Beauty Blog

I know hearing about exfoliation is akin to flossing your teeth, but let’s be honest. Flossing makes healthy teeth, exfoliation makes healthy skin. Or, as Paula Begoun aptly put it: “Would you get a pedicure and ask the manicurist to keep your scaly heels?” Yuck!

Paula Begoun wrote the book, “Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me.” and has an excellent skin care line called “Paula’s Choice.” She really knows her stuff.

YouTube - Watch Cosmetics Cop Paula Begoun: Cosmetics Industry Mythbusting

So, there are 2 important reasons why you need to exfoliate:

1. The outermost layer of your skin contains dead skin cells called the keratin layer. Keeping this layer of skin can interfere with the penetration of creams and any type of serums. So, if you do take care of your skin and invest in worthy products, shouldn’t you work on a surface that is receptive to repair?

2. The keratin layer not only contains dead skin cells but also sun-damaged skin cells. This layer can also inhabit abnormal sun damaged skin cells, or, pre-cancerous cells called actinic keratoses. (Double Yikes!) You need to slough that layer off in order to reveal the fresh layer of skin underneath.

3. Ok, there’s a third reason: Exfoliation makes for shiny new skin! Skin that glows, skin that’s fresh and new. It smooths and softens fine lines, evens out your skin tone and lightens hyperpigmentated areas (due to sun damage, sun-spots). And to top it off: Exfoliation encourages collagen renewal and repair.

So, here’s the solution: you can use glycolic acids (fruit acids, AHA’s) or lactic acids (found in milk). In ancient times, Egyptian women took baths in sour milk(lactic) and French women in red wine(tartaric acid). Product lines like Philosophy’s Hope In A Jar contains lactic acid. Caudalie contains grape extract or tartaric acid. But for me, glycolic is the way to go. One product that I stand 100% behind is DDF Glycolic Exfoliating Moisturizer at 10%. 10% is right at the mark of being effective enough without going to a dermatologist. The higher the percentage, of course, the faster the renewal rate, and the deeper the penetration. If you go to a dermatologist, you can get a glycolic peel, but for everyday use, try DDF 10%. You can benefit from gradual repair which is gentler to the skin. Also, it is formulated for dry skin types and actually increases moisture levels! If you have oily skin, DDF also makes a glycolic product for your skin type. All in all, LOVE IT! After a month of applying this at night, I had glowy, beautiful new skin. A definite must!

But be aware, girls. Newly exfoliated skin is baby skin. Protect it with sunscreen, as always.

I got this Bioelements Pumice Peel by accident.  My husband had some money left over on a gift certificate to Burke Williams or some place like that, and kindly bought it for me (he supports my love for exfoliation).  I’m glad he did because this stuff is really worth the $48, and since you shouldn’t exfoliate your face more than 2 times a week, it’ll last.

Every time I use it, I’m amazed at how fresh and clean my skin feels. It’s a real complexion booster and helps even out my skin tone, which is cursed by blotchiness.  You’ll glow.

L”OCCITANE Olive Harvest Scrub Mud, $28

Exfoliating your face is a beauty must if you want vibrant skin since a good scrub will remove dead layers of skin, minimize fine lines, and make your complexion glow. It’s a great way to minimize the effects skin-damaging environmental pollutants like smog, which can clog your pores big time. The key is to avoid overexfoliating, which can either cause your face to dry out (wrinkle alert!) or produce too much oil (break out alert!) depending on your skin type.

L’OCCITANE makes a great scrub mud (pictured above) that’s gentle on skin, but you can get away with paying a little less with these great products:

Desert Essence, $7.49, Avalon Botanicals, $8.09, Kiss My Face, $5.56