to improve blood flow to and from the skin. Additionally, the lymph vessels are also dilated to help remove waste products as well as toxins. Furthermore, the heat generated by the wrap as well as the different active ingredients help stimulate both the sebaceous and sweat glands to increase their excretory activity to help in the removal of waste products. In effect, you are trapping the heat between the problem areas and the plastic film wrap. Since there is no way for the warmed essences of the substances or ingredients to move elsewhere, they exert their relaxing and dilating effects on the structures of the skin.

When applying a body wrap, you should first apply the active ingredients generously over the problematic area before being wrapped in a plastic film to effectively form a seal over the skin surface.

The desired effects of the body wrap include the resorption or reabsorption of the cell plaques to eliminate the orange peel appearance on the skin, the improvement of the skin’s elastic properties, and the overall enhancement of blood circulation. Additionally, effective body wraps are intended for improving the smoothness of the skin and removal of waste products and toxins as in detoxification as well as reduce the volume of subcutaneous fat.

Super Effective Body Wrap Recipes

Seaweed Body Wraps

Experts agree that seaweed is one of the best wrapping ingredients used for anti-cellulite purposes. Dr. Mao mentions that seaweed is naturally rich nutrition including iodine, vitamin K, magnesium, iron, calcium plus the B-vitamins folate, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and vitamin C for cellular integrity.

Seaweed also contains copper, zinc, calcium, manganese, iron and magnesium, all of which help in the maintenance of cellular integrity and the facilitation of cellular regeneration. Also, seaweed is rich in pantothenic acid, vitamin K, folate, and riboflavin.

To make your own seaweed body wrap, you will need the following:

• High quality organic seaweed powder
• Warm water
• 2 x tablespoons of olive oil
• A few drops of Juniper oil or any other essential oil of your choosing

Add warm water to the seaweed powder and mix to form a thick paste. Add the essential oil and the olive oil and mix thoroughly. In case the mixture is too thick, just add water until the desired consistency is attained. If the mixture is fluid, just add some more seaweed powder. Apply the mix to the area you are treating and apply the wrap. Hold the wrap in place with a towel, muslin or bandage and keep it applied for the duration

When the treatment is complete, rinse the mixture off and apply a high quality specialist cream to the treated area.

Coffee Body Wraps

A Rio de Janeiro study revealed that ground coffee, when topically applied, can aid the skin in the absorption of antioxidants which are, in turn, needed to remove toxins that are associated with the lumpy celle formation. Coffee grounds therefore, remain as a favorite ingredient for a wrap.

To make your own coffee body wrap, you will need the following:

• 1/2 cup coffee grounds
• Small amount of milk
• White clay (substitute with olive oil if white clay is not available)
• A few drops of Juniper oil

Dissolve the white clay in warm water until you get a consistency of thick cream and then warm the mix. Dissolve the ground coffee in a small amount of milk and add to the white clay mix and mix thoroughly. Apply the mix to the area you are treating and apply the wrap. Hold the wrap in place with a towel, muslin or bandage and keep it applied for the duration.

Honey-Mustard Body Wrap

The benefits of honey in affected cell management is largely attributed to its detoxification properties. Additionally, it saturates the skin with microelements and vitamins as well as improves skin respiration and enhances skin microcirculation. Mustard has vasodilating properties because of the heat it generates. This comes in handy in ensuring maximum anti-cellulite benefits of the body wrap.

To make your own honey-mustard body wrap, you will need the following:

• 1 part mustard powder
• 2 parts honey
• Warm water

Mix 2 parts of honey and 1 part of mustard powder until they form a thick consistency. Add a few drops of warm water to help increase the temperature of the mixture. Apply the mix to the area you are treating and apply the wrap. Hold the wrap in place with a towel, muslin or bandage and keep it applied for the duration.

Green Tea Body Wrap

The antioxidant benefits of green tea can also translate into a better more effective body wrap treatment.

Green tea helps rejuvenate the skin, while facilitating the removal of toxins and metabolic waste products.

To make your own green tea body wrap, you will need the following:

• 2 parts powdered green tea
• 1 part honey
• A pinch of cinnamon
• Hot water

Mix the powdered green tea in a small amount of hot water to get a thick paste. Add cinnamon and honey and mix thoroughly. Apply the mix to the area you are treating and apply the wrap. Hold the wrap in place with a towel, muslin or bandage and keep it applied for the duration.

Aloe Vera Body Wraps

Aloe vera contains water that helps hydrate the skin and help facilitate the removal of metabolic waste products as well as toxins from underneath the skin. When used in body wraps, it can aid the reduction of the lumpy cell appearance.

