Help Me Choose: Exfoliating Skin Care

    What Is Exfoliation?

     

    Exfoliation is considered one of the most important things that you do to achieve healthy, radiant skin.

    Natural Organic Body Sugar Scrub Mocha JavaOn average we generate a new layer of skin every two to four weeks.

    As we age there is a gradual decrease in the rate at which the old dead cells leave the surface of our skin.

    These dead skin cells accumulate on the skin surface and are responsible for the appearance of dull, lifeless skin. Although soap will remove dirt and excess oil, soap alone cannot remove all of the excess dead cells.

    Exfoliating removes dead skin cells, deep cleans the skin, unclogs pores, removes dirt and makeup residue, helps reduce acne breakouts, encourages new cell growth and stimulates blood flow to the skin’s surface for a fresh, healthy glow. Exfoliation will allow your moisturizers to penetrate deeper and improve the moisture level of your skin.

    There are different methods for exfoliation. Your skin type should determine which method you use and how often you exfoliate. For certain skin conditions, including rosacea, exfoliation is not usually recommended. If you have a chronic skin condition please always consult your health care provider.

    We sell many products and accessories that will help exfoliate your body, face, and feet.

     

    Recommended Products for Exfoliating

     

    Signs That Skin Needs Exfoliating

    • You have dry, flaky skin
    • Your skin looks dull, lifeless and lackluster
    • Your skin care products are no longer working
    • You have scaly patches or bumpy skin
    • You have breakouts or your pores looked clogged
    • Your forehead, cheeks and chin are extra oily
    • Your skin feels rough

    Most importantly LOOK at your skin and LISTEN to your skin!

    Help with Exfoliation

     

    HOW OFTEN TO EXFOLIATE

    Natural Organic Facial Sugar Scrub

    Knowing when to exfoliate is crucial so you don't dry out your face or irritate your skin.

    How often you need to exfoliate depends on your skin type, but one or two times a week seems to be the standard for most.

    Remember the purpose of exfoliating is to remove excess dead skin cells. You do not want to scrub so hard that you are removing healthy cells, which will leave your skin red and sore.

    Oily skin: exfoliate once or twice a week
    Dry skin: exfoliate once a week
    Mature skin: exfoliate once a week

    You may be wondering, "How Do I Know If I Need To Exfoliate?" Here is a simple test you can do yourself to see if you have dead dry skin cells on the surface of your skin.

    • Take a piece of clear tape and apply it to your forehead, forearm or leg
    • Rub it gently for 2-3 seconds and remove
    • Look at the tape, and if there are little pieces of flaky skin, then you need to exfoliate!

     

    WHEN TO EXFOLIATE

    When to ExfoliateAlthough many experts advise that the best time to exfoliate your skin is when you wake up in the morning, there is no one true solution that fits everybody.

    Since your skin repairs and renews itself overnight, you wake up with new dead skin cells on the skin's surface.

    Exfoliating in the morning helps slough away dead skin.

    For more comprehensive info on Exfoliation, read our blog, "The Nitty Gritty of Exfoliation"

     

    HOW TO EXFOLIATE

    How to ExfoliateRub your exfoliating product firmly but gently on wet skin in a circular motion.

    Sensitive facial skin should be scrubbed gently, while the skin on your torso can be scrubbed a bit harder.

    The very sensitive area around the eyes does not need and should not be exfoliated. Since skin oils tend to hold on to dead skin cells, people with oily skin may need to exfoliate more often.

    It's a good idea to remove any makeup and cleanse your skin before exfoliating in order to get a good deep clean.

     

    OILY OR DRY SKIN?

    Acne and Oily Skin

    If you have acne-prone or very oily skin you may think you need to exfoliate often. But, washing your face too much and over-exfoliating will dry out the skin.

    Oily and Dry SkinThe sebaceous glands react to this excess dryness by producing even more oil which ultimately causes more breakouts to occur. So, we suggest exfoliating once or twice a week.

     

    Dry Skin

    Exfoliation for those with dry skin is very important, especially in winter. When our skin feels dry we too often slather on heavy creams to compensate for the dryness.

    But dry skin flaky skin means that you have a build-up of dead, dry skin cells. Why would you want to moisturize dry, dead skin cells? What you really want to do is exfoliate those dead skin cells away and then moisturize the skin. Without regular exfoliation, dry skin can become flaky and look dull.

    Dry skin as well as sensitive skin does not need harsh scrubs or aggressive products for glowing skin.

    A great product for dry facial skin in need of exfoliation is our gentle Adzuki Bean Scrub.

     

    SUPER SIMPLE GENTLE EXFOLIATION

    Super Simple Gentle ExfoliationYou may not realize it, but simple exfoliation occurs every time you wash your face, from the friction of gently rubbing your skin with a washcloth or even your hands.

    We have natural soaps that we call "exfoliating" soaps, but we also have many soaps that contain ingredients that provide gentle exfoliation.

    Rubbing a simple soap bar that contains crushed or powdered botanicals or even clays can help remove dead skin cells.

     

    SOME NOTES

    Depending on the type of exfoliation used, a bit of moisturizer is probably needed. Remember, moisturizers hydrate best when dead cells have just been scrubbed away.

    If you are sure whether or not you to exfoliate, try the tape test mentioned above. Look the surface of your skin. Do you see clogged pores, dryness or roughness?

    Facial skin should be treated delicately, using very little pressure and small textured granules. Since facial skin may already be inflamed due to acne breakouts, NEVER use harsh facial scrubs on blemished skin, and NEVER use any facial scrub aggressively on blemished skin. Simple exfoliation occurs every time you wash your face from the friction of rubbing your skin with your hands, washcloth, or gentle facial pad.

    For more detailed information on the types of exfoliation please read our blog, The Nitty Gritty of Exfoliation.

    Things to Avoid When Exfoliating

     

    SYNTHETIC EXFOLIANT MICROBEADS

    Exfoliating microbeads were recently banned from from rinse-off cosmetics by mid-2017. Microbeads are made of plastic, do not biodegrade and are polluting the oceans, groundwater, waterways and aquatic life. There are still products out there that contain these plastic spheres--so beware!

    HARSH EXFOLIANTS

    Avoid using scrubs that contain pulverized nutshells and fruit pits, like apricot kernels, which often have sharp edges that can tear delicate skin which can lead to skin irritation and inflammation.

    Harsh acid scrubs will irritate already sensitive skin. Salts scrubs are best left for the body since they are a too harsh and drying for the face.

     

    Recommended Products for Exfoliating

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which clay mask do I use if my skin is dry, oily and normal?
    Facial-Clays-Skin-Types

    Our face has different zones in which the skin can vary in thickness, texture, pore size and the number of oil-producing glands.

    Each zone may have very different needs and require individual attention.

    So, what happens if you have multiple facial skin issues, like dryness, oily spots, and blemishes?

    The answer is Multi-Masking . . .


    What is Multi-Masking

    Multi-masking is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of applying one face mask over your entire face, you apply different masks to different areas of the face in order to treat multiple skincare concerns at the same time.

    For more information please read our blog Multi-Masking and Targeted Application For Combination Facial Skin

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