As the air gets drier this time of the year, so does your skin. Once your skin gets dry and flaky, that means that old skin cells are resting on the top layer of your skin, giving you the illusion of dullness. When this happens, it means that you’re not exfoliating well enough. So when it comes to getting dewy, healthy skin, exfoliation is your best friend. But while widely recommended, there is a right and wrong way to exfoliate. Below, exfoliating sins you should never commit and tips to follow for dewy skin:
DON’T OVERDO IT
Depending on the kind of exfoliator you use, you should exfoliate skin every other day (or every 2-3 days for sensitive skin). Although your first impulse is probably to scrub all the flaky skin away, if you exfoliate too much, your skin gets parched and patchy, which is a sign that you may be messing up with your skin’s protective moisture barrier. And guess what?! This barrier is also essential for healthy skin!
USE THE RIGHT EