Exfoliating

Why do you need to exfoliate your face?

Proper exfoliation removes the barrier of dead skin cells clogging the skin and uncovers fresh new cells below. This opens the way for moisturising products to penetrate more deeply into the skin, which makes them more effective. In short, a regular exfoliating routine will leave your skin looking fresh and healthy. Regularly exfoliating the skin is an easy way to maintain a smooth, glowing complexion and often gives you results almost instantly. Exfoliating removes the dead cells that have collected on the surface of the skin so that all those fresh, healthy ones can take their place, essentially giving the look of new skin.

1. EXFOLIATE TO GET RID OF DEAD SKIN CELLS

Making sure skin is super moisturised is usually our first defence against signs of ageing. Thing is, moisturising is SUPER good at stopping DEAD skin cells from leaving our faces. Your top layer of skin is dead anyway, and it has a ‘natural’ speed of ‘turning-over’. When we use moisturiser, it make’s everything more MOIST. Those dead skin cells that were dry and ready to leave your face, get to stay for a bit longer. Think of moisturiser being a bit like glue to those dead ‘n flaky skin cells. This is great because it means our skin looks radiant and full of moisture, not scaly and flaky. The down side is when too many dead skin cells ‘build-up’ it can start to make skin look dull, leather-like, and a bit bumpy and rough.

This is when exfoliation is your friend! Exfoliating gets rid of those old, long gone dead skin cells. This makes skin smooth and soft as a baby’s bottom. Now your skin looks radiant, healthy and young once again.

2. EXFOLIATE TO PREVENT WRINKLES

Exfoliating your face helps to stop fine lines and wrinkles pulling up a seat on your face. Somehow seems a bit simple with all the rave anti-aging ingredients out there, but this really is your first defence. Exfoliating gets rid of old skin, that means it reveals younger and more nourished skin. With science eyes on, exfoliating increases ‘skin cell turnover’, that means new skin is encouraged to grow.

If we moisturise well, there is a side effect of reducing ‘skin-cell turnover’, that’s why every skin routine should be a balance between moisturisation and exfoliation. So how does dead skin encourage fine lines and wrinkles? Good question! Think of your skin getting more and more like an Elephant’s the thicker that dead-skin-cell layer gets. It’s got that characteristic leathery, dullness of dead skin. Now, dead skin has less elasticity than skin that is alive and younger. Less elasticity means it forms wrinkles more easily, it sags, it pulls and it doesn’t ‘ping-back’. Its just gotten a bit tired! Helping that dead skin layer to ‘shred’ means skin stays away from the elephant look !

3. EXFOLIATE TO IMPROVE ABSORPTION OF YOUR ACTIVE SKINCARE

Exfoliation is your best friend when it comes to giving actives in your skincare the BEST chance of working. Dead skin build-up is a DEFENCE. The thicker that layer, the more defence there is. Dead skin defends by stopping ‘stuff’ from getting through it, even the sun! That’s one of the reasons why people who have a lot of sun exposure, tend to have thicker skin!

By exfoliating away dead skin cells, you ‘normalise’ skins defence against ‘things’. There is less skin to ‘get through’, so your actives have less to do, before they can beautify skin!

4. EXFOLIATE TO KEEP BLEMISHES AND SPOTS AT BAY

There is nothing that encourages spots MORE than dead skin! Dead skin is like a play ground for bacteria, and there ain’t nothing gonna stop them from having a party in there… UNTIL we get to the exfoliating that is! Dead skin plays a role in ALL types of spots. Dead skin is the key cause of black heads, Milia (Keratin plug) and if you have Acne, and therefore the P.Acne bacteria, dead skin is your worst nightmare.

Why does dead skin give you spots? Here comes a super yummy analogy. Think of your face like a bin, and dead skin, like the rubbish in the bin. Put a banana peel in the bin, and first of all its fine, its fresh and still banana-ery. THEN, time ticks on and that banana skin turns brown, makes some bin juice and begins to WIFF like it was never a banana in the first place! This is your dead skin. It basically starts to ROT on your face, if it’s not exfoliated off. Dead skin becomes dinner for any bacteria you might have on your skin. That means they get stronger and start to expand ‘The family’, which can then give you an ‘out-break’ of spots. This is the number 1 reason for people with acne to exfoliate. If you have acne, then naturally you have the P.acnes bacteria in your ‘skin flora’, this causes spots, and the more of it there is, the more spots you’ll be getting.

5. EXFOLIATE TO INCREASE BLOOD FLOW AND CIRCULATION

A bit of exfoliation gets the ‘juices’ of your skin flowing. That means things like blood get to come and ‘feed’ your skin with all the foods it needs and anything bad, that has built up in your skin, gets to be ‘drained away’. This is why exercise can make skin crazy radiant, exercise has the same effect.

6. EXFOLIATE TO STOP PORES FROM GROWING

While you can’t ‘shrink’ your pores, you can stop them from getting any bigger. Pores can seem to get much bigger as we get older, that’s because, skin ‘builds-up’ in our pores and Collagen production slows. The more dead skin sat in your pores, the bigger they will get and look. Dead skin not only helps pores to grow, but also makes them MUCH more visible. Once skin is dead, it ‘festers’, gets sticky with your skins oils and attracts any and ALL dirt. This is the culprit of black heads. Also with the result that as your pore now looks grey inside, they become more visible than they would be without that gunk in there. Exfoliation is your pores best friend and key to healthy, youthful, glowing skin..

Whatever your skin type, whatever your skin concern, here are the three easiest and most effective ways to exfoliate the skin in the comfort of your own home.

Exfoliation Beginner

If you are new to exfoliation or have very sensitive skin that you are wary about irritating then you will want to use the gentlest option you can. Before even considering a traditional exfoliator, try removing your usual cleanser or face mask with a flannel or muslin cloth.

These have a slightly uneven texture which, when gently massaged over the skin, helps to lift away dead skin cells as well as make-up, excess oils and other impurities without causing any irritation. This way you can see how your skin reacts to the sensation of being exfoliated without investing in an extra product.

Exfoliation Expert

If you don’t have sensitive skin or want to try something a little more abrasive you can opt for a facial scrub to slough away dead cells. These are known as physical exfoliators and use slightly gritty particles like beads or grains to loosen dead cells from the surface of the skin. The physical action of buffing a scrub over the face also increases blood flow to the skin which leaves you with a healthy, glowing complexion that looks fresher and more awake. When choosing a physical exfoliator, avoid anything that contains very sharp particles as these can pierce the skin and cause more harm than good.

Exfoliation Pro

When it comes to deeper exfoliation, resurfacing acids are the way to go and provide an easy, fuss-free way to remove dead cells from the skin. These are known as chemical exfoliators and use AHAs or fruit acids to loosen the bonds holding dead cells to the surface of the skin so that they can be removed more naturally. This method of exfoliation is available in a wide range of formulations from cleansers to moisturisers but a product that works overnight is the most effortless. Exfoliating can help improve a wide range of concerns from wrinkles to acne and doing it regularly will also increase the power of the other skin care products in your routine. To start with, exfoliate your skin once a week. You can then gradually increase this to around two or three times as your skin gets used to the process.