How to use a sugar body scrub in a small bathroom

A plain sequence for working a sugar scrub from the tub rim to the rinse, including the one step that keeps your footing safe.

Set up before the water runs

Put the jar on something dry and within reach of the tub, like the rim or a small stool. Wet hands should never have to travel across the bathroom for it. Keep the lid on a dry spot as well. Water that gets into a jar of sugar starts dissolving the crystals, and the texture changes for good.

Scoop with a dry spoon or dry fingers. About a tablespoon covers both legs, and the same again covers arms and shoulders.

The steps

Start with a few minutes of ordinary showering, so the skin is fully wet. Warm water is enough. The sugar dissolves either way, so there is no need to turn it up.

Turn the water down or step out of the stream, then take the first scoop and start at the ankles. Use small circles and light pressure. Sugar crystals are hard enough to do the work on their own, and pressing harder adds nothing but effort. How firm to go is a matter of taste, so start gentle and adjust.

Work up the shins, knees and thighs, then move to the arms and shoulders. A minute or so per limb is plenty. Keep the scrub off the face, and leave out any patch that is freshly shaved, sunburned or broken.

Rinse until the water runs clear and no grit is left on the skin. Pat dry with a towel.

The step most people skip

A scrub like this is sugar held together by oil, often coconut oil, which also carries the fragrance. Sugar rinses away quickly, but oil does not. It leaves a thin film on the tub floor that makes enamel slippery.

Before you step out, run the water over the floor of the tub for a few seconds and rinse the rim where the jar sat. A rubber mat helps in a small tub, since there is nowhere else to stand.

Once a week is a common rhythm, though the label on the jar is a better guide than any rule of thumb. Close the lid firmly and put the jar back on its dry spot.