A solid skincare routine is a key to maintaining your health, beauty, and vitality. Integrating it into your daily routine can produce remarkable effects. Particularly when it comes to treating the skin on your face, an informed skin care regimen can help keep you looking and feeling beautiful, refreshed, and serene.
Finding the right products to use for your skin can often be a difficult process since everyone’s skin is different and a product that works wonderfully for one person could be counterproductive for another. For this reason, it can be helpful to think of your health and beauty routine as part of one cohesive process that incorporates everything from a healthy diet and exercise, to cleansing, toning, and exfoliating the skin.
Finding the right product to exfoliate the skin is particularly important because the process of exfoliation cleans and opens the pores, which makes other products like facial cleansers and moisturizers more effective. It also has a number of ancillary benefits such as preventing acne, evening skin tone and boosting circulation. All of that being said, let’s explore some categories of different explorers, as well as some specific products so that you can find an approach that makes sense for your skin and take your exfoliating game to the next level.
- Deep Cleansing Exfoliators and the Olehenriksen Walnut Scrub
One of the primary things to look at when searching for the perfect exfoliator is that it cleans deep into the pores. Deep cleaning exfoliators are particularly effective for unclogging pores so that other products can penetrate deeper into the skin. In addition, they can help give an uneven or dull skin new life and vibrance.
Particularly for users that haven’t been exfoliating regularly and whose skin is rough or rigid, deep-cleaning exfoliators can be the perfect gateway product into adopting a more robust skincare regimen. On the other hand, users with very sensitive skin may be better off opting for a different exfoliator. This can prevent over-exfoliating skin, a common problem with many skincare enthusiasts, as reported by the New York Times.
One deep-cleaning exfoliator that has piqued many people’s interest is the Olehenriksen Transforming Walnut scrub. As the name suggests, the product takes a proactive, intense approach to exfoliating skin, making use of many unique ingredients such as walnut powder and ginseng extract. This powerful cocktail of natural ingredients helps loosen dead skin cells, to leave the face feeling fresh and invigorated.
For an even more intense option, check out the Biologique Recherche P50 PIGM 400. Known in the industry as one of the most powerful and effective products on the market, this french exfoliator packs a punch. But users with sensitive skin should steer clear.
- Gentle Skin Exfoliators and the Tacha Rice Enzyme Powder
Before we scare away readers with sensitive skin entirely, let’s cover gentle skin exfoliators and why they are key for making sure sensitive skin isn’t damaged while exfoliating. With the rise of super-strong acid peels, this is a topic that is far too often ignored, and the last thing you want is your exfoliating attempts to damage your skin.
There is a wide variety of gentle exfoliators that can provide all of the benefits of their more extreme counterparts without undermining skin health. The Tacha Rice Enzyme Powder is so soft and gentle on skin that some users wonder if it’s doing anything at all when they first apply it. That all gets cleared up by the time they wash it off, leaving their face feeling fresh, soft, and rejuvenated.
Looking into the specific ingredients of an exfoliator is key, especially because many products contain ingredients that are actually harmful to skin, as reported on by the BBC.
The Tacha Rice Powder boasts a wide range of novel Japanese ingredients, but what makes it stand out is its use of rice enzymes – an exfoliating agent that has long been used in Japan to treat the skin. When the powder is mixed with water, it produces a smooth, gentle solution that’s soft on the skin. The product is famously a favorite of Meagan Markle, who gave bottles of it away to guests at her baby shower.
- An Exfoliating Shower Brush
Another helpful tool for exfoliating the skin isn’t actually a skin exfoliator at all. A quality shower brush can be wonderful for exfoliating the skin by loosening dead skin cells. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so make sure that whichever one you settle on has bristles with the right rigidity for your skin and that it’s specifically made to exfoliate.
Many users use brushes to exfoliate skin throughout the body, so if that’s your aim make sure you choose one with a long handle that will allow you to reach where you need to. Other advantages of a skin brush include stimulating the Lymphatic system, improving circulation, improving cellulite, and detoxification. Particularly when used in tandem with the right soap dispenser, an exfoliating skin brush is a powerful tool.
- Exfoliating with Skin Conditions
In some cases, using a strong exfoliator can be harmful to the skin, causing tears that make the skin less resilient and healthy. Users suffering from heavy acne or other skin conditions should be extremely cautious when using an exfoliator, and some should simply avoid them entirely.
Skin with acne or other more severe conditions is particularly at risk of being damaged by exfoliators, but aside from the current state of the user’s skin, genetics also plays a big part. Many users are genetically predisposed to have sensitive skin that can’t take many of the acidic exfoliators on the market today.
According to the Washington Post, many of the most common ingredients in skincare products on the market today can act as irritants. This is particularly the case for users with inflamed acne or other skin conditions. That said, there are exfoliants like the Era Organics Microdermabrasion scrub and many others that do cater to consumers facing acne.
- Exfoliating Pads
For users looking for an exfoliating product that is extremely quick and convenient to use, exfoliating pads could be the right fit. Specifically formulated to be grab-and-go, many pads offer the same benefits of exfoliating scrubs or other products, but take less time to apply.
An acidic pad, like the Replenix Glycolic and Salicylic Acid pad, could also make sense for users who are looking for a more intense, powerful exfoliating experience but still don’t want to spend time with a peel or scrub.
Many exfoliating pads can also be great for reducing the future occurrence of acne and helping to keep the skin clean.
Whatever products you choose, keep in mind that the key to taking your exfoliating game to the next level is to consider your specific skin type and lifestyle so that you can choose the product that matches your skin to a tee.