This is the best $7 you’ll ever spend on your skin hands-down

Anyone who has spent more than five minutes with me knows I’m an absolute fiend for all things skincare and skincare adjacent. And not just face stuff. I’m talking the whole kit and caboodle. Few things bring me more joy than a so-hot-it-might-scald-you shower followed by a near-ritualistic moisturizing session with one of my beloved body oils. It’s my favorite form of at-home self-care and over the past year and a half, I’ve gone deep trying to find the products that make my very-not-spa-like bathroom feel like the fancy places I’ve missed so much.

And before you think I’m about to go all Gwyneth on you, I’ll let you in on a secret. My absolute favorite thing I’ve discovered is an exfoliating mitt that costs $6.99.

Once upon a time, I treated myself to a full-body exfoliation at a Hammam spa. After getting warm and toasty in the sauna, I spent about 45-minutes on a heated table, strategically draped in muslin. A lovely woman armed with an exfoliating scrub and a special hand mitt went to town sloughing off every last bit of tired, dry skin before rinsing me off and leaving me in a puddle of perfectly warm water. Before the water even cooled, I dreamed about coming back.

And it wasn’t just relaxing. The skin that was left behind was sooooft. Like, alarmingly soft. So much so, that my partner didn’t know whether to be turned on or freaked out. Personally, I was addicted. Not having the budget (or the nerve) for a bi-weekly bath from a stranger, I went on the hunt for what made the experience so incredible. And what I found is this: The Original Kessa Hammam Scrubbing Glove. And holy smokes, does it work.

How to use the exfoliating mitt

The proper way to use it is after you’ve soaked and cleansed. (I guess you’re technically supposed to use Moroccan Black soap first, but I’ve always just used my favorite Necessaire and Iota body washes and it’s fine.) Slide it on and get to work rubbing it back and forth across each area of your body. After a few swipes (which feels amazingly scratchy) you’ll start to see the most satisfying little squiggles of dried skin peeling up. (It’s that kind of gross we all love so much. Don’t even try to lie about it.) Don’t go too crazy and if you opt for doing your face, go gentle.

I’ve kept this up once every few weeks over the past months and my skin has never been better— especially my legs which have always been prone to ingrown hairs (which I can never help but pester and make worse.) My oils and lotions sink right in and get to do their job even better. It also provides the perfect prep for your favorite self-tanners. I’m no expert by any means and even still, I find incorporating it into the process has made applications far less patchy.

The mitt itself is made from a scratchy crepe rayon that dries quickly, so no getting gross and mildewy and it takes up far less space than the products it has replaced (a dry brush and endless loofahs, to be exact.)

I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Zakia's Morocco

Original Kessa Exfoliating Glove

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$6.99

SHOP

A version of this story was published July 13, 2021. It has been updated.