Wednesday Morning Coffee Blog

Several people either admit that they never exfoliate because they have sensitive skin or that they exfoliate twice a day. Some, don’t see the point in doing it at all! Getting the balance right is essential for your skin. You have to find a way to remove those dead skin cells that sit on your skin and block your pores, otherwise anything you put on top won’t get absorbed. However, overdoing it is equally as bad as under doing it. My philosophy is to exfoliate gently every day so you won’t need to use a harsh after 10 days.

There are numerous ways to exfoliate. Every method has a different effect to the skin, so you could theoretically alternate between them unless you have a specific skin concern that may harm your skin if exfoliating in a certain way.

So lets break it down into different methods of exfoliating.

The Classic Scrub

This is the good old-fashioned way to do it. Small spherical biodegradable granules roll on your skin to remove the surface. I recommend this method if you don’t have particularly sensitive skin and you want to do a deep exfoliation. Perhaps, this is not something you will do every week, but instead twice a month.

I love the Acure Brightening Facial Scrub.

Konjac Sponge

One my favorite ways to exfoliate. The Konjac potato or Konnyaku is a plant native to Asia and it’s made from 100% natural and biodegradable vegetable fiber. It is essentially a sponge that you run under warm water to make it expand and become super soft. Then buff your skin in circular motions with either your cleanser or without. It’s genius! You should give it a try if you have sensitive skin (including rosacea and eczema), or if you like the idea of gentle daily exfoliation.

Muslin Cloths

If you use cream or oil cleansers to wash your skin, then you are probably using muslin cloths/flannels too. I love the Pai Dual Effect Sensitive Skin Cloth because on the one side it is textured muslin for exfoliation and on the reverse side a soft flannel for eyes and sensitive areas. I would recommend them to anybody, except people who have sever acne as you don’t want to scratch those spots by accident. Tip! If you are doing it every day make sure you use the soft side and occasionally use the exfoliating side when and where necessary.

Chemical Acid Peels

Chemical peels aren’t as scary as they sound. There are 2 main differences between normal scrubs and chemical peels. One being that you are not required to rub/scrub your skin, instead, the acid will eat away any dead skin cells and when you rinse off and you are left with softer brighter skin. This is critical for people who have acne, since you should never scrub a pimple yet you still have to exfoliate somehow, so it’s a win-win situation. The second difference is that chemical peels are better done during winter where the sun is less powerful, since they can make your skin photosensitive and prone to develop sunspots. Scrubs on the other hand can be used all year round, so bare this in mind and judge for yourself on how to exfoliate and when.

For a gentle chemical exfoliation I recommend the Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask and for a stronger treatment for acne prone skin the Bjork & Berries Refining Exfoliating toner.

Please note that if you are exfoliating your face daily with konjac sponge or flannels, then you don’t need to exfoliate with acids or scrubs every week. Once or twice a month is more than enough.

Body Exfoliating Gloves.

We should not forget our bodies boys and girls. My preferred method of exfoliating my body is simply exfoliating gloves. Not as messy as a scrub and they last you for ages.