Stephanie highlights the crucial steps of skincare when exfoliating, sharing the more useful tips she uses – and stating the methods she thinks to avoid.
Exfoliating is a crucial step in any skincare routine. Exfoliation buffers away the excess dead skin cells, keeping your face free from texture and leaving you with smoother looking skin. Skin naturally sheds its skin cells every 30 days, but exfoliants are designed to speed this process up which creates a radiant glow.
However, exfoliation can be highly temperamental. When done well, it can reveal glowing and radiant skin. When done wrong, it can leave your skin aggravated and damaged. To avoid this mistake, I created five Do’s and Don’ts to help make sure your skin always looks radiant, which work for me.
DO’S
1. DO use a chemical exfoliant.
Chemical exfoliant is a form of exfoliant that penetrates the pores and shifts the build-up of dead skin cells. This is seen as a safe alternative to physical exfoliants such as scrubs. Furthermore, chemical exfoliants offer a deeper exfoliation as many contain antibacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredient.Â
2. DO moisturise.
After exfoliation, your skin can often feel tight and dry. To ensure the exfoliants are the most effective, use your go-to moisturiser to re-hydrate and replenish your skin.
3. DO use sun cream afterwards.
After exfoliating, its vital to maintain your skin by using sun cream every day. Without sun cream, chemical exfoliants can do more harm than good. The chemicals remove the layer of skin, which makes you more susceptible to harmful UV rays. Therefore, protecting your skin from discolouration and wrinkles.
4. DO exfoliate in the morning.
Exfoliating in the morning will allow you to get the most benefit out of your chosen exfoliator. This is because your skin produces more oil and dead skin cells overnight, removing impurities more effectively in the morning than at night. However, if this does not suit you, then no worries! Exfoliating at night will still get rid of your dead skin cells.
5. DO research products before use.
It is crucial to research the product before purchasing. Some products may contain harmful ingredients, causingirritation. Therefore, its best to look at the reviews. This can be found when purchasing online or searching through the internet. Your skin is unique, and so products that work for me – may not work for you!
DON’TS
1. Don’t over exfoliate.
Over-exfoliation or mixing different types of exfoliations can often be too hard on your skin. Your skin will eventually lose the ability to retain moisture and can become flaky and sore. To avoid this, I recommend exfoliating twice a week. If your skin is more prone to sensitivity and redness, I recommend once a week.
2. Don’t rub your face too hard.
If you wish to use a physical exfoliant, make sure to be gentle with your face. If you rub too hard, you can cause micro-tears on the surface, often leading to breakouts.
3. Don’t exfoliate if your skin is irritated.
If you are going through a period of irritated skin, make sure not to exfoliate during this time. For example, if you’re suffering from bad sunburns, this can worsen the irritation and inhibit the burn from healing.
4. Don’t exfoliate if you have dry sensitive skin.
When you have sensitive skin, you should be cautious about exfoliation. A small amount of gentle exfoliants such as glycolic and lactic acid can be a good alternative compared to the stronger AHA’s and BHA’s.
5. Don’t exfoliate before you cleanse.
Cleansing before exfoliation will allow you to clean off any excess dirt on your face, allowing a fresh slate for other products. This will enable the exfoliator to dig deeper into the pores and shift more dead skin cells.
Sources:
https://www.ilovecosmetics.co.uk/blog/the-importance-of-exfoliating-your-skin/
https://www.herocosmetics.us/blogs/news/physical-vs-chemical-exfoliants-which-one-is-right-for-you