Beauty Weapon and Best-Kept Skin Care Secret: Everything You Want and Need To Know About Exfoliation
The vibrant glow we’re all dying to achieve, which we will I promise, is ours for the keeping if we do one thing and do it exceptionally well. Exfoliate our skin. Exfoliating our outer most layer of skin, which is called the epidermis, brings out our true glow. The reason our skin isn’t at its softest, most vibrant, and smoothest is because we have some exfoliating to do!
Dull, rough, or sallow skin is a result of excess dead skin cells on the epidermis. Every 24 hours the body sheds about 40,000 skin cells. Most of it will naturally shed from our bodies but a fine layer of gunk does stay, it settles on the top layer of our skin and builds up due to lack of exfoliation. The build up of dead skin cells causes unwanted lackluster skin texture and it can lead to discomfort and eventually disease. You do not want dead skin cells getting clogged up all over your body, which they naturally will if you go without exfoliating.
Using an exfoliant is crucial, its your way of assisting the removal of dead skin cells, A.K.A. the body’s natural ‘sloughing’ process. When you slough away unwanted dead cells from the surface of your skin, you are able to reveal younger-looking, fresh skin.
It’s also important to remove the hardened layer of dead cells on your epidermis because this built up sediment makes it difficult for your body to absorb skin care ingredients.
So, here’s how to exfoliate. There are three ways. Chemical exfoliation, enzymatic exfoliation and mechanical exfoliation.
The first type of exfoliation, chemical, uses an acidic exfoliant to break down the dead skin at an elemental level. The acidic exfoliant gets rid of the dead skin by taking apart its protein. Popular chemical exfoliants that you may have heard of include alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), lactic acid, glycolic acid, and beta hydroxy acid (called BHA or Salicylic acid).
So, we have chemical exfoliation, described above, which uses acidic chemicals to break down and remove all your unwanted skin cells, then we have a similar exfoliation option that is perfect for those looking for something really natural. It’s called enzymatic exfoliation and can be seen as a subsect of chemical exfoliation, chemical and enzymatic are both extremely helpful and equally safe. Instead of chemical exfoliants, basically acid that is good for you because it destroys dead cells, this second type of exfoliant uses enzymes, literally compounds that ‘eat’ or ‘digest’ the outer layer of dirt on your body.
The enzymes that exfoliate the epidermis can also be called proteases. Proteases are typically found in tropical fruits like papayas, pineapples, pears and kiwis, and they do one heck of a job getting rid of dead skin cells!
On the elemental level, proteases, or enzymes, act similar to the ‘pac-man’ game. The enzymes digest, or ‘attack and eat’, the sloughed away dead skin cells, allowing the fresh new skin to be revealed from underneath. This is also why the exfoliating process is considered so natural. Enzymes are literally eating up your dead skin!
Don’t worry, this incredible body science is all very microscopic. I hope that you, too, love an opportunity to learn about the body when discussing beauty. After a few articles you’ll come to see that knowing how the body works is imperative to keeping it beautiful.
SO, the first two types of exfoliation are chemical and enzymatic. Check. The third and last type we have is mechanical exfoliation. We ‘mechanically’ exfoliate our skin when we use our own hands in the process, so, a mechanical exfoliant, for example, would be any tool that physically exfoliates like washcloths, hand mitts, loofahs or scrub brushes. These devices are used with products that physically exfoliate, products like sea salt, sugar, pumice, or coffee grounds.
Mechanically exfoliating our skin is what most most of us will do. Don’t feel bad to opt out of a daring and expensive chemical or enzymatic ‘potion’, you can always book a special spa appointment and let professionals do it. During the regular week stick to what you are used to, a traditional loofah and a great exfoliating body scrub. The only thing that matters is that all the dead skin cells are removed, this can be achieved through any exfoliation type you choose. But remember, for mechanical exfoliating, the job is more on you, you don’t have the chemicals destroying the dead skin for you or enzymes eating the unwanted cells, you yourself have to physically rub off the outer layer of your epidermis.
Now, with all that being said, what is the best way for YOU to exfoliate? First, make a conclusion on whether your skin is actually considered dry or if its oily, it may be in between, that’s fine too, do your best to find its spot on the scale (Scale 1-10, 1 dry, 10 oily). Whatever the verdict may be, remember this one tidbit: the oilier your skin is, the stronger your exfoliant needs to be, so, the higher the number - the stronger the exfoliant. If you are low on the scale, meaning you do not have oily skin at all, rather dry and thin, you will benefit most from a mild or soft exfoliant.
