Both chemical and physical exfoliants can improve your skin’s appearance by removing dead skin cells and allowing healthy skin cells to shine through. Despite the benefits of exfoliation, improper use of exfoliators can lead to dry skin. If you’re new to exfoliators or want to get the most out of your products, here are five tips to help you properly exfoliate your skin.
Apply Exfoliants With the Right Technique
When exfoliating your face with a physical exfoliant, it’s important to apply and rub the product into your skin in small, gentle circles before rinsing the product off with warm water. You don’t want to apply too much pressure, as this can create micro-tears.
When using chemical exfoliants, you can use your fingers or a cotton pad to rub the liquid in. Leave the product on for about 5 to 10 minutes and rinse it off with warm water. Rinsing the product off too early can wipe off the active ingredients before they have a chance to work their magic.
Don’t Over-Exfoliate
When you start using an exfoliant for the first time, it’s best to only exfoliate about once a week to see how your skin reacts to the product. If your skin isn’t reacting negatively, then you can slowly increase that frequency to two or three times a week. However, if you notice your skin becoming dry, tight, or itchy, these are signs of over-exfoliation, meaning it’s time to cut back on how often you’re exfoliating.
Avoid Products With Large Particulates
Those who love physical exfoliants should watch out for products containing large or synthetic particulates. Large plastic beads, shells, or rocks can cause micro-tears and cut into the skin. When using a physical exfoliant, make sure it only contains finely-ground particulates so that you can avoid scratches.
Watch Out for Bad Product Combos
Exfoliators reveal healthy skin cells, but those healthy cells are also new and sensitive, so you have to be wary of what you use after exfoliating. Using an exfoliator in combination with products such as retinol, vitamin C, AHAs, BHAs, or benzoyl peroxide can cause further dryness. This isn’t to say that you can never use these products, but it may be best to wait until the day after exfoliating before you use them.
Always Use a Moisturizer
While exfoliators are fantastic at removing dead skin cells, they also remove the natural oils on the surface of your skin. This process can leave your skin feeling dry. Ultimately, you should never skip out on your moisturizer, but this step is especially important if you’re exfoliating.
With these five tips for properly exfoliating your skin, you’re one step closer to reaching your skin care goal and achieving the glowing skin of your dreams. And if you’re looking for a quality product that is sure to help you reveal beautiful skin, Essential Wholesale & Labs sells facial exfoliators designed to do just that.
