Exfoliation: Explained
While slathering on a body moisturizer is a regular part of our body care routines, a serious scrub is often saved for when summer rolls around, and our limbs are on display for all the world to see.
But at Joonbyrd, we believe that a body scrub is for life, not just for summer. Our founder, expert-dermatologist Dr. Alexis Granite, has summed-up all you need to know about exfoliation: from why, to how, and finally the best body exfoliating scrub to add to your shopping cart.
What Is An Exfoliant?
An exfoliant is a product that removes dead skin cells from the upper surface of the skin, allowing new skin cells to generate and resulting in more radiant skin. There are two types of exfoliants:
1. Chemical Exfoliants: A friction-free formula that works by dissolving the bonds that hold dead skin cells together.
2. Physical Exfoliants: A formula or tool that uses texture to remove dead skin cells, often through the use of beads, seeds or granules or a product like a loofah or exfoliating glove.
Why Exfoliate?
While shedding dead cells from the uppermost layer of our skin is a process that happens naturally, as we age our ability to shed skin slows down, often resulting in a build up of dead skin cells.
This build up can make the skin on our bodies look dry, ashy and flaky - particularly on areas such as legs, arms, knees and elbows - and leaving a dull, lackluster appearance all over.
When you use an exfoliating body scrub, it speeds up the process of shedding dead skin cells, by gently removing dry particles and allowing new skin to come to the surface. This not only gives our bodies a smoother, glowing appearance, but also offers these additional benefits:
- Increases Absorption: Without dead skin cells blocking its path, your body care will penetrate deeper into the skin for better results.
- Improves Your Mood: Sweeping a scrub on in circular motions can feel meditative and give you a moment of mindfulness - especially when combined with a soul-lifting scent.
- Prevents Pigmentation: Exfoliation aids in the reduction of hyperpigmentation and dark spots, as it encourages regular cell turnover.
- Smoothes Self-Tan: For an even, smooth self-tan, exfoliation is the best first step, particularly for dryer areas where product might gather, such as elbows and knees.
- Removes Ingrown Hairs: Gently removing the upper surface of skin via exfoliation will release any pesky-ingrown hairs.
How To Exfoliate
Ready to start shedding that upper surface of skin? Here is my expert-approved exfoliation ritual:
- Begin With A Full Body Cleanse: Prep your skin with a gentle cleanse to remove any surface-level impurities and strengthen your skin barrier.
- Start Slow: Follow with your scrub. Start just once a week, gently smoothing on in circles, concentrating on particularly dry areas such as knees, feet and elbows. If your skin tolerates it well, increase your exfoliation to 2-3 times weekly.
- Temperature Check: Rinse with lukewarm - not hot - water. Hot water can strip the skin of its essential oils, causing dryness.
- End On A Hydration High: As exfoliation can exacerbate dryness, always follow with a highly hydrating moisturizer.
- Know When To Step Away From Your Scrub: Never use an exfoliant on sunburned, inflamed or irritated skin, or if you have any minor cuts.
A Scrub Shopping List
Looking for a scrub-centric shopping list? I’ve rounded up my exfoliation essentials:
The Superstar Scrub: Creamy sugar and chia seed VIOLET HAZE Body Scrub polishes your skin to perfection. Fortified with radiance-boosting actives and skin barrier-supporting prebiotic inulin, our JOYfully-fragranced formula will leave your skin looking radiant.
The Scrub Support Acts: Ensure you are surrounding your scrub with the best possible body care products. Our MOON SWIM Hydrating Body Wash will cleanse and balance the skin, whilst SUNDAY SOFA Rejuvenating Body Wash’s award-winning formulation is proven to deliver hydration for days.
Debrief Digest
Need an extra-quick edit on exfoliation? Read on:
- An exfoliant is a product that removes dead skin cells from the upper surface of the skin, allowing new skin cells to generate and resulting in more radiant skin.
- While shedding the uppermost surface of your skin is a process that naturally occurs, as we age our ability to shed our skin cells slows down - resulting in a build up of dead skin cells on our bodies, which can result in dullness, dryness and pigmentation.
- When exfoliation is undertaken, it speeds up the process of shedding dead skin cells, by gently removing dry particles and allowing new skin to come to the surface - with benefits including glowing skin, increased absorption of products and reduced pigmentation.
- You should aim to exfoliate 1-2 twice a week, using a gentle, skin-supporting scrub such as actives-packed VIOLET HAZE Polishing Body Scrub.
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