Healthy Skin Care Tips
Many people think that exfoliating is the easiest part of their skincare routine. Unfortunately, there are a lot of pitfalls when it comes to your sweet-smelling scrubs! If you’re concerned that you’re exfoliating incorrectly, here are some of the easiest ways to tell. Take these tips and correct your exfoliation routine to keep your skin glowing, soft, and healthy.
1. You Over-Exfoliate
Exfoliating your skin is a great way to remove dead skin cells and other contaminants while getting an ultra-deep clean, but too much of a good thing does apply here. Some of the signs you might be over-exfoliating include:
- Redness
- Irritation
- Inflamed skin
- Breakouts
- Increased sensitivity
If you’ve noticed any of these after exfoliation, it might be time to cut down. Most products recommend you exfoliate two or three times a week, but your skin may react differently than the standard. Experiment with reducing the number of times each week you use your exfoliator to check if this could be the issue. Otherwise, you may need to check in with your dermatologist or other skincare professional.
2. You Under-Exfoliate
You might be thinking that exfoliation sounds unnecessary, and you don’t want to include it in your skincare routine. Since children are the only people who are lucky enough to enjoy continuous skin renewal, adult skin that isn’t exfoliated regularly could show more rapid signs of aging.
Regularly exfoliating your skin helps you avoid clogged pores, excess oil, and dead skin cells on your face that block beneficial skincare products from penetrating. With a good scrub, your serums and moisturizers will be more effective and your skin will have the chance to glow.
3. You Exfoliate At The Wrong Time
Another big skincare mistake is to exfoliate at the wrong time in your routine. Examine your regimen and consider where to add in your exfoliation. Do you use a lot of intensive toners and acne treatments at night? Then you may want to exfoliate in the morning to avoid aggravating sensitive skin. Do you have skin that gets more oily as the day goes by? Morning exfoliation is right for you too.
Nighttime exfoliation is ideal for people who find they need a stronger cleanse at the end of the day or those who use their most important products at the end of the day. Since exfoliation strips away contaminants and dead skin cells, your skin is much more receptive after using your scrub.
4. You Don’t Research Exfoliators
Choosing the right skincare products for you is a critical part of creating your skincare regimen. Not everyone reacts in the same way to the variety of products available on the market. Some people need all-natural products, while others need higher concentrations of certain ingredients. Some products simply don’t work on you, just because!
First, you should be considering your skin type. Whether your skin is oily, dry, or combination, your skincare products should target one of these types specifically. Next, you need to think about your skincare goals. Are you looking to reverse the signs of aging? Thinking about preventing damage? Looking for acne treatments? All of these factors affect which product lines are best for you. Sometimes, different lines within the same brand may be more beneficial than others just because they’ve added an ingredient specifically for a particular skin condition.
You don’t have to struggle to crack the code of your skin on your own. Visit a dermatologist to discuss the best types of products for your needs.
5. You Scrub Too Hard
Exfoliating too much and exfoliating too hard are two different issues that have similar results, including irritated skin, extra breakouts, and inflammation. Since exfoliation is the use of tiny granules to scrape away dead skin cells from the surface of your skin, scrubbing too hard may cause the granules to tear your skin on a microscopic level. These tears are what break down an important barrier and make your skin vulnerable to flaky patches, redness, and sensitivity.
6. You Use The Same Exfoliator For Everything
Scrubs for your face and scrubs for your body are NOT the same. Many body scrubs use irregular grains that can’t tear or penetrate the tougher skin on your arms and legs. Your facial skin, however, is much thinner and more delicate than the skin on your body and requires perfectly round grains for safe exfoliation. Using irregular-grained scrubs on your face could cause the same microtears that occur when you scrub too hard or too much.
Don’t use irregular-grain shapes — like sugar — on your face. These are for body scrubs only!
A New Way to Exfoliate
Did you look at this list and recognize some skincare sins you might be committing? Eliminate them from your routine today and enjoy happier, healthier skin!
About the Author
Tess DiNapoli is an artist, freelance writer, and content strategist. She has a passion for yoga and often writes about health and wellness, but also enjoys covering the fashion industry and world of fitness.
