Why should exfoliation be part of your regular routine?

As a Master Esthetician, I love the skin and find it completely fascinating. Therefore, I’m a huge advocate for exfoliating regularly for many reasons. First, allow me to give you a mini skin lesson.

The skin is divided into seven layers. The "Stratum Corneum" is the outermost layer consisting of dead skin cells. As brand new skin cells are “born” these dead layers are meant to slough off. This process runs smoothly when we are young. As babies, we all start out with smooth, healthy skin. That’s where the term “smooth as a baby’s bottom” comes from. Unfortunately, as we age, the texture and quality of our skin can change drastically. Our natural sloughing off process begins to slow down, causing up to 100 layers of dead skin to stack up. Imagine your skin like bricks and mortar. Your skin cells are the bricks and the substance between them is like very sticky mortar — causing all the dead, dry, and dull skin cells to become stuck, unable to slough off properly. A dead skin brick wall is one brick wall you definitely don’t want, if you want beautiful skin!

The benefits of exfoliating

Remember all those darn layers of dead skin I talked about? Exfoliating regularly will keep those babies in check. Sugar is especially wonderful to exfoliate with because beyond the manual exfoliation it offers, the sugar is a natural source of alpha hydroxy acids or AHA's (which dissolve the sticky mortar-like substance). Using AHA's will actually help speed up your natural cell turnover rate (the rate at which dead skin cells fall off the surface of the skin). Who wouldn't want that? After exfoliating, you’ll be left with softer, visibly brighter, healthier-looking skin. And with that brick wall gone, all the beneficial ingredients in your moisturizer will now be able to penetrate your skin and work more effectively.

Keep in mind that if you suffer from a sunburn, eczema, or other skin conditions, you may want to ease back on your exfoliation schedule so as not to irritate the condition.

Facial skin and exfoliation

When it comes to the face and exfoliation — that is my specialty. If you have sun spots or evidence of past acne, you might be wondering if it’s there to stay. The good news is that pigmentation is often (but not always) in the superficial layer of the skin. This means that clear, even skin can often be achieved through dedicated exfoliation. The uneven pigmentation that is trapped in dead skin cells will eventually fall away as you diligently exfoliate your skin. Exfoliating will also help to reduce the occurrence of acne, shrink your pores, and improve the overall texture of your skin. For the perfect all-in-one exfoliating cleanser, try our Lemon Coconut Creamy Facial Cleanser. (Exfoliate daily for a minimum of 3 months to see visible improvement in pigmentation).

Since we feel so strongly about exfoliating, we have several sugar scrub scents to choose from. My personal favorites are Grapefruit, Cool Mint, Spiced Wassail (I can’t get enough of the spicy orange scent), and Pina Colada (talk about paradise in a jar). I also have to mention the Immunity Sugar Scrub because it offers so many benefits. Imagine all the amazing benefits of exfoliation and steam, combined with the powerful effects of our Immunity Oil blend when you’re feeling under the weather. Now that’s a winning cocktail. You’ll be feeling better in no time! So hop in the shower and scrub away! Several times a week is best.

Happy scrubbing!

xoxo,
Your trusty Skin Specialist,
Samantha

About the Author

Samantha Marshall is a Master Esthetician specializing in professional exfoliation. She is a valued staff member here at Verefina! She participates in product development and oversees production and manufacturing.