Exfoliators

Today I have decided to discuss exfoliators and exfoliating in general.  I think people take this lightly when in actual fact exfoliating is helpful in keeping your skin healthy. 

Exfoliating is basically removing dead skin from the outer surface of your skin.  This would create a glow to your skin, provide the skin with a smooth and soft look, fresher, brighter looking skin, prevent breakouts and prevent ingrown hairs.  This also helps the skin sink in the moisturizer when you are applying it. 

There are many ways to exfoliate your skin you can use cleansers/scrubs with micro beads, you can get facial peels at spas or even at home or you can use microdermabrasion products.  The products with micro beads consist of finely abrasive ingredients to help remove the dead cells from the skin.

How to Exfoliate:

1.     Dampen your skin with water

2.     Apply the scrub onto hands and massage in circular motions onto face and/or body

3.     Scrub until grains have disappeared and penetrated into skin

4.     Rinse face/body thoroughly with water

5.     Apply moisturizer to create smooth, soft moisturized skin

I would recommend exfoliating every other day, sometimes exfoliating too often might cause the skin to become inflamed and dry because of the scrubbing.  In the winter you could reduce this to 2-3 times a week because of the harshness of the weather your skin could become more sensitive.  Also make sure especially on the face that you are not scrubbing too hard as the skin is sensitive, so be gentle when exfoliating you want to create smooth, soft skin not cause dry patches. 

Recommendations:

I have tried a number of exfoliating products both for the body and face all of which I would re-purchase because they have worked for me. 

1.    St. Ives Apricot Scrub

I think this the most famous facial scrub out there.  It smells great and the fine granules are not too abrasive to cause damage to your skin.  St. Ives has a variety of scrubs for the face depending on your skin type. They also have body scrubs that can be bought in a tube like bottle and also a tub container.  They also carry many body washes, which include exfoliating beads to help when you are showering.  St. Ives can be bought at any drugstore, they are reasonably priced and the product gives the skin a smooth, radiant look. 

2.    Soap & Glory Flake Away Spa Body Polish 300ml

This is a product, which originally came from the UK and they carry a variety of skincare products.  The names of the products are hilarious and the products are great.  This particular exfoliator is specifically used for the body and it comes in a tub container.  It smells really good and it leaves the skin very smooth.  The product contains Shea Butter, sweet almond oil, peach seed powder, sea salt and sugar.  It retails for  $9.99 and is available at Shoppers Drug Mart. 

3.    Laura Mercier Face Polish 3.5oz

This exfoliator is specifically for the face, it is a higher brand so the price would be a reflection of that.  Although it is targeted for the face you can use it on the body as well.  This scrub can be used everyday as the grains are not abrasive enough to cause the face any harm.  The grains are small and they disappear quickly when massaged into the skin.  The scrub has a very creamy consistency and it smells great.  It also can be used as a replacement for a cleanser so it works as a 2in1 product both as a cleanser and an exfoliator.  This product is available at Holt Renfrew stores (in Canada) and retails for about $35.00. 

4.    Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash

      This product could also be considered as one of the higher end products, as it’s not readily available at drugstores.  Philosophy has great skincare as well as cosmetic products and I have used their cleansers and moisturizers so I am familiar with their products.  This exfoliating wash like the Laura Mercier Face Polish can be used everyday as the granules are very fine and cannot do harm to the skin if used everyday.  This can be used as a cleanser depending on your preference.  Because of the fine grains this exfoliator is very gentle even for the most sensitive skin types.  I am not too fond of the smell of this exfoliator however it does do the job and you will get use to it.  It gives the skin a smooth, soft surface and leaves it moisturized.  It gives the skin a very clean feel.  This product is available at Sephora stores and also on the Philosophy website, the price starts at $27 and increases depending on the size of the bottle.   Just a note Philosophy has great skincare starter kits to introduce you to the line that are reasonably priced so that way you can try a variety of products including this one. 

Transform your dull, dry skin. EXFOLIATE NOW