The right kind of exfoliation can leave your skin
bright, smooth and glowing!
So here’s everything you need to know about
it to get it right every time!
Did you know that your skin naturally sheds
its dead cells approximately every 30 days
to make room for the newer healthy skin?
Sometimes those dead cells get stuck in the
oils on your skin and build up over time leaving
you with dull skin.
This is where exfoliation comes into play.
What it does is remove all that gunk to unclog
your pores, brighten up your skin and even
boost collagen production.
Facial exfoliation can be done in a couple
of different ways.
You can go either the physical exfoliation
route or the chemical one and the right one
for you depends on your skin type and sensitivity.
Physical or manual exfoliation is probably
something you’ve already been doing to your
body and face - it’s basically just scrubbing away the
dead skin with some kind of particles or grains.
It’s super easy to do and while there are
a ton of fancy loofahs and electronics and
scrubs out there all you really need is a soft towel.
If you prefer a scrub some natural ingredients that
work great are brown sugar, finely ground coffee,
oats and chickpea flour. Mix those with something
hydrating like aloe vera, almond oil, milk or honey
If you’re going with a bought scrub it’s
important to find one that has tiny, smooth,
round particles so it’s not too harsh on your face
and won’t leave you with tiny cuts and irritation.
Once you’ve picked your exfoliant just use
it to scrub in gentle circular motions on
your wet skin or along with your cleanser.
Make sure to get into areas around your nose
and chin and then you can rinse!
You can physically exfoliate one to three
times a week and this technique works great
for people with oily, combination or normal skin.
Unfortunately dry skin might get even flakier and
sensitive or acne prone skin might feel raw.
Chemical exfoliation is usually when you use
some kind of chemical that dissolves the dead skin.
They can be used in toners, serums or even
a chemical peel at your dermat and there are
quite a few options out there.
Alpha Hydroxy acids are water soluble acids
that come from natural fruits and milk.
The most common are Glycolic acid which comes
from sugar cane, Lactic acid which is found
in milk and Citric acid from citrus fruits.
Beta Hydroxy Acids are oil soluble, these can get
even deeper into your skin to dissolve oils
and unclog your pores so they’re especially
great for oily or acne prone skin.
One of these a lot of us know about is salicylic acid.
Just like with physical exfoliation overdoing
this or using the wrong type of exfoliant
can irritate your skin.
Slight stinging or tingling is normal but
itching, burning or redness is a bad sign
so it’s always a good idea to check with
your dermat first.
The most important thing to do after exfoliating
- physically or chemically is to apply a moisturiser
to replenish your skin and prevent it from
drying out.
We hope this helps find exactly which type
of exfoliation works best for you to reveal
smoother, brighter skin!
Until next time stay tuned and stay Glamrs.