Contents
Get Glowing Soft Skin
Hello Beautiful! Do you want to know a secret weapon to keep your skin naturally glowing, soft, and healthy all year long? It is easier and simpler than you think! The answer is Exfoliation.
When you look in the mirror, do you notice your complexion has become dull and almost lifeless? Has your skin gone from bright and radiant to “blah” with the changing of the seasons?
As the weather gets colder, you may even notice that your skin starts to flake and become dry, no matter how much cream or oil you put on it ( For how to remedy that check out this post on dehydrated skin for more information). During the winter season, it can be particularly hard to maintain a radiant, glowing complexion due to the lack of moisture in the air.
You have a glowing personality- so, why not glow from the inside out?
From products to clever techniques and lifestyle changes, we have the tips to help you glow all year long. Keep reading to learn how to look like a radiant goddess.
What is Exfoliating?
Exfoliating is one of the best ways to keep your skin glowing and youthful.
But what really is exfoliation? Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the outer layer of your skin. The dead skin cells are what cause your complexion to appear dull, feel rough, and cause flaking. Once dead skin cells are removed, new skin cells can be produced. Just removing the dead skin cells provide immediate results, revealing a more glowy complexion and softer skin.
Exfoliation also helps your skincare products to penetrate your skin better. This allows you to get the most out of your routine and to see better, faster results from the products that you use.
Need another reason to exfoliate? It helps keep away and remove ingrown hairs. If you exfoliate your body before and after you shave, those pesky hairs won’t go into hiding under the skin.
How Do You Exfoliate?
There are many different ways to exfoliate, but they are split into two categories, physical and chemical exfoliation.
Physical exfoliation is a technique that uses a tool or coarse substance to remove the dead skin cells from the surface of the skin.
This is a great way to temporarily reduce the size of pores and treat blackheads.
Those with sensitive skin may want to avoid physical exfoliation as some forms can be too harsh for your skin type. Not to worry, you can always try the other type of exfoliation.
Chemical exfoliation uses, you guessed it, chemicals to exfoliate the skin.
Usually, it is acids that are used to remove dead skin such as alpha-hydroxy acids or beta hydroxy acids. The most common examples of these acids include glycolic acid and salicylic acid. Chemical exfoliants are often more gentle than physical exfoliants, but there are intense chemical treatments that can be performed in a dermatologist’s office. This type of exfoliation is also able to penetrate the skin deeper, activating faster cell turnover.
Those that are prone to breakouts will benefit from products that contain salicylic acid, as it helps to control oil and pimples.
Which Type of Exfoliation is for me?
When choosing what type of exfoliating product and technique is right for you, it is important to consider:
- What is your skin type?
- What are you planning to exfoliate? (Your face or your body)
- What is your price range?
Body Exfoliation
Dry Brushing
For the body, I personally love to physically exfoliate. My favorite way to do this is the cult classic technique known as dry brushing. Dry brushing has many benefits that lead to beautiful, glowing skin.
Dry brushing helps your skin to feel softer and appear more radiant. This process aids in detoxification. Dry brushing stimulates lymphatic drainage, which is responsible for collecting and transporting waste from the blood. Circulation is also increased when dry brushing is added to your routine, which can help reduce cellulite.
So, how do you dry brush? It is best to dry brush in the morning, as it is thought to help energize you. When dry brushing, work from your feet and move upward in circular motions using firm, yet gentle strokes.
Personally, I like to dry brush before I shower in the morning. It adds a little boost to my routine. Dry brushing can also be used with body oil after you have showered. I love this method when showering at night to really let the body oil soak in overnight.
No products were found matching your selection.
Body Scrub
Another great way to exfoliate the body is with an in shower body scrub. There are many different types of body scrubs. To really get the most benefits go for a product that is just a scrub, not a scrub body wash combo.
When choosing between a salt or sugar scrub, keep in mind that salt scrubs are usually more abrasive and can sting if you are shaving or have sensitive skin.