To make your own aloe vera body wrap, you need the following:

• 1 part aloe gel
• A few drops of essential oil either lavender or peppermint
• Warm water

Combine the aloe gel with a few drops of water to obtain a pasty consistency. Add a few drops of lavender or peppermint essential oil and mix well. Apply the mix to the area you are treating and apply the wrap. Hold the wrap in place with a towel, muslin or bandage and keep it applied for the duration

Use and Apply Hot Castor Oil Packs

The Reason Why Hot Castor Oil Helps

Apply hot castor oil packs over the affected cell areas whenever you can in order to facilitate the removal of toxins underneath the skin and help get rid of the unsightly cottage cheese appearance.

A 2000 study revealed that hot castor oil packs can be effective in relieving pain and reducing inflammation. In addition to this, the heat coming from the oil soaked flannel increases the diameter of both blood and lymph vessels which accelerated and aids the removal of toxins stored in the affected cell areas, which is why hot castor oil packs make for good applications.

Practical Steps To Follow

You will need the following materials for a hot castor oil pack:

• A Pack of Dye-Free Woolen Flannels (you can purchase these quite cheaply)
• High Quality Hexane Free Castor Oil
• Cling Film
• Hot Water Bottle

Place 4 – 6 flannels in a container and add castor oil until the flannels are Saturated. Heat the oil saturated flannels in a microwave, but be sure to check the temperature regularly because it can become very hot very quickly. When it is at a temperature that you are happy with, apply the flannels so that they are spread out and covering the affected areas you are treating.

When you have applied the hot flannels, hold them in place with a wrap of cling film. Maintain the heat of the oil by applying a hot water bottle or a heat pad to the area you have wrapped.

A once-daily application of hot castor oil packs is fine, although increasing the frequency to two or three per day will be fine. The hot castor oil pack should not be left on the area longer than 15 – 20 minutes in any one session.

Safety Considerations: If at any time during the treatment process you have any adverse effects, stop treatment immediately and consult your doctor.

Effective Body Scrubs That Work

Body scrubs exercise the skin. Let me explain. When you go to the gym and work out, you exercise your muscles. When you exercise your muscles, you create minute tears in the muscles. Your body quickly repairs them, strengthening and rebuilding them. The skin responds in a similar way when you do a body scrub.

The massage-like scrubbing exfoliates the skin, which removes the dead cells. Cosmetic surgeon Harold J. Kaplan M.D. says that by doing the exfoliation, the skin is shocked into producing new cells. It is this production of new cells that helps stimulate production of new collagen. The production of collagen is essential for reducing the appearance of lumpy dimpled skine.

In addition to facilitating and encouraging the production of collagen, body scrubs help improve blood and lymph circulation so as to aid and accelerate the removal of toxins and metabolic waste products from the body. One of the better known spa and home treatments that can do both is body scrubbing.

As with dry brushing and massage, body scrubs entail the use of certain ingredients that have exfoliating properties as well as other benefits, most notably antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, detoxification and circulatory efficiency.

Dr Lama writes, “As you scrub it over your body, the exfoliating granules help to slough off dead skin, and the rubbing action itself boosts circulation and helps drain your lymph nodes, by increasing blood flow to the skin’s surface”. He then goes on to say, “When dead skin cells are removed through the gentle exfoliating action of a body scrub, moisturizer can be absorbed better”.

What Is The Purpose Of A Body Scrub?

Body scrubs help eliminate the affected lumpy skin appearance by enhancing the removal of toxins and other metabolic byproducts that have been associated in the formation and development of cellulite. Additionally, the massage-like action of scrubbing allows for the more efficient flow of blood to bring the much-needed oxygen and nutrients to the different cells of the skin. This allows the cells to perform their metabolic functions with optimum efficiency leading to more efficient fat burning processes and toxin removal.

Making your Own Body Scrub

There are plenty of natural ingredients that can be used as body scrub for use in getting rid of this appearance. However, coffee grounds have been well-documented to provide the best results.

Often used as a base for the addition of other ingredients, coffee has been shown by several studies to help the skin in the more efficient absorption of antioxidants that are present in other ingredients in the body scrub mixture.

Making your own body scrub is one thing. Knowing how to apply it is equally important. A massaging action is preferred to haphazard motions. It would thus be wise to keep in mind to follow the direction of the blood flow.

In order to facilitate the removal of toxins and other waste products, it is important to scrub towards the heart. This facilitates the flow of blood leaving the skin as it flows towards the heart before it is brought to the liver for processing.

More Body Scrub Recipes

Basic Coffee Body Scrub

Coffee is rich in caffeine and antioxidants that are helpful in removing metabolic waste products of oxidative stress. Additionally, coffee stimulates blood flow and improves overall circulation.

