For years I would wash my face, apply moisturizer, and sometimes refresh my skin with a facial spray. Yet, despite all of this my skin would still be feeling dry. It wasn’t until I learned how to exfoliate properly that I saw a change in my skin.
Like me, your skin can look less than flawless if you skip out on even just one important skincare habit, like exfoliating for example. So it might be time to get out that exfoliating face scrub hidden somewhere under your bathroom sink and place it within line of sight.
It matters not what your shin type is. It can be dry skin, oily skin, or combination skin. Exfoliation should be a key part of your regular weekly skincare routine to help maintain a beautiful, glowing complexion.
Don’t stress if you don’t even know the meaning of the word “exfoliate” yet. This article will teach you all you need to know about what it is and what works best in different areas of your face and body.
What Is Exfoliation Exactly?
In essence, when it comes to your skin care, exfoliation is the process of sloughing off dead skin cells from the surface of your skin.
However, it is not quite that simple.
There are actually two kinds of skin exfoliation: mechanical and chemical.
Mechanical exfoliation involves physically scrubbing your skin’s surface with a scrub, dry brush, or another exfoliating skincare tool.
Chemical exfoliation, on the other hand, involves the use of salicylic acid, alpha hydroxy acids (like glycolic acid), or enzymes to chemically break down surface buildup. Products formulated with these exfoliating ingredients are often liquid exfoliators, but they can be included in the formulas of face creams and cleansers.
The Benefits Of Exfoliation
Whether you implement mechanical or chemical exfoliation into your skin care routine, the main purpose of exfoliating is to slough off the buildup of dead skin cells from skin’s surface.
That is important since our skin’s natural ability to shed dead skin cells slows down as we age, which can lead to duller and older looking skin.
What’s more, regularly exfoliating can also help to make your other beauty products work better since they will be able to get absorbed into your skin rather than sitting on top of all the build-up of dead cells.
How Often Should You Exfoliate?
While exfoliation is undoubtedly an essential skincare step, the frequency of how often you should exfoliate varies as none of us has exactly the same skin. What’s more, your skin changes as you age as well.
While some people’s skin can only handle exfoliating once a week, others are able to exfoliate a few times per week.
What I do is exfoliate once per week as a standard part of my beauty routine. Then if I have a special occasion that I really want my skin to look stunning for, I will add a second round of exfoliation just for that week.
In essence, pay attention to how your skin responds after exfoliating to help determine what’s best for you and your skin.
How To Exfoliate Your Face
Follow these tips on how to exfoliate your face. I use a face scrub but you can also use a glycolic acid serum.
Pick The Right Product
If you decide to use a mechanical exfoliant as I do, take your pick from the variety of sugar face scrubs available. I mainly use a sugar/Cocoa scrub that is deep yet gentle on my sensitive skin.
Though I have also alternated between Sugar/Grapeseed and Sugar/Coffee Scrubs with the latter contains real coffee grounds claiming to energize my complexion.
If you prefer chemical exfoliation be sure to choose a quality Glycolic Acid Serum.
Apply To Dry Skin
If you are using a face scrub, apply your face scrub of choice to clean, dry skin using dry fingers. Be careful to avoid the eye area. The abrasive granules can easily damage your eyes. Take it from me it hurts like crazy. What’s more the sore, puffy red-eye look stays for days.
If you are using the glycolic acid serum, apply four to five drops to clean, dry skin in the evening before moisturizing.
Massage Into Your Skin With Wet Fingers
Wet your fingers, then massage the face scrub over your skin.
If you are using the glycolic acid serum, your fingers are already wet from applying the serum so skip wetting your fingers and simply massage the serum onto your skin.
Rinse Facial Scrub Off Thoroughly
Use warm water to rinse your facial scrub off completely.
If you opted for the serum, it is designed to be left on as is. So thereis no need to rinse it off.
Finish Off With Moisturizer
After exfoliating, your skin is most able to absorb your moisturizer so don’t let the opportunity pass you by.
While your skin is still wet from rinsing off, or about 30 seconds after applying your serum, go ahead and treat your skin using your favorite face cream.
How To Exfoliate Your Lips
Use these tips to exfoliate your lips for a soft kissable pout.
Use Your Face Scrub
The good news about using a sugar scrub for your face is that it is gentle enough to use on your lips as well. That means you won’t have to buy any new products.
Apply To Dry Lips
Use only a very small amount of your facial scrub and apply it to dry lips.
Massage With Wet Fingers
Be careful not to be too harsh, use wet fingers to gently massage the scrub over your lips. Remember that your lips are more fragile than your facial skin.
Rinse Thoroughly
Rinse the scrub off thoroughly with warm water.
Use Lip Balm
Immediately hydrate your lips and lock in that super-smooth and soft feeling. Apply a coat of a nourishing lip balm.
How To Exfoliate Your Body
Do you desire soft, feminine feeling skin from your toes all the way up your body? Follow these tips to exfoliate your whole body for softer-feeling skin all over.
Begin With Dry Skin
Before you get in the shower, use a pair of exfoliating gloves (available on Amazon) or grab your loofah, and gently rub your skin in circular motions to begin the process of shedding dead skin cells.
Get Into A Warm Shower
After you have dry-scrubbed your dry skin from head to toe, let the water run down your body rinsing those dead skin cells, and get ready for an even deeper exfoliation.
Use An Exfoliating Cleanser
There are more than a few exfoliation products on the market for the body. However, I like using body scrubs as well as exfoliating shower gels. That is because I can easily work them into my normal shower routine.
Just like you did when your skin was dry, pre-shower, you’ll want to exfoliate in circular motions with whichever body exfoliation product you choose.
Give Your Elbows, Knees, And Feet Some Extra Care
I always pay extra attention to my elbows, knees, and feet as they are prone to more dryness. What’s more, if these areas get too dry it could lead to calluses which will take even longer to clear.
Don’t Skip Your Back
I know that you can’t reach it easily, however, make sure not to neglect your back.
I use my back brush with my exfoliating shower gel to exfoliate hard-to-reach places.
Rinse With Warm Water
Once you have exfoliated everywhere, thoroughly rinse off under a warm shower.
Apply Moisturizer
Immediately after getting out of the shower and after patting yourself almost dry, apply your favorite hydrating body lotion everywhere you just exfoliated.
Bonus Tip: Apply Self-Tanner without blotches
One of the key reasons why self-tanning products tend to come out blotchy is that unless you have recently exfoliated the chances are that your self-tanner will get absorbed into already dead cells on the surface of your skin.
Because those dead skin cells come off unevenly you will be left with that horrible blotchy look.
Instead, apply your self-tanner after having exfoliated so that your results can stay even for longer.
What I Use
When it comes to my choices for makeup and beauty products, I only use L’Oréal Paris (Available on Amazon). I have really sensitive skin and never once have I had any negative reaction to any L’Oréal product.
I bought the gloves from the link in this article. I must say they work wonderfully.