Exfoliation is the secret beauty weapon for ageless, plump, glowing skin all year round. Peer into any beauty expert’s routine and you’re sure to find some form of routine exfoliation. Do you often experience dull, lackluster, and dry skin? Are your pores constantly clogged? Do you have blackheads? Acne? Wrinkles? If so, then adding a natural face scrub or exfoliant into your weekly regimen is truly a must. However, if done improperly, exfoliation can quite literally do damage. If the thought of exfoliating conjures up thoughts of fear, pain, irritation, and rawness, chances are you’ve experienced the side effects of over-exfoliation. Whether you’re a newbie to facial exfoliation or have been (literally) burned before by the process in the past, we’ve created this simple guide to show you how to use gentle, natural face exfoliators and facial scrubs to transform your complexion. Our skin is constantly regenerating, leaving dead cells on the surface. This creates dryness, texture, and clogged pores. Exfoliation is the process of agitating the surface to remove the topmost layer of dead cells and stimulate cell turnover (new cell growth).What is Exfoliation and What are the Benefits?
There are two types of exfoliation: chemical exfoliation and mechanical exfoliation.
Chemical exfoliation utilizes a variety of acids at varying strengths to dissolve dead skin cells, dirt, and oil. Manual exfoliation uses physical abrasives to remove cells physically. Both methods are valid and can produce amazing results when used effectively.
Routine exfoliation is beneficial because the buildup of dead skin can lead to irritated, dull, and blotchy appearance. A lack of exfoliation can also be the cause of acne, blackheads, and clogged pores. To top it all off, regular exfoliation strengthens your its barrier function, improves hyperpigmentation, and provides you with preventative anti-aging benefits.
Best Types of Natural Facial Exfoliators
The best way to exfoliate at home is by using a gentle, natural face scrub that is free from synthetics, harsh abrasives, micro-beads, and damaging acids. The truth is that you don’t need to use heavy scrubs or overly concentrated acids to properly exfoliate and achieve glowing skin. A weekly all-natural and organic mask, gentle fruit acid peel, or powder-based facial scrub is all that is needed.
Natural peels use acids to exfoliate by breaking down the dead skin on the surface. Common natural peel ingredients include fruit enzymes and AHA/BHA acids.
Natural masks provide exfoliation by breaking down dead cells and drawing impurities from deep within the pores.
Finally, gentle natural facial scrubs manually remove cells with powders (like almond, coffee grounds, oats, and clays), fine salts, and other abrasives like shredded coconut and sugar. There are also other exfoliating options such as handheld cleansing brushes and exfoliating sponges.
How to Safely Exfoliate Skin (Without Doing Damage)?
Over-exfoliation is what happens after exfoliating with ingredients that are too strong or exfoliating too frequently. The result is red, rough, and dry complexions. In the worst cases, over-exfoliating can result in scars, bleeding, hyperpigmentation, and deep burns (in the case of potent acid peels).
To avoid this, it’s best to start with a gentle exfoliation method once per week.
This could be a natural peel, mask, or face scrub that we’ve researched and recommended below or another gentle product that is free from undesirable ingredients. See how the face reacts to the product and process, then slowly increase usage to 1-3 times a week depending on your skin type and tolerance. Sensitive types should stick to once per week or less, while oily and dry types can work up to three times per week. There is no need to rush, take your time and find the right balance.
What Are the Best Natural Face Exfoliators?
When it comes to exfoliation products, it is a classic case of the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good are made with natural and organic ingredients that are beneficial for the skin such as oatmeal (gently abrasive and soothing), apple cider vinegar (contains good bacteria which is great for acne), and fruit enzymes and acids are all great natural exfoliators.
It’s best to avoid exfoliators with plastic micro-beads (irritating andharmful to the environment), synthetic fragrances, harsh abrasives and scrubs, concentrated synthetic acids, and alcohol (dries out).
If you want a quality natural facial exfoliator then you have two options: make your own facial scrub at home or purchase an all-natural product from a reputable organic brand.Making your own DIY exfoliator scrub is simple. Check out our DIY Exfoliator Guide at the bottom of this article for a few of our favorite recipes and a list of our 10 Best Natural Face Exfoliators that you can find in your kitchen right now.
