Exfoliation Explained: Face Exfoliators & How to Exfoliate Your Skin

Exfoliation Explained: Face Exfoliators & How to Exfoliate Your Skin

What’s an exfoliator?

Exfoliators are skincare products that help you remove old dead skin cells on the skin’s outermost surface and clean clogged pores on the skin. Exfoliators can help you to soften your skin, lighten acne scars and improve skin texture.

There are two ways to exfoliate skin:
1. Mechanical or physical exfoliation
2. Chemical exfoliation

Mechanical exfoliators use particles to manually remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. These particles have rough, uneven edges that scratch your skin, damaging it. You don’t want that!

Chemical exfoliators include chemicals that help to peel away the outer layer of the skin and grow more evenly pigmented skin.  

Properties:

  • Diminish the look of lines and wrinkles
  • Make skin look and feel firmer
  • Hydrate skin
  • Improve the look of dull, uneven skin tone
  • Smooth rough, bumpy texture

Types of chemical exfoliants:

BHAs (beta hydroxy acid) exfoliators work on the skin’s surface and deep inside the pore. BHA is oil soluble, so it’s most often preferred for normal to oily skin prone to bumps, clogs, blemishes, and enlarged pores. BHA’s natural skin-calming properties make it ideal for skin that’s sensitive or prone to redness or rosacea and skin disposed to milia.

How to use BHAs exfoliants:
Apply the exfoliants after cleansing and toning. You don’t need to wait for one to absorb before applying the next, and you can immediately follow with the rest of your skin care routine.

 
AHAs (alpha hydroxyl acid) exfoliators are water soluble so these only work on skin’s surface. AHAs are preferred for normal to dry, sun-damaged skin, due to their ability to enhance natural moisturising factors within skin. AHAs have been proven effective in reducing the visible signs of sun damage and wrinkles.
 
How to use AHAs exfoliants:
Apply the exfoliants after cleansing and toning. You don’t need to wait for one to absorb before applying the next, and you can immediately follow with the rest of your skin care routine.
 
Enzyme exfoliants contain proteolytic enzymes to break down keratin protein that holds dead, dulling skin cells together. Enzyme exfoliation works more gently than AHA chemical exfoliants to shed skin cells and speed up the skin’s natural exfoliation process. These are perfect exfoliants for those with sensitive skin, clogged pores and hyper-pigmentation since fruit enzymes break down the keratin in skin and target only the outermost layer of the epidermis. 
 
How to use enzyme exfoliants:

Apply the exfoliant after cleansing your skin. Leave the product from 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off and follow with the rest of your skin care routine

The Sandalwood Merchant Enzyme Scrub is an enzymatic exfoliator with enzymes from pineapple and papaya and with sandalwood essential oil to exfoliate the skin in a controlled manner.

As it is an exfoliation that is performed from the inside, there is no need to work the peeling. So although it is ideal for all skin types, is the most recommended for sensitive skin and acne-prone skin because we do not mobilize the area

93.20% of the ingredients are of natural origin. Dermatologically Tested, Toxic Free, Cruelty-Free

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