To make your coffee body scrub, you will need the following:

• 1/2 cup coffee grounds
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon glycerin
• 2 teaspoons vitamin E oil

Add the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Then, scrub the mix over the affected areas you want to treat. Do this for at least 10 minutes. Then, leave it on your skin for a further 5 minutes before washing if off.

For best effects, you can use this as a daily routine in the morning or at night just before going to bed.

When you have dried yourself, apply a high quality specialist cream to the areas you have treated.

Shea Butter Body Scrub

Shea butter is an excellent body scrub. Actually it is one of those wonder products that have so many things that it does. Now shea butter is a high quality compound that is perfect for moisturizing in the main. However, according to a publication from the American Journal of Life Sciences (PDF), shea butter softens the skin and helps tissue cells regenerate. Also, in a study using rats, it was found that Shea butter actually boosted their production of collagen. Now although this was on rats, the fact remains that collagen production was increased, and there is no reason to believe that this would not be the case with humans too.

If we then make a scrub using shea butter, we get a double effect with the collagen producing properties of the shea butter combined with the collagen producing effect from the exfoliation (skin massage) we get from the scrub, which make this an excellent body scrub for reducing the appearance of the lumpy skin.

To make your own shea butter body wrap, you need the following:

• 1/2 cup shea butter
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp coconut oil (melted, but not hot)
• 1/2 cup of coffee grounds

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly until a thick pasty consistency is achieved. Then, scrub the mix over the affected areas you want to treat. Do this for at least 10 minutes. Then, leave it on your skin for a further 5 minutes before washing if off.

Coffee-Cayenne Pepper Body Scrub

Cayenne is one of the few ingredients that has been proven by science to actively burn fat. The heat generated by cayenne increases the body’s metabolic rate further hastening the fat burning process. Its ability to dilate blood and lymph vessels also help flush toxins and other waste products from the body. When added to coffee, you get one of the most effective body scrub combinations.

To make your own coffee-cayenne pepper body scrub, you will need the following:

• 1/2 cup coffee grounds
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• Quarter cup of olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly until a thick pasty consistency is achieved. Then, scrub the mix over the affected areas you want to treat. Do this for at least 10 minutes. Then, leave it on your skin for a further 5 minutes before washing if off.

When you have dried yourself, apply a high quality specialist cream to the areas you have treated.

Coffee-Coconut Oil Body Scrub

Coconut oil has been documented to be particularly helpful in facilitating the elimination of wastes and toxins by improving lymphatic drainage. Since toxin buildup has been associated with the lumpy cell formation, improving toxin elimination can help reduce or even eliminate this appearance.

To make your own coffee-coconut oil body scrub mixture, you will need the following:

• 1/4 cup coffee grounds
• 3 tablespoons of ordinary sugar
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil

Mix the coconut oil in the coffee grounds until it forms a thick paste. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Then, scrub the mix over the affected areas you want to treat. Do this for at least 10 minutes. Then, leave it on your skin for a further 5 minutes before washing if off.

When you have dried yourself, apply a high quality specialist cream to the areas you have treated.

Coffee-Oatmeal Body Scrub

Oatmeal contains natural antioxidants that, when combined with that of coffee, can promote the enhanced removal of toxins and waste materials that contribute to the development of cellulite.

To make your own coffee-oatmeal body scrub, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1/2 cup steamed oatmeal
• 2 teaspoons coffee grounds
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• Several drops citrus oil essence
• A few drops rosemary oil essence
• A few drops cinnamon oil

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly until a thick pasty consistency is achieved. Then, scrub the mix over the affected areas you want to treat. Do this for at least 10 minutes. Then, leave it on your skin for a further 5 minutes before washing if off.

When you have dried yourself, apply a high quality specialist cream to the areas you have treated.

Seaweed Body Scrub

Seaweed is rich in pantothenic acid and vitamin C as well as other nutrients necessary for maintaining cellular integrity and facilitating cellular regeneration. It also has an excellent exfoliating property to help remove dead skin cells to allow the active ingredients to work their way well into the deeper structures of the skin.

To make your seaweed body scrub, you will need the following:

• 3 tablespoons ground seaweed
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly until a thick pasty consistency is achieved. Then, scrub the mix over the affected areas you want to treat. Do this for at least 10 minutes. Then, leave it on your skin for a further 5 minutes before washing if off.

When you have dried yourself, apply a high quality specialist cream to the areas you have treated.

Quick Overview (Infographic) of Module 5: Effective Super Wraps

Quick Overview (Infographic) of Module 5: Effective Super Scrubs