Sure, you might know the merits of exfoliating: Sloughing off the dead layers of skin cells to reveal fresh, soft new skin cells, but why is exfoliating so important at different skin stages? What happens if you don’t exfoliate? If you’ve got exfoliating questions, we’ve got answers, a few pro tips and a gentle, totally clean formulation at the ready.
WHY IS EXOFLIATING GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN?
When you’re younger, exfoliating is especially beneficial because cellular turnover happens daily. Unless they’re exfoliated away, dead skin cells can block pores and cause breakouts. Exfoliating gives your skin clarity and a dewy, just-off-the-yoga-mat glow.
When you’re older, skin cells shed less frequently, leaving a layer of dead skin cells at the surface. Exfoliating gets rid of the layer of dead skin cells at the surface, helping your skin feel healthy and radiant. It also stimulates collagen production to give your skin a plumpness you’ll love.
Whatever your age, exfoliating has some powerful additional benefits:
- Detoxifying the skin through lymphatic drainage, an essential skincare step if you’re working in an environment dense with toxins or living in a city that sees more pollution
- Improving penetration of skincare products such as serums. With fewer dead skin cells in the way, these potent ingredients can penetrate more deeply to give your skin hydration, moisture and clarity. Learn more in our article, Serums, Oils & Moisturizers: Why Good Skincare Routines Include Them All.
Pro Tip: The best time to exfoliate is in the morning, after a night of cellular turnover while you were sleeping. We recommend exfoliating just once a week.
WHAT’S A GOOD EXFOLIATOR FOR YOUR FACE?
There are two kinds of exfoliants:
1. The physical kind that uses grainy substances such as tiny beads to slough off skin cells
2. The ‘chemical’ kind, masks and cleansers crafted with natural fruit enzymes that create a reaction to exfoliate without.
Since it can be easy to overdo physical exfoliators on the face and create irritation, for many, especially those with sensitive skin, the enzymatic mask exfoliants can actually be more gentle. Lean on your skin type to determine which type of exfoliant will work well for you.
TRY: Superfruit AHA Brightening Face Mask
You’ll want to touch your silky-smooth skin all day after gently exfoliating and softening with this mask—rich in clay minerals and the natural alpha hydroxy acids of pomegranate, starfruit, kiwi, lychee, guava and more.
Pro tip: For some added gentle exfoliation, use your fingertips and some warm water to re-moisten the mask just before removal. Gently massage the face for 20-30 seconds before rinsing completely.
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T USE BODY EXFOLIATORS ON YOUR FACE
We’ve heard customers say they love our Vanilla Moon Radiant Body Scrub so much, they’re using it on their face. No matter how much you like a body scrub, only use it on your body, not your face.
Body scrubs have a harsher grit and higher oil content, perfect for tackling hard-working heels but too much for delicate cheeks that need to maintain natural cellular barriers. Learn more in our article Exfoliating Myths & Truths of this Crucial Skincare Step.
Whichever type of facial exfoliant you use, keep it away from the eyes. The skin there is just too delicate for exfoliating.
Pro Tip: Be sure to exfoliate with wet skin to lubricate the ingredients and minimize irritation.
CAN EXFOLIATING REMOVE SCARS?
If you’re looking for a way to help nourish a scar, we recommend a serum or concentrate rich in fatty acids and vitamin E, such as our Prickly Pear + Schisandra Youth Concentrate. We can’t promise that exfoliating or moisturizing will help reduce the appearance of a scar, but scars can benefit from the soothing and healing power of vitamin E and other targeted nutrients.
OM IS A LINE OF PURE, PLANT-BASED, TOTALLY CLEAN SKIN AND BODY CARE DESIGNED TO HELP YOU FEEL MORE CONFIDENT, NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL AND BODY-POSITIVE. BROWSE OUR PRODUCTS.