Why Exfoliating Your Face is a Must

March 4, 2022

Earlier this week, I spoke about facial exfoliation on my Instagram. I wanted to go a little big more in depth on here and explain why exfoliating your face is important as well as how to choose the best exfoliant for your skin type! For more skin tips, check out my 12 days of self care blog.

Why Exfoliating Your Face is Important

Exfoliating your face helps reduce dry, flaky skin, as well as prevent breakouts. It leaves your face feeling smooth, glowy, and blemish-free. It also allows your other products to be more effective as they can absorb into your skin more easily.

There are two types of exfoliation: Physical and Chemical. The difference between the two is in the name. A physical exfoliant uses physical abrasion like sugar, beads, or particles to buffer away the top layer of dead skin. A chemical exfoliant uses an acid, like lactic, glycolic or salicylic to break down the bonds of dead skin cells. Here are some tips when deciding between the two.

PHYSICAL EXFOLIANT

You use make sure you are using one that is gentle so it’s not scratching and scaring your skin.
The beads should dissolve easily. If there is too much abrasion, it can damage your skin barrier, making your skin super sensitive and irritated.
Everything I’ve linked below in my shopping section is gentle and effective!

CHEMICAL EXFOLIANT

Just like a physical exfoliant, you can overuse a chemical one. Be careful to use the right kind of acid for your skin type.
Limit the amount of times you are using the product, depending on its strength. I’d usually only do 2x a week.

How to Choose The Right Exfoliant For Your Skin Type

I think the biggest thing to remember is that whatever skin type you have, exfoliation is important. It is also important to not over exfoliate and irritate your skin. Finding the right kind of exfoliant for your skin type will help avoid the possibility of damage or irritation.

OILY SKIN

Exfoliating your face is super important to avoid sebum build up that can cause breakouts.
Products with salicylic acid in it might be a great option for you as it is more drying and helps with acne.
If you have oily skin, you can exfoliate a tad more often than other skin types (but don’t over do it!!)

NORMAL / COMBINATION SKIN

Normal or combination skin can handle slightly stronger exfoliants, like glycolic or salicylic.
If your T-zone is more oily than the rest of your face, you can spot treat with a stronger product there – or just exfoliate there more often.

DRY SKIN

If you have dry skin, you need to exfoliate to remove dead skin cells that build up more quickly than other skin types. If you don’t, your other products won’t be able to penetrate your skin as easily or be as effective.
You might think you need something more abrasive or strong, but in reality dry skin can be quite sensitive, so avoid using harsh scrubs.

SENSITIVE SKIN

Even sensitive skin can benefit from exfoliation, just be gentle with it and definitely don’t exfoliate more than 1-2x a week.
If you opt for a chemical exfoliant, look for a lactic acid, as it is more gentle than its harsher counterparts. It not only exfoliates, but it also hydrates.