Exfoliation is absolutely key to a good skin care routine. With the amount of cells that die everyday, it is all to easy for your skin to get clogged up, and without a regular dose of sloughing, things can easily get nasty. With so many options out there on the market, it can be hard to know what is right for you, so today I thought I would give you my two cents on the whole exfoliation malarky.
When it comes to exfoliation, you really have two main options; manual or chemical and whilst each is different, they both offer their own unique positives and negatives.
Manual - Possibly the most satisfying to use, the manual exfoliants are great for scrubbing the skin and giving it an energetic burst of life. They can, however, often be more harsh and irritating on the skin, so for the face use a finely grained one or only use very gentle scrubbing motions. I also like to use them once or twice a week on my whole body to remove dry patches and keep skin looking glowing. My favorite would have to be the Ocean Salt Scrub from Lush, which is suitable for both face and body and smells like avocado and sea salt, mmmmm. I also really like the Blackhead Killers, which I suppose are technically a manual exfoliant as they are pulling off the top layer of skin, as I find them really effective at sucking out impurities and removing all dead skin for a fest and glowing look.
Chemical - Split into main two parts, AHA's and BHA's I won't bore you too much with the science-y bit behind it all, although it is interesting if you like that kind of thing, chemical exfoliants are a great way to remove dead skin cells and get that fresh and glowing look going on. The idea of putting acid onto your face sounds pretty scary, to me at least, but these new formulas are very effective and not at all irritating, so take the plunge and I'm sure you won't be disappointed - they are amazing at dealing with all skin woes from acne to dryness! My absolute favorite in my chemical exfoliant line up would have to be the SkinChemists Rapid Facial Mask, which is incredible - I have no words! Using glycolic acid, it manages to remove all the dead skin from my face (which contributes to dull looking skin and clogged pores) by breaking the cells down so that they can easily be washed away. Amazingly, it isn't at all harsh and leaves it feeling as soft as a baby's bottom, it's one of the single things that I think has completely transformed my skin! For my body, especially around this time of year when it really important to keep exfoliating (got to keep that tan in tip-top condition ;)) I really love the Karora MicroPeel, which helps remove any dry patches and keep skin healthy.
The amount of exfoliation needed differs so much from person to person, and it really just depends on the type of skin that you have. For most people once a day to a couple of times a week is enough to prevent congestion, for the delicate skin on your face, doing it anymore than this could be counterproductive as it becomes too harsh for the skin to cope with, but for the body you're probably free to do it as much as you want. Just build up, and see what works for you - good luck!
How do you like to exfoliate? Do you have a routine?
