Don't Forget to Exfoliate! - The Importance of Exfoliation
Is exfoliating your skin part of your daily routine? For many people, the answer is, no. We are so busy in our lives that just having a good cleansing and moisturizing routine can be difficult, but then add in exfoliating… pshh, who has time for that? Well, I am here to educate you on the importance of exfoliating your skin. Yes, cleansing and moisturizing your skin definitely should not be skipped, but adding exfoliating to your weekly skincare regimen can make a HUGE difference!
There are many reasons why exfoliation can help the appearance of your skin and overall skin health. For starters, it aids in getting rid of any dead skin cells as well as dirt and old makeup residue. A good exfoliant is really able to get in there to deep-clean your pores and get all the gunk out! Starting off with a fresh, clean skin canvas will help in the effectiveness of your other skincare products by allowing them to penetrate deeper into your skin. You may also feel you do not need to use as many cosmetic products to cover uneven or blemished areas after introducing an exfoliant into your routine. Below are additional details and reasons on why exfoliation is so important.
Helps Promote the Effectiveness of Your Other Skincare Products
If you have already added a serum, oil or even a more hydrating serum, something like hyaluronic acid is a great option, to add to your skincare routine, but if are not using an exfoliant, you are missing out on receiving the full benefits and results of these products. Adding the exfoliant will help to remove any dead cells from the skin so that your serum can better penetrate the skin cells and absorb more effectively, allowing the best results from your products.
Increases Skin Cell Turnover
The typical healthy skin renews, or has a turnover, about every 30 days. This turnover provides a fresh and bright appearance to your complexion. When the skin renewal rate slows down, it causes your skin to appear more dull and aged. Adding exfoliation to your routine encourages your skin cells to turnover faster and leaves you with brighter, fresher, and healthier skin.
Smooths Skin Appearance
People often suffer from uneven texture and skin tone, whether it is caused by weather, sun damage, or your natural skin characteristics. Exfoliation helps to smooth and even out areas of your skin to improve its texture, tone, and overall appearance.
Improves Hyperpigmentation
This point combines the benefits of exfoliation in creating a smoother, more even skin appearance, as well as helping to increase your skin cell turnover rate. If you suffer from areas of darkened skin, these two benefits will help to shed age spots and uneven skin tone to give you visibly more uniform and illuminated skin.
Stimulates Blood Flow
Exfoliation helps to reduce signs of aging by promoting skin cell turnover which improves the appearance of fine lines, but it also improves collagen production by helping to stimulate blood flow. Better blood flow means better collagen production, which allows your skin to appear tighter and more youthful. In addition, this oxygen-rich blood flow stimulation caused by exfoliation brings the blood closer to the surface of the skin, boosting cellular health and giving your face a radiant rosy glow.
Promotes Lymphatic Drainage and a Healthier Lymphatic System
Exfoliation, specifically dry brushing exfoliation (you use a brush with natural fiber bristles in a circular motion), helps the stimulation of lymphatic drainage for internal cleansing. Lymphatic drainage is a form of skin detoxification and works to remove toxins and other unhealthy debris. The lymphatic system is responsible for removing and destroying waste, debris, pathogens, toxins, and cancer cells. Exfoliation helps the lymph system move toxins that cannot be transported in any other way back into the circulatory system for elimination. If these toxins stay in our systems outside the blood vessels, it attracts other fluids. Extra fluid leads to swollen joints, skin issues and cellulite, and potentially a weakened immune system that can lead to a wide variety of illnesses.
Eliminates Ingrown Hairs
When your skin pores become clogged, it often causes ingrown hairs. One easy solution to avoid clogged pores is to exfoliate! Exfoliating eliminates any unnecessary dead skin layers or dirt from your skin, allowing your hair to be able to grow out easily through the skin surface without any blockage. Exfoliating regularly will help to treat and prevent any issues with ingrown hairs by making sure the pores are clean and unblocked.
These reasons combined can help reduce and fight signs of aging, with increasing the turnover rate of skin cells and smoothing and improving skin tone and texture. There are many different types of exfoliants on the market, and it can sometimes be difficult to determine which one is safe to use or the best for your skin. I go in detail, with this post, how I incorporate exfoliation into my skincare routine weekly. Here are a few options from Beautycounter that you can feel confident and safe using while still achieving amazing results:
Sugarbuff Body Polish in Lemongrass (this is my number one gift to give & everyone loves it!)
Most exfoliants are safe to use about three times a week for optimal results, but please read the packaging for manufacturers’ guidelines and also listen to your own skin. If you feel like it is drying out your skin or causing sensitivity, it may be best to cut back slightly on usage. Sometimes once a week is plenty!
Once you have found the right exfoliant for you, and you have added it to your skincare regimen, you will notice that exfoliating really does help boost the glow of your skin, clear up blemishes and dark spots, and allows you to achieve a beautiful, even complexion.
I am serious about taking good care of my skin and weekly, I get asked what my skincare routine looks like.
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P.S. Any product you use on a regular basis should be cleaned often (psst: your beauty cabinet will look and feel much nicer when you’re finished, too). So, grab the soap, a little water, and get cleansing. As you clean, be sure to check each period-after-opening (PAO) symbol while you’re at it. Beautycounter products specify the number of months that you can expect them to be safe for use. Look for a tiny period-after-opening (PAO) symbol of an open lid pot with a note like “12M”, which means the product’s lifespan is 12 months from the time you open it if it’s been stored and used properly. You may be due to replace some of your old #betterbeauty—which will make it, well, even better.
