Walnut Shell Powder

How Your Skin Feels

Moved lightly over damp skin in a loose paste, the hard shell particles loosen and carry away dead surface skin that's ready to shed. Rough, flaky areas usually feel smoother and softer right after rinsing, with fewer loose flakes, and moisturizer spreads more easily afterward.

What to Expect

A smoother surface reflects light more evenly, so skin usually looks fresher and less dull after a scrub. It works by friction at the surface, and the smoothness fades over the following days, which is why once a week is enough. Pressing harder or scrubbing longer doesn't do more: light pressure and a slippery base do the work.

Who It Suits

Intact skin that feels rough or flaky, especially on the arms, legs, elbows, knees and heels. Dry or delicate skin can use it less often, in a creamier base. The face is optional: if your skin turns red or stings easily, or you have red, painful spots, keep walnut for your body. It isn't for anyone with a walnut or tree-nut allergy.

Before You Start

Patch test 24 to 48 hours before first use (see Care & Safety). Cleanse first and leave your skin slightly damp: the scrub is there to exfoliate, not to remove oil or makeup. Pour the dry powder gently, close to the bowl, so you don't breathe in the dust.

Mix

Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons into water or a creamy cleanser until loose and easy to glide, letting it wet through for 2 to 3 minutes; add a little more water if it has thickened. For the face, use ¼ teaspoon in 2 teaspoons of cleanser, so it looks like the cleanser with a few particles in it, not like wet sand.

Scrub

On clean, damp skin, massage one area at a time in light circles for 20 to 30 seconds. The particles should move with your fingers, not drag the skin. Give rough spots such as elbows and knees one extra light pass rather than pressing harder, and stop once the skin feels smooth; a whole-body session takes about 3 to 5 minutes. On the face, keep it very light, about 20 to 30 seconds in total and never more than a minute, away from the eyes and lips, broken skin and red or painful spots.

Rinse

Rinse off right away with lukewarm water: it isn't a mask to leave on. Pat dry and moisturize while skin is still damp. Use once a week, less often on dry or delicate skin, such as every 10 to 14 days on a dry face. Avoid other skin treatments on the same day, such as strong acid exfoliants, peels or retinoids, and don't scrub right after shaving or waxing.

Bases

Water: the simplest body scrub. A creamy cleanser: one use in your palm with ¼ teaspoon (face) or 1 to 2 teaspoons per body area, up to the 1 to 2 tablespoons above for a whole-body session; never stir the powder into the bottle. Plain yogurt: ¼ teaspoon in 2 teaspoons for the face, or 1 tablespoon in 2 to 3 tablespoons for the body. Aloe Vera Powder: 1 teaspoon with 2 to 3 teaspoons of warm water, rested 5 minutes, then ¼ teaspoon of walnut for the face; or 1 tablespoon with about 60 ml (¼ cup) of warm water, rested 10 minutes, then 1 tablespoon of walnut for the body. Very dry elbows, knees or legs: a few drops of a light carrier oil your skin already tolerates, added to one of these bases, not used on its own. Mix fresh each time and throw away what's left.

Tips

Use Orange Peel, fuller's earth (multani mitti) and Neem masks on separate days: stirred in, walnut turns a mask into an abrasive paste. If the paste drags or feels scratchy, add base and press less. More in how to use walnut shell powder.

Juglans Regia (Walnut) Shell Powder – 100%

Warning + Patch Test

Not for walnut or tree-nut allergy. Do not ingest. Avoid eyes & broken or irritated skin. Keep out of reach of children. Patch test 24 - 48 hours before first use. Discontinue use if irritation occurs.

FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY

How to Patch Test

Patch test 24 to 48 hours before first use, with the exact mix you plan to use. Massage a little lightly over a small patch of intact skin, such as your inner arm, for a few seconds, rinse it off and watch the skin over the next 24 to 48 hours. Don't go ahead if the skin burns, swells, blisters or turns red, or if it itches and the itch doesn't settle. Test again whenever you change the base. A patch test can't rule out a reaction later. Nor can it show whether you'd react to walnut the way a food allergy does.

Using It Safely

If particles get in an eye, rinse it right away with plenty of clean water and don't rub it. The powder is shell, not the nut, but traces of walnut protein can't be ruled out, so it isn't for anyone with a walnut or tree-nut allergy. Keep the paste loose, the pressure light and the scrub short, and rinse as soon as you've finished. Don't scrub sunburned, cracked, freshly shaved or waxed skin, a rash, weeping or inflamed skin, or red, painful spots in an active breakout. Rinse it off and stop if it scratches sharply, stings, burns or hurts more as you go; slight pinkness that fades within minutes can happen, but lasting redness means the scrub was too much for that skin. Pour the dry powder gently, close to the bowl, so you don't breathe in the dust. Use a cosmetic-grade powder with a known particle size on your skin, not an industrial or craft grade. If an eye still hurts, stays red or your vision is blurred after rinsing, or a rash appears or spreads, contact your healthcare provider right away; if your face, lips or eyes swell, or you have trouble breathing, call 911.

Storage

Keep the pouch sealed in a cool, dry place away from heat and direct sunlight. Use a clean, dry spoon to keep the powder fresh. Keep it out of bathroom steam, and don't put wet powder back in the pouch. It keeps for 2 years from the date of packaging; a mixed scrub doesn't keep, so mix it fresh each time and throw away leftovers. Don't use the powder if it has gotten damp, shows mold or smells damp, fermented or rancid; small differences in color between batches are normal.

Questions

Questions or adverse event reports: care@spierb.com