Summer is here. The sun is shining, the beaches are calling, the iced tea
is being sipped and you’re feeling great. You might be prepared for summer….but is your skin?! Exfoliation – a term that most of us (and I’ll ashamedly admit to this) pull a face at. It takes time, it takes effort, and quite frankly we’d rather use that time to enjoy the 90-degree heat.
But what if I told you that your skin is harboring hundreds of dead skin cells called ‘Stratum Corneum’ – even the name makes it sound positively disgusting.
What is it?
Put simply, old skin sheds itself on a regular basis, making way for new skin. Unfortunately not all of this skin is removed and a build up begins to form; the average build up of stratum corneum contains between 15-20 dead cell layers. Eww.
Benefits!
So apart from the obvious benefit of removing this cheeky invasion of cells, here’s a few other benefits to why exfoliating is essential for a glowing summer face (and don’t be lazy, I expect amazing spring, autumn and winter skin too!)
- Reduces dryness and gray dullness by removes grease and dead skin cells on your skin.
- Gives your skin an amazing radiant glow and leaves you feeling fresh and more youthful looking in your ‘new’ skin.
- Improves blood circulation and boosts the flow of oxygen.
- Can improve performance of product applied after (like that expensive night cream you’re rationing out) by increasing its absorption into the newly exfoliated skin.
So ‘when and with what’….?
Most experts recommend exfoliating twice a week (stratum corneum – enough said!) We recommend different products for your face vs your body as your face may be more sensitive and require different treatments.
For your face, I’d recommend the Rice Facial Scrub containing fine exfoliating beads, which helps say Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Bye to those dead skin cells. This gently foaming cleanser + scrub also removes dirt and m ake-up leaving your skin smooth and fresh with a healthy glow! For your body, I also recommend my absolute favorite product Invigorating Coffee Scrub which is made with fresh Indonesian coffee beans and finer walnut shell grains for dual-action exfoliation. This gently exfoliates and awakens the skin leaving it fresh and awakened and with the most amazing chocolate coffee smell. Plus it also cleanses with soap-free surfactants which means it won’t dry out your skin. Remember this isn’t just for ladies, men love it too!
If you prefer a creamier option, try the Candlenut Body Polish which exfoliates and moisturizes together in one single application. A sister product to the coffee scrub, this one doesn’t so much cleanse as it hydrates deeply while exfoliating. Perfect to use before a self tanner, or on dry skin when you’re about to go out an notice dry patches on arms or legs you just want to rid of! Plus, you’re going to smell sweeter than summer!
Tell me how!
Now you’re equipped with knowledge and products, here’s the many different ways you can exfoliate!
Manual – Usually in the form of a sponge, a facial scrub or a tool, such as a Clarisonic that manually sloughs off the dead skin.
Chemical – Mostly provided over the counter, these types of exfoliation often contain acids and help loosen the skin layers. Most often recognized as ‘peels’.
Superficial/Deep Microdermabrasion – These two types of exfoliation help remove damaged skin cells, giving your skin an overall youthful appearance and is most usually performed by a professional.
So now you know and above are some options on how to exfoliate… SUMMER SKIN HERE I COME!
Have you read Eat, Pray, Love? Or did you take the easy way and just waited for the movie? Either way you’ve seen the beauty and spirituality of Indonesia. And that beauty is not coming out of the blue.