The actual type of exfoliation doesn’t really matter. Whether you choose a chemical peel, enzymatic scrub, or good ole’ mechanical scrub brush, you will be successfully removing dead skin cells. Just make sure the ‘strength’ of your exfoliant matches the ‘oily-ness’ of your skin type.
Another factor that plays a role in the strength of an exfoliant is the season you are using it in. During the summer your outer layer of skin will have an excess buildup of sunscreen and sweat, so you’ll definitely need to exfoliate the most during the hotter months. Whereas in the winter you will exfoliate a lot less, and mildly, paying attention to skin sensitivity, chapping, and dryness. Your body exfoliation in the Spring and Fall may end up depending a lot on your shaving habits, but more than likely, your routine for exfoliating will mirror what you do during the warmer months.
Okay, so, exfoliating has three main types (chemical, enzymatic, and mechanical), and as for the strength of exfoliation, it goes by how oily your skin is, the oilier your skin is, the stronger the exfoliant needs to be.
You may be wondering how often you need to exfoliate in order to keep your skin at it’s best, that’s a good question, the right amount is two to three times per week. Try implementing a Monday/Wednesday/Friday routine, it’s what I do!
To exfoliate properly, make sure you are using warm water (this opens up your pores) and check that you are gently scrubbing the exfoliant in circles onto your skin. If you are using a chemical exfoliant, be careful its not left on your body for too long - please note the amount of time its allowed to be on the surface of your skin, this will be recommended on the packaging. Physical exfoliants should be left on the skin for no more than one-two minutes.
Exfoliators can be rough on the skin if not used properly, this is especially true for some of the mechanical exfoliant tools you may come across. If the tool is incorrect for your skin type, it can cause micro-tears in the surface of your skin. Micro-tears allow bacteria to enter your skin, potentially causing harm.
In the beginning you will not know how your body is going to react to the tools and products, so just start exfoliating very gently and cautiously experiment with different exfoliators to see what gives you the best results. You are allowed to use several different exfoliators, you are more than allowed, you are encouraged to!! (For maximum effectiveness of product it is suggested to stick to under five).
Please remember that exfoliants for your body are very different than exfoliants for your face, under no circumstance can you use a body exfoliant on your face. The skin on your body is about three times thicker than the skin on your face and its skin cell turnover takes twice as long as the face does, meaning it needs an additional ‘kick-start’ to be fresh and baby soft. Essentially, polishing your body is not as gentle as polishing your face is, when exfoliating the body you are harsher, stronger, and tougher, the way it needs to be in order to thoroughly get rid of the dead skin cells all over your body.
By exfoliating you reap so many beauty benefits. The most important are collagen benefits. Exfoliation stimulates collagen synthesis and when this happens your skin’s texture and integrity are greatly improved. Collagen is also what keeps skin looking bright, plump, tight and young, all good things we want!! Ultimately, you stimulate collagen synthesis when you exfoliate and there’s nothing more powerful on a cellular level than the synthesis of collagen, collagen is the cell that makes our skin beautiful.
Dead skin cells mixed with sweat and dirt, a layer of this all-pleasing mix, is currently covering all of that beautiful skin!! Exfoliating seems like a no brainer, especially after learning how much dead skin we shed. Each day 40,000 new additional dead skin cells are sticking to your skin building up in microscopic piles attracting dirt, in reality it is disgusting. There is no wonder why we have so many lasting aging effects, that build up can not be good for your pores whatsoever.
Your body has the potential to be stunningly glowing and baby soft and fresh, simply add exfoliation to your shower routine and be ready to fall in love with the different it makes for your body. Start regularly exfoliating and never turn back.
This beloved and encouraged skin care treatment, exfoliation, is focused on exposing the smoother, younger, and healthier skin that’s under the dead, dull skin. The new layer of beautiful skin is revealed thanks to getting rid of a top layer of dirt we don’t want. It’s important to mention that the longer you let dirt build up between exfoliations, the more intensely the dirt effects the collagen in your skin. While you may be able to get it off, in the long run you will be facing the lasting aging effects of neglecting exfoliation. But don’t fear, you are reading this article, you are headed in the right direction!!
SO, all you have to do is scrub a dub dub three times a week with these really good exfoliation products we are about to recommend to you!! There are tons, and I mean TONS, of different exfoliators to choose from and skincare shopping in general can get really overwhelming in two seconds. We are here to help with this, we narrowed the choices down for you.
