WHAT IS EXFOLIATION?
WHAT IS EXFOLIATION?
Exfoliation is the process of removing old dead skin cells that remain on the outermost surface of the skin. It is great to note that the skin usually, exfoliate itself but it reduces as we get older.
Exfoliation is one if the skin most mentioned skincare routine, the first time I heard about exfoliation and dead skin cells was when I was 17. Growing in a typical Nigerian home many people don’t know what exfoliation is and the reasons, benefits and processes of exfoliation.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I EXFOLIATE?
Exfoliation should not be done everyday as it disrupt the skin barrier. Dermatologist advises that exfoliation should be done at least twice a week but preferably once a week.
BENEFIT OF EXFOLIATION
You might wonder, like I have in the past what would I gain or benefit from exfoliating my skin, since am disrupting my skin barrier for these. And we know that the skin barrier is important as it.
• Help keep moisture locked in the skin
• Help against allergies
• Keep bacteria out of the skin and so on
So what are the benefits we hope to get from disrupting our skin barrier by exfoliating.
• IT HELPS WITH HYPERPIGMENTATION: This is usually caused by an overproduction of melanin in some areas of the body in other words resulting to an uneven skin tone where some part are darker than the rest your body. This is usually seen on the arms, legs , neck, face and so on. Exfoliation can help with these skin problem
• IT CAN HELP WITH ACNE: As we know exfoliation can help unclog your pores these in turn will help against acne.
• INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OTHER PRODUCTS: Exfoliation helps to unclog the pores which allow easy penetration of other products to get into the skin and show effective results. These can be good and bad, as it is important that you don’t use any harmful products that can cause other damages
• IT HELPS TO SMOOTHEN THE SKIN: Everyone wants smooth skin, exfoliating helps to achieve these as it removes the dead skin cells from the top and even out the texture of the skin.
TYPES OF EXFOLIATE
We will be discussing about the most commonly used that is the.
• Physical exfoliant or Mechanical exfoliant.
• Chemical exfoliant.
THE PHYSICAL EXFOLIATE OR MECHANICAL EXFOLIATE.
The physical exfoliants usually are scrub or any other thing that needs mechanical help which can be harmful to your skin as it can inflame the skin, tear the skin and so on. But not all physical exfoliate are bad they can be great for the body but not so great for the face.
EXFOLIATION SPONGES
When I heard about exfoliation sponge I was wondering what it was.Later on I got to know what exfoliating hand gloves and brushes were. I personally recommend that these brushes be used on the leg, heels and feet.
To narrow it down there are these sponges that grow on trees in Nigeria. They grow on ponds which you peel and soak before using.
They are also exfoliating sponges though now some brands have remodeled them to be more attractive. These SPONGES can also be known as physical exfoliant.
DIY EXFOLIATION YOU CAN TRY AT HOME
You can make these exfoliate to cut cost and help you achieve the exfoliation all over your skin.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED.
• Oatmeal.
• Almond.
• Primrose.
• Sandal wood essential oil.
Ground your almond you can ground it with the shell.
Put in a bowl.
Add in your oatmeal along side your primrose oil and sandalwood essential oil.
Put back in your blender and blend into a paste.
Then apply on your body especially your joint areas.
Note: if you don’t have a blender you can mix with your spatula in a blow. If it remains you can store in your refrigerator till you need it again.
HOW TO EXFOLIATE YOUR BODY
▪︎ Use a loofah or exfoliating gloves to scrub your body in the shower.
▪︎ Apply your exfoliating scrub on the gloves or loofah ( it could be the oat exfoliate) or an OTC physical exfoliant you have.
▪︎ Scrub your body gently and in circular motion.
▪︎ Don’t forget your heels, elbows and knees.
▪︎ I personally love to exfoliate before I shower and I do these at night.
▪︎ Use a mineral based moisturizer.
▪︎ Use a mineral based sunscreen and remember to stay away from the sun as much as possible.
You may as why I use these ingredients.
WHY OATMEAL
▪︎ Oatmeal contains colloid that ha smoothing properties
▪︎ It is great for sensitive skin such as sunburn, itchiness and redness
▪︎ It absorbs the excess oil from the skin
WHY ALMONDS
▪︎ It has exfoliating properties especially it’s shell
▪︎ It helps to smoothen the skin
WHY SANDALWOOD
▪︎ It has anti inflammatory properties.
▪︎ It has cooling and soothing properties.
▪︎ It is said to be great for acne and oily skin.
CHEMICAL EXFOLIATE
In the chemical exfoliate we have the AHAS,BHA,poly hydroxy acid and Retinoids. Which are great for the face and the body. But before we move on we must consider.
WHY ARE YOU EXFOLIATING
Determine why you need to exfoliate and what you are hoping to treat, these will help you decide which chemical exfoliate you need to choose to get rid of the problem. Your skin type will also determine the chemical exfoliate you need.
The AHAs are great exfoliating chemicals I have talked about the glycolic and lactic acid in my previous post and they are properties. These acids can be found in natural ingredients such as
• Lactic Acid found in Sour milk and Tomatoes.
(Growing up I had seen people put tomatoes on their face saying it was a brightening agent though I don't really know how true these though tomatoes has great properties)
• Glycolic Acid are found in Sugar cane
• Citric Acid are found in Lemons, Oranges etc
• Tartaric Acid found in Grapes and Wine
• Malic Acid are found in Apples
SKIN TYPE AND CONDITION TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING EXFOLIANT
• HYPERPIGMENTATION , DRY AND COMBINATION SKIN : I have talked about Lactic Acid in my previous post as one of my favourite l love the ordinary lactic acid it has great reviews and results. For these recommend the The ordinary Lactic acid which comes in 5% and 10% concentration. There are such good acids in the ordinary product and they are quite affordable.
• SENSITIVE SKIN : we have the mandelic acid as it has big molecules which make it to large to penetrate into the skin so can be a good recommendation for those with sensitive skin.
• COMBINATION AND NORMAL SKIN: For these categories glycolic acid are the best for these skin types.Glycolic Acid is also the smallest AHAs so it means it can penetrate into the skin easily and exfoliate easily.
• ACNE PRONE AND OILY SKIN: The salicylic acid always a great choice for these skin types we have talked about salicylic acid so by now I believe you know why it's a great for these skin type.
THE POLY HYDROXY ACID
These have been said to be a great option for sensitive skin. But some poly hydroxy acid may be mixed with a BHA or AHA. These doesn't mean you should mix them yourself in your bathroom.
Whichever you are buying must have been tested in the lab to bring about the best result.
THE RETINOIDS
• MATURING SKIN: Retinoids are great for aging skin and mature skin. These are part from the Vitamin A family. It is great for photo damages skin. It also helpsin collagen repairs. Retinol is one of the common vitamin A sold as it has the same function
NOTE:Before you start a chemical exfoliant always do a patch test to see how you react before doing your body’s and facials.
Don’t forget to not over exfoliate we need that skin barrier and when you have inflammation, or other skin conditions do not exfoliate.
In a case where you have over exfoliate you may want to take a step back ward and stop exfoliating for some time. Consult your dermatologist on these properly.
I hope we enjoyed this post on exfoliation, if you have any questions or comments please let me know in the comment section. Until next time please feel free to surf around my blog.
Much love😘
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