Exfoliating the face and body is what gives skin it’s healthy glow. New skin cells are kept on the skin’s surface, fine lines and wrinkles can fade, and itching abated. My legs are particularly itchy. Every now and then they just itchy and it doesn’t seem to matter what I do, they just itchy for a few days and then they’re fine.
My face is dry and dehydrated, they are different. In general I absorb chemicals really well. my moisturizers include a few drops of face oil or serums that contain heavy oils like argan or avocado oils. That’s sealed with very heavy cream lotions at night and medium to lighter moisturizers during the day. I always top the entire show with sunscreens and all sunscreens have some oils in it. By using a lighter moisturizer my face doesn’t feel too greasy heading into work (although it absorbs it all anyway my makeup has a tendency to slide around).
That’s a general breakdown of my summer daily skincare routine. This is about my exfoliation process. Loads of people over-exfoliate their skin. I see it on YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest all the time. Typically, it’s physical exfoliants that are the cause from my experience. Someone gets that walnut powder scrub or even a sugar scrub and just goes to town every morning. That’s not how exfoliants are suppose to be used. 1 to 2 times per week top for most exfoliants. But there are little things you can do to keep tat skin squeaky clean in between major exfoliation events.
On the body, you can almost go to town everyday with a physical exfoliant depending on what you’re using. It’s thicker skin that’s just more capable of dealing with the physical process of exfoliation. That skin is designed to take a beating
Face
#SundaySelfCare Day
On Sundays, every week, I do a self-care Sunday inner outer body scrub. I start he day with coffee or tumeric tea and typically do a simple cleanse with an emulsion type cleanser and top with sunscreen. Then I’m off to the gym for a couple of hours. I go the gym to sweat and boy do I. So I’m not putting on my full routine. If my skin is extra dry after I wash it in the morning I’ll use a facial spray but that’s the maximum amount. I always feel like my pores are cleaner after a good session in the gym. When I come home I hop in the shower and my major exfoliation process starts.
Twice a month I do get a facial at Ulta (always on Saturday or Sunday). I almost always get a glycolic acid peel. It’s a very potent AHA facial peel that will break down that top layer of your skin. If you haven’t read it I highly suggest reading my AHA breakdown. If I don’t have one for two months I will have clumps of skin coming off. I am trying to fade some of my dark spots and this 2x a month routine seems to be working along with Vitamin C.
If I don’t have a facial I use my Clarisonic brush which removes the dirt and larger flakes fairly well. I’ve used lactic acid face washes and those do help but beware you’ll see irritation around the corners of your mouth. Its hard to avoid since the water will naturally want to fall into that crease. Once that is removed I dry my face completely and will then use The Ordinary’s 30% AHA chemical peel. To cover my face and neck down to my collar bone I use three full pulls from the dropper. If my face is feeling extra clogged I put the facial steamer to it. This also helps keep the chemical peel hydrated but that stinging feeling sensation will increase. Only use the steamer if you know your skin can handle it. Don’t use it if it’s the first time using the product or you’ve had a reaction to a chemical peel in the past. I keep that on for 10 minutes then rinse away with cool water. If you can’t handle the full 10-mins try 5-mins. The first time I used The Ordinary’s facial peel I didn’t feel anything; however, I did on all future uses.
Next I’ll wash my face again with a mild facial cleanser, typically emulsion based since I’m just removing the residue from the chemical peel,
Now it’s time to rehydrate the house. Facial sprays, essence, fungal filtrates, sheet masks, heavy serums, heaviest creams, HA acid. All of it is getting put on(remember I have dry skin). I use a powder formulation Vitamin C in order to help with my dark spots that I mix into my serums. The only reason is use the powder version is due to the increased stability on the shelf and overall longer shelf life. After 3 months my dark spots seem to be evening out a bit. After a more intense exfoliation you only have the freshest dewy skin and it will absorb skin care much better so don’t waste the opportunity. Get those goodies on now. Skip the retinol. Retinol is not an exfoliant but your skin is sensitive right now and will likely not play well with retinol.
During the Week
During the week it’s more down to maintenance. I don’t use my higher powered 30% exfoliant but will switch to a 10% lactic acid serum at night, again from The Ordinary, typically on Tuesday and will use that again on Thursday or Friday. I definitely target the areas with the highest turnover rate on my face where I start to feel that texture (jaw line, around my mouth, nose, and forehead). You really can’t beat the price. My husband uses the 5% solution. I also use the Glycolic acid toner from The Ordinary typically beginning Monday night, maybe Tuesday depending again on how my skin feels and looks. If it stings too bad on a patch test under my ear I don’t use it.
Retinol is used again Monday night. Vitamin C is used every night. Daytime as well if I can remember to use it. Contrary to popular belief, Vitamin C and Retinol can and should be used together. Retinol is actually MORE effective when used with Vitamin C.
TLDR;
Sunday: intense chemical exfoliation (alternating facial and at-home)
Tuesday: am – glycolic acid toner; pm – 10% lactic acid serum
Thursday/Friday: am – glycolic acid toner; pm – 10% lactic acid serum
That’s it. It’s 3 times a week which works well for my face. In general, don’t exfoliate more than twice a week. My turnover rate is really high and I’ve worked with my esthetician over the years to make sure I wasn’t over exfoliating. What we came up with is an intense exfoliation on Sunday with 2 weak exfoliation events during the week.
I also use a dermaplane and will use that as part of my Sunday intense exfoliation and it is an intense exfoliation.
Body
Body exfoliation is easy. I exfoliate every other day with a coffee scrub. If you want to buy it, it’s all good. Or you can make it at home with coffee grounds (espresso ground is preferred) + olive oil + sugar.
Recipe
2 parts coffee grounds
1 part table sugar (don’t use raw sugar)
Enough Olive Oil to moisten the mixture (not enough that it pools it doesn’t take as much as you think)
-Let this sit 24 hours as the oil will absorb into the holes of the coffee grounds. And then you can apply. If you make smaller batches, 2c. at a time, it’ll last in the shower for a month or so in a sealed container.
I use that every other day. I moisturize with an AHA containing lotion which is Amlactin Rapid Repair and Creme de Corps body butter or one of Nivea’s Essentially Enriched Body Lotion.