Below is the best chemical exfoliator, the best enzymatic exfoliator, and the three best mechanical and physical exfoliators sold in the skin care industry. These exfoliants are completely void of harmful formulas, while chalk full of good ingredients for anti-aging, hydration, and so much more!!
Chemical Exfoliators:
REN AHA Smart Renewal Body Serum
With almost all chemical or enzymatic exfoliators, when you use them you know all the dead skin cells will be gone. The chemicals in this type of exfoliator are extremely busy at work dissolving, breaking down, removing, and ‘ungluing’ thousands of dead skin cells. If you decided on a chemical exfoliation here is your baby, your prized product!!
This is a moisturizing body serum that chemically exfoliates the body. In the words of the creator REN Clean Skincare, there are “no hidden nasties” in this serum. The 3 hero ingredients in it are naturally derived lactic acid (AHA), probiotic extract and xylitol from vegetable bark.
This gentle and effective AHA body serum breaks up and removes dead skin cells and it also visibly tightens pores for more radiant, renewed and glowing skin.
If you are interested in chemical exfoliation, you are all set with this product, it is the best option!!
Enzymatic Exfoliators
AHA Papaya Enzyme Body Exfoliator
This vegan, paraben/phthalate- free, non-toxic exfoliator uses papaya enzyme extract to deeply cleanse and exfoliate. It also uses alpha hydroxy acids to penetrate the skin with great ingredients and Grape seed oil to protect skin from UV ray damage.
For exfoliating purposes, the Papaya Enzyme Body Exfoliator also uses Jojaba wax beads with the papaya enzyme extract. Jojaba is included in this product’s golden recipe because it doesn’t have sharp edges that microscopically scratch the skin.
This exfoliant for your body cleanses the skin very effectively, it goes even as far as unclogging your pores. The top notch ingredients you’ll find blended in this formula enable the scrub to do many things besides cleaning, like how it can also dissolve excess sebum, even out skin texture, stimulate circulation and cell turnover, and rejuvenate your entire body.
If you are interested in super natural dead skin removal this is your absolute best bet!!
Mechanical and Physical Exfoliators
goop Beauty G. Tox 5 Salt Detox Body Scrub
Do you want to sweep away all of your dead skin cells? Goop’s body exfoliator, made with a blend of mineral-rich salts, and a plethora of oils will not disappoint.
The salts in this exfoliator make a detoxifying and powerful mix, included salts are Himalayan pink salt, Dead Sea salt, Celtic sea salt, New Zealand solar salt and Epsom salt. The goop exfoliant is also made with essential oils and additional hydrating oils. The essential oils include helichrysum, rosemary, grapefruit, and peppermint, and the moisturizing oils include moringa, rose hip, and virgin olive.
This superior exfoliator, everything made by goop is superior in our eyes, will also smooth, soften, and hydrate your entire body, leaving a subtle, beautiful scent!! Many clean products steer away from scents in their products, so I’m so happy when I find clean beauty that smells good.
You essentially buy this product in order to clean and exfoliate your body, it most assuredly does that, effectively removing all of your dead skin cells while also keeping your skin completely fresh and glowing always. To me, exfoliating is kind of like a car wash, scrubbing away an outer layer of dirt to reveal the car’s beauty. But now, this exfoliator y’all, not only does it clean, it’s like the car got a paint job too. This exfoliating body scrub leaves your skin (obviously completely exfoliated, but also) so incredibly soft, velvety smooth, and locked in with moisture, its unbelievable. You can purchase it here. Enjoy!
C & The Moon Malibu Made Body Scrub
This exfoliator is really great for the individuals who want to feel like a moist baby after the shower. For an incredibly skin-softening experience, use this luscious scrub all over your body, gently exfoliating your skin with brown sugar enriched by oils like coconut, sweet almond and jojoba. They’ve also added food-grade vanilla to the formula, which leaves you heavenly scented, the perfect amount.
We are obsessed with this sugar choice. No one can say no to an exfoliator that provides intense hydration, has all time favorite oils in it, and smells like vanilla. No one! You can shop it here.
Herbivore Botanicals Coco Rose Body Polish
This body polish uses sugar crystals to exfoliate your body and uses shea butter and meadowfoam-seed oil to plump and hydrate your skin. This product has the fanciest add-on ingredients, by far. They’ve also added rose clay and rose oils to the exfoliator’s mix in purpose of refining and treating the skin and virgin coconut oil and delicately floral Moroccan rose petals to add a subtle gorgeous scent.
The coconut oil body polish fully moisturizes your skin while exfoliating, has tons to offer, and is beautifully packaged (always a plus!) Give it a try, shop here.