Body scrubs that use coffee are wonderful for the skin, especially if you take your showers in the morning. These types of exfoliators can be very invigorating. My favorite coffee scrub is this one from Frank Body that smells like peppermint. Did you know coffee scrubs can also help to reduce cellulite?
I would recommend a sugar scrub that gently, yet effectively, exfoliates your body and smells delicious. My favorite? This moisturizing scrub with a light scent of coconut and rose from Herbivore. It also has no artificial ingredients!
No products were found matching your selection.
No products were found matching your selection.
Exfoliating Glove
Using an exfoliating glove is so easy and fast. It is a great way to add body exfoliating to your shower routine without really thinking.
If you aren’t familiar with an exfoliating glove, it is essentially a glove that you wear in the shower that feels slightly abrasive. When you are in the shower you put your shower gel on it and gently rub it over your body. (I like to do one round of normal washing with my loofah and then one round of exfoliating and another round with my loofah, just so any dead skin is gone.)
No products were found matching your selection.
Facial Exfoliants
Electronic Facial Exfoliating Tools
There are many different exfoliating tools that you can use to physically exfoliate your face. By using these brushes it is easy to keep your face glowing and bright. The beauty of these tools is that they cleanse and exfoliate at the same time. Depending on the brush, gentle daily exfoliation can be achieved, or they can be used for once a week deep exfoliation.
There are two popular types of physical exfoliation facial brushes. One is made of silicone and the other uses bristles for exfoliation and cleansing.
With a brush cleaner it also aids anti-aging, and can reduce acne. The Sonic Face Cleanser is made of top grade silicone, which used thousands of silicone micro-fingers to clean your face of all dirt, reduce pore size, erase fine lines, and exfoliate your skin.
Using a bristle brush, such as Free-breath Facial Cleansing Brush, allows you to have control of your exfoliation. This electronic tool often comes with multiple brushes and with different settings, which gives you more options.
One of the downfalls to bristle exfoliation and facial cleansing is that bacteria builds on the brush heads. This means they have to be disposed of every three months.
No products were found matching your selection.
No products were found matching your selection.
PRO TIP: Do not use too much pressure when dry brushing. Avoid nutshells or fruit pits in body or face scrubs. Too much exfoliation or exfoliating incorrectly can cause damage to your skin such as dehydration, redness, and/or premature aging.
Skin Scrubbers
If you have not heard of skin scrubbers well shame on you! Scrubbers use high frequency vibration to achieve a salon like clean in the comfort of your own home! We love the GUGUG skin scrubber which has 4 modes:
- Cleaning: The blackheads can be removed through 24k high frequency vibration, thus effectively cleaning your facial pores.
- Lifting: EMS pulse micro-current will be generated to reach the skin bottom through the spade head to stimulate the regeneration of collagens and to tighten the skin.
- Ion+: Skin can be completely cleaned according to the principle of attraction of opposite ions to have the grease and aged cutin withdrawn from the pores.
- Ion-: Negative ions help the skin absorb nutrients of the cream and essence.
No products were found matching your selection.
Other Exfoliators
Facial scrubs and body scrubs usually differ in the intensity of exfoliation but both can be separated into the categories of chemical and physical. There are many different physical facial scrubs on the market. Here are some of our favorites:
No products were found matching your selection.
No products were found matching your selection.
Would you prefer a chemical exfoliant? Paula’s Choice-SKIN PERFECTING Exfoliant is for you! It contains 8% AHA gel exfoliant & 2% BHA liquid plus glycolic Acid and salicylic acid.
Don’t Forget the Lips
We can’t forget exfoliating the lips. French Girl Rose Lip Polish is a great lip scrub to remove dead skin from your precious pout.
These scrubs are also great for giving your lips a plumped effect. Just make sure to apply a moisturizing lip balm after you have removed the exfoliator to help keep the dead skin on your lips smooth.
Summary
Now that you know how to exfoliate, it is time to show off your glowing skin. Don’t forget to finish with your favorite moisturizer to make your skin really pop. Do you have any other exfoliating secrets? Let us know below!
Last update on 2024-11-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
Pingback: Hydrator vs Moisturizer | What’s the Difference? | Information Here