Don’t hate on your skin! Exfoliate it! It is the key to healthy skin! Here I have compiled over years of experience and research to discover what works best for my skin. Take this as one of the many articles you will encounter regarding exfoliation. See what I am saying, consider it, do your own research and repeat! I will not B.S you, figuring out how to care for your skin is a life long process. However, this article is a stepping stone to figuring out how you can best exfoliate your skin.
WISH I KNEW THIS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. I would scrub SO hard on my skin as if I could scrub away my imperfections. PSA: that does not work. It is SO important to be gentle on your skin when you wash it or exfoliate it, especially on your face. Give your skin some love, please be gentle on it no matter how frustrated you are. Easier said than done, but your skin will be happy with you if you are.
BHAs aka beta hydroxy acids have been a staple in skincare for YEARS. It is a type of chemical exfoliation. These acids help break down the sebum on the top of the skin, clean and unclog the pores. Because of this, it pentrates the pores, getting deep down in there. It is most favored by people who have oily and acne-prone skin. (HOLLA AT YA GIRL). It also has natural skin-calming properties, so people who are prone to use redness can use it too.
Retinol has been gaining a lot of hype in the last few years! This vitamin A derivative helps to increase cell turnover in the skin, which means it tells old skin cells to die so that new ones can replace them! This is very important because retinol removes dead skin cells from the face. Retinol is considered to be very beneficial for any skin type, even dry or sensitive skin. There are also versions of retinol made in labs that are known as retinoids, these are considered to be stronger than retinol. Differin is available OTC and other versions are available through prescription only! Talk to a dermatologist to learn more and what would be better for your skin.
A lot of other articles give you a specific amount of time you should be exfoliating your face. How I feel though is that it TOTALLY depends on your skin type. For example, someone with dry skin will not be exfoliating as much as someone with oily skin. Two different skin types require two different types of care. The only way to find out how many times you can exfoliate per week is to start off slow and work your way up to multiple days. Say you start using a BHA one day per week and your skin tolerates it well and you do not have any side effects, that would be an indicator that you can exfoliate more than once a week.
I am going to guide you on a trip down memory lane, to high school chemistry class. So are skin is slightly acidic, the PH of our skin is on the low side. 7 is neutral (water) and anything above that is basic (alkaline). So why is important for skin? Well, if the PH of your skin is thrown off, then your various skincare concerns will arise. Usually, if your skin is feeling basic, it will be very dry. The protective lipids of your skin are removed so you are susceptible to bacteria and other environmental factors. If your PH is too low, you may be overloading your products to overcompensate. You can purchase PH testing strips at your local drugstore if you would like to find out if your skin’s pH is off or if your products are contributing to any skincare woes.
I have been talking about chemical exfoliation because that is what I use on my face! There is another option as well, mechanical exfoliation! For this type of exfoliation you can use scrubs, brushes, or gloves to banish those dead skin cells. I think mechical exfoliation is better for people with normal skin. People with dry or oily skin usually do not benefit from this type of exfoliation in my opinion. It causes more harm than good. As for body, scrubs have kept my skin feeling soft, so I still use mechanical exfoliation for my body. It is all about experimentation my good people!
When you are exfoliating, your skin is being renewed! Use colder water! Hot water is more likely to irritate your skin especially when it has just been exfoliated! Remember to be gentle!
No matter what type of exfoliation method you use, mechical or chemical, you must moisturize afterward! It does not matter what type of skin you have, every skin type needs moisture! This is especially important when you are exfoliating to reduce the risk of irritation!
I previously talked about BHAS, there are more acids that can be used to exfoliate your skin. There are AHAs, which are alpha hydroxy acids, are water-soluble so they work on the surface of the skin. Because of this, they are great chemical exfoliators for dry skin. It has natural moisturizing properties, so it is used to rejuvenate skin. Two well known AHAs are glycolic acid and lactic acid. Lactic acid is usually used for extra sensitive skin. In addition, there is azelaic acid which is known for calming inflammation and treats dark spots. Hyaluronic acid moisturizes the skin to the max.
Started from the top and now we are here! Do not forget about your feet! They need some love too. Definitely exfoliate your feet once a week to prevent dead skin cells from building up.
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