(laughs)
- You know what I've realized from filming these videos,
how annoying my laugh is.
And that I laugh at all of my own jokes.
Like I watched these videos back and I'm like,
oh, that wasn't even funny, why are you laughing at that.
Hi, everyone, welcome back to Skincare Nerds,
I'm Joanna, I'm sure you know that by now,
if you've seen all the other videos,
if you haven't, go back and watch them.
Today, we are gonna be talking about exfoliation,
specifically, the difference between physical
and chemical exfoliation,
but there's another kind of exfoliation
in there that we're gonna talk about,
so, keep watching if you're interested.
First up, let's start with the basics. What is exfoliation?
Put simply, exfoliation refers to the process of removing
those dead skin cells from the uppermost layer of the skin,
which is the stratum corneum.
In more complex terms, if we wanna get a little bit sciency,
exfoliation aids in the skins natural desquamation process
or cell turnover.
As we age, those glue-like bonds
that hold those dead skin cells together can become denser,
which can cause a build-up of dead skin cells,
on the skin surface.
This can leave the skin appearing dull
or feeling rough and dry.
Removing this build-up of dead skin cells,
helps to stimulate the regeneration of new cells,
revealing brighter, smoother skin underneath.
Now to the benefits of exfoliation.
As I mentioned, exfoliating helps to encourage
the regeneration of new cells,
which often reveals a more radiant complexion underneath,
and it also helps to smooth the complexion as well.
So you'll find that your makeup will glide on seamlessly
and things will sit on the skin much better.
Other benefits of exfoliating
include, improved product penetration,
so you'll find if your skin is well exfoliated,
that your other skincare
is able to penetrate the skin better,
so that it can be more effective.
You'll also probably notice,
an improvement in uneven skin tone and congestion as well.
So we'd liken it to putting freshly shaved legs,
inside clean sheets.
Like you just slide your legs in.
That's what exfoliation feels I think.
So at this point, you might be wondering,
what's the difference between cleansing and exploiting?
So cleansing is designed to remove that layer of dirt, oil,
impurities from the skin, which can include makeup,
whereas exfoliating is designed to shift those bonds
between those skin cells
and remove that build-up of dead skin cells,
you can do this with either a chemical or physical action.
Is there a straightener on or something?
I feel like I can smell a heat too,
maybe it's my own hair.
So now, I'm gonna break it down for you,
into three different parts.
So we're gonna talk about physical exfoliants,
chemical exfoliants and enzyme exfoliants.
Physical or manual exfoliation,
generally refers to the use of a scrub,
which contains refined granular particles like jojoba beads.
Most dermatologists will advise against using scrubs
that contain granules derived from fruit pits or nutshells,
because these irregular shapes in a scrub
can cause what's called, a micro-tear in the skin,
I recommend Googling that,
manual or physical exfoliation,
can also refer to using exfoliating brushes on the skin,
or it can also refer to professional treatments
like dermaplaning or microdermabrasion.
Now to chemical exfoliation.
So chemical exfoliation,
is where we use alpha and beta hydroxy acids
or AHAs and BHAs to break down those bonds
between the skin cells.
Using AHAs and BHAs in a chemical exfoliant is ideal.
Because one is water soluble and one is oil soluble.
So they can work most effectively on the skin together,
opposites attract (laughs).
I personally prefer to use chemical exfoliants
because I have rosacea,
so using a physical exfoliant on my skin
tends to exacerbate my redness concerns,
so, chemical exfoliant is right up my alley.
Right up my alley, not the thing you say and finish,
have you heard, "I'm not here to (beep) spiders?"
- Yeah.
- That's my favorite one.
- Yeah.
- 'Cause it just makes no sense. What does that even mean?
So one of my favorite products is Asap's Radiance Serum,
this contains AHAs and BHAs,
to really help with congestion specifically,
I find it's great for that,
but I also really like,
Dermalist Ultra Hydrating Lactic Cleanser,
this has a slight grittiness to it, but very very slight.
So it's not irritating on the skin,
and then I also really love,
Murad's AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser,
this has jojoba beads in it as well,
so it does give you that gentle physical action,
without being irritating on the skin either.
Now we've got enzyme exfoliants or enzymatic exfoliation.
So, we couldn't include this under chemical exfoliants,
but enzyme exfoliants
are much more suitable for sensitive skin.
So I wanted to break this out separately,
so we could talk about them in detail.
So enzymes like bromelain and papain,
derived from pineapple and papaya,
are designed to digest those dead skin cells
that are only attached to that upper layer of the skin.
So that reduces the likelihood of over exfoliation,
because they're only taking away,
what needs to come off the skin.
While we're on that topic of over exfoliation,
let's discuss it, because I'd say that's the biggest risk
factor when it comes to exfoliating.
Have you ever felt red, sensitive,
maybe your skin is tight, uncomfortable,
you have that shine on your skin without oil being present,
that might indicate that you are over exfoliating.
So what can we do if you happen to have over exfoliated?
- Somebody call 9-1-1.
(Joanna laughs)
- Can you carry in that song,
♪ Somebody call 9-1-1 ♪
(laughs)
- That's is so funny.
- What song is that?
Oh, it's a classic anyway,
so what we don't wanna do when we're exfoliating,
is disrupt our skin's moisture barrier or acid mantle.
This can lead to that whole range of concerns,
that I just mentioned before,
and it can allow bacteria and irritants
to infiltrate our skin,
which we definitely do not want.
If you suspect that you may have already over exfoliated
and it's too late for you,
I suggest dropping back
that use of your exfoliant if possible,
and introducing ingredients
that are going to give back to the skin
and be nourishing on the skin,
like, ceramides, panthenol and niacinamides.
So this is probably what you've been waiting
the whole video for, how often should you exfoliate?
Now this is a really hard question to answer
because it really does differ for everybody,
and even dermatologists have wildly differing opinions
on this topic.
My personal recommendation
is to read your skin's own response.
I know sounds ridiculous,
but you know your skin better than anyone else,
and I think it's important to consider that,
when you're trying to decide how often you should exfoliate.
You do you, but my personal opinion
is that one to three times a week,
is generally a good balance for exfoliation,
some skin types may benefit from more exfoliation than that,
and some skin types may benefit from less,
but again, it's also dependent on the individual product
that you're using as well.
If you tend to be more sensitive
or you've never used active ingredients on your skin before,
I would definitely recommend patch testing,
especially chemical exfoliants,
they're highly stimulating ingredients,
so I would recommend just testing that on a small area,
just in case your skin freaks the FL,
you don't wanna look like this.
Now to how to use an exfoliant in your routine.
This is entirely dependent on the individual products
that you're using.
So the usage directions on the back of your product,
which you'll find here,
should tell you exactly how to use that product,
whether it's post-cleansing or it's a serum,
or you meant to wash it off,
those instructions should tell you how to use it
in your routine.
If you find an exfoliant is a little bit too harsh
for your skin, but you don't wanna be in it, fair enough,
you can dilute physical exfoliants into gentle cleansers,
and also buffer chemical exfoliants
with things like, hydrating serums, masks or moisturizers.
Now let's get to the best part of the video,
which is, my favorite products.
So one product that I don't have here today,
in the physical category,
is Asap's Daily Exfoliating Facial Scrub,
that is a really good product,
I've been recommending that for years,
for anyone who wants a physical exfoliant,
my personal two faves in that physical category,
but they also kind of cross over to the chemical category,
Dermalist Ultra Hydrating Lactic Cleanser
and Murad Hydra Foam AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser.
This I believe is in new packaging,
we'll put the new packaging somewhere here,
these two are slightly gritty,
but not to the point where it will irritate sensitive skin.
So these are good options,
if you still like to use a scrub,
but you're looking to kind of incorporate
the chemicals exfoliant as well.
Now to my favorite chemical exfoliants.
This is my favorite category,
so, we've got the Asap Radiance Serum,
which I've already mentioned,
this is an AHA and BHA complex,
so that targets both congestion
and that resurfacing of the skin,
then one of my other faves is, Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rose,
or just normal liquid gold as well,
so this is just an AHA, it's a glycolic acid,
so that leaves your skin looking super radiant the next day.
I love to recommend this product
because I know that it gets people instant results,
and then we've got Cosmetic Defy,
so this is a triple hydroxy acid,
so this has got three kinds of alpha hydroxy acid in it,
it's in more of a creamy base,
and I just really really love this product.
It's a little bit bougie,
but let's be honest, so am I.
Now I've got some of my favorite enzyme products.
So if you've got sensitive skin, listen up,
firstly, Aspect's Fruit Enzyme Mask,
this is a cult product because it's so satisfying to use,
you can kind of feel that stuff coming off your skin,
it's so satisfying to use.
But it doesn't irritate sensitive skin,
so this is a great exfoliating option,
as maybe a once a week treatment,
then we've got Sodashi's Enzyme Face Polish,
this again has a little bit of a gritty texture,
but it is very gentle on sensitive skin,
I've used this myself for many years
and I've never had any issues with irritation
and it smells beautiful as well,
and then the newer product to Adore Beauty,
is the Osmosis Purify Enzyme Cleanser,
again, super gentle but gives you that exfoliating action
without causing any redness or irritation
on sensitive skin types,
so this is an awesome one to add to your shower
if you've got sensitive skin.
So I hope this video
answered all your questions about exfoliation,
I'd love to know what some of your favorite products are,
so leave them in the comments below,
and don't forget to subscribe to our channel
so that you don't miss an episode of Skincare Nerds
and hit the bell button while you're there.
And please like this video,
it would just, it would make my day.
I hate myself (laughs).
Thanks, bye. See y'all, next time.
(bright upbeat music)