Beauty Advice: Everything You Need to Know About Exfoliating Your Skin

By Carly Silva

Exfoliation is a great option to deep-clean your skin, especially if you struggle from clogged pores or acne. While it is not necessary for every type of skin, it is a great step to implement into your routine if you are looking to clear out your pores and get soft and glowing skin. Exfoliation can have plenty of benefits, but it’s important that it’s done in the right way to reap the total benefit and avoid doing any unnecessary damage to the skin.

If you’re in need of some new beauty advice, here is everything you need to know about proper exfoliating that will help make your skin soft and glowing:

1. Figure out which type works best for you: There are two different types of exfoliation: mechanical and chemical. While mechanical is far more popular, chemical exfoliations tend to be more gentle and safer for the skin. Mechanical exfoliants usually consist of a wash-off scrubs with some sort of granular ingredient that buffs against the skin to rid dead skin and get deep into the pores. Chemical exfoliants, often in the form leave-on treatments, use exfoliant ingredients, such as salyciylic acid or glycolic acid to sink deep into the pores to clean out dirt and oil while ridding dead skin cells. Before you start using an exfoliant, decide what type of exfoliation is best for your skin and your personal routine.

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2. Choose the right products: Another important part of starting an exfoliant is to make sure you are using the right product. If you’re using a mechanical exfoliant, avoid using products with damaging exfoliating ingredients, such as walnut shells. These can be super rough on the skin and lead to microtearing. Instead, look for products with gentle exfoliants, or even consider using a soft exfoliating brush instead of a scrub. If you’re looking to try chemical exfoliating, make sure that the ingredients are cohesive with the other products in your routine, and that you’re choosing acids that won’t be too strong for your skin.

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3. Be gentle: Perhaps the most important part of exfoliating is to remember to be gentle, especially if you are using a mechanical exfoliant. While it often feels the most satisfying to scrub the skin vigorously to get rid of dead skin cells, you can actually damage your skin if you’re too aggressive. Be gentle, use circular motions, and don’t scrub your face for more than 30-60 seconds at a time. If you’re using a chemical exfoliant, make sure you’re not being too rough on your skin with the ingredients you choose, and look for gentler exfoliating ingredients like salicylic acid, especially if you are prone to sensitive skin.

4. Keep a schedule: Another common mistake with exfoliating is doing it too often. Exfoliating more than once a day, or even every single can overwhelm the skin, which needs a break from exfoliation. You may only need to exfoliate 1-3 times a week, or even only once a month if your skin is super sensitive. Find out what works for your skin and be sure you are not overdoing it and irritating your skin.

What are some other tips for exfoliating? Start a conversation in the comments down below!