7 Benefits of Exfoliating

Is your skin looking dull lately? Dull skin can be a symptom of a myriad of issues, including stress! If you’re looking for a quick and effective way to instantly brighten your face and make your skin look and feel better, one of my biggest skincare tips is to start exfoliating your skin on a regular basis. I exfoliate my skin once a week, and I recommend you do the same (both your face and body).

Boost Your Skin Care Products

Exfoliating helps clean out your pores and remove dead skin cells. When dead skin cells collect on top of your skin, your skincare products can’t penetrate as deep into your skin. After you exfoliate, your serums and moisturizers penetrate deeper into your skin, which basically means they’ll be able to do a much better job!

Unclogging Pores

Dirt, oils, bacteria, and other debris can collect in your pores. This leads to acne blemishes, including whiteheads and blackheads (*sobs*). Even if your skin doesn’t break out, clogged pores can make them appear larger.

When you exfoliate your skin, you’ll remove that dirt and oil from your pores. While it’s not possible to permanently shrink your pores, exfoliating will clean them out so they appear smaller and give your skin a healthier, smoother look.

Prevent Acne

Trapped dirt, oil, and bacteria are usually the culprits when it comes to acne breakouts. Dead skin cells can actually seal the surface of your pores, which traps the oil inside. This can lead to acne blemishes, blackheads, or whiteheads.

Exfoliating won’t do much to help existing acne, but it can prevent future blemishes from forming. If you have acne-prone skin, aim to exfoliate once or twice a week with a physical exfoliant.

Increase Circulation

When you exfoliate your skin in a circular motion, it helps boost blood flow to the area. This increased circulation helps remove toxins from your body. Exfoliating, especially all over your body, helps increase lymphatic drainage to detox your body.

Even Skin Tone

Exfoliating removes dead skin cells, which can even your skin tone. If you have rough skin, acne scars, or hyperpigmentation, exfoliating can help them fade over time. You won’t see results the first time you exfoliate, but your skin should improve over time.

Boost Cellular Turnover

In addition to the boost in circulation I mentioned before, exfoliating also helps increase cellular turnover. This means that your body will keep generating healthy skin cells as the dead skin cells fall off. This helps your skin look and feel softer.

Boost Collagen Production

Along with cellular turnover, exfoliating helps boost collagen production to fight the signs of aging. Collagen is what keeps your skin looking firm and plump. As we age, our bodies naturally produce less collagen, which can lead to signs of aging.

Exfoliating helps improve skin texture and skin tone while boosting cellular turnover and collagen production to combat the signs of aging.

How Often Should I Exfoliate?

You should exfoliate your skin once or twice a week. With so many benefits of exfoliating, you might be tempted to do it more than twice a week. However, exfoliating too often can be irritating for your skin, so make sure you don’t overdo it!

There are some daily exfoliating face washes. These are formulated to use daily, so you can use them on your every-day skincare routine. However, other exfoliating scrubs are only meant to be used once or twice a week.

If you have sensitive skin, then exfoliate only once a week. If you notice redness or irritation, exfoliate less often. If your skin is fine exfoliating twice a week, then you can safely exfoliate twice a week. If you’re new to this, start slowly by exfoliating once a week to help your skin adjust to its new regimen. After a month or so, start doing it twice a week and see how your skin reacts.

Chemical vs Physical Exfoliation

There are two main ways to exfoliate: chemical and physical exfoliation. Physical exfoliants are substances that scrub your skin to loosen dead skin cells. For your body, this could be sugar or salt. For your face, this could be jojoba beads or brown sugar.

Chemical exfoliants work by breaking the bonds that hold dead skin cells to your skin, so the dead skin cells fall off. The most common chemical exfoliants are Alpha Hydroxy Acids and Beta Hydroxy Acids. There are also several fruit enzymes that do a great job!

Tips for Exfoliating

Your facial skin is more sensitive than the skin on your body, so only use an exfoliating product made for the face only.
Exfoliating can be drying, so always follow with a moisturizer.
Do not exfoliate any areas that have cuts, scrapes, or burns.
Physical exfoliants are more aggressive than chemical exfoliants, so use a physical exfoliant for really rough skin (like your heels or elbows).

With so many benefits for exfoliating, you’ll want to add this step to your skincare routine. Exfoliate once or twice a week for best results, and your skin will look and feel better almost right away!

SKINCARE PRODUCTS WE’RE CURRENTLY OBSESSING OVER

My favorite face maks for my rituals at the moment are from Farmhouse Fresh! If you know me, you know I live at a farm so I love all things that are organic and have that homemade feel to them. They make my skin feel super fresh! My current favorite is Guac Star (avocado) for hydration, Soothing Active Yogurt Mask for tightening, and Clarifying Mud Exfoliation Mask for toning and exfoliating my face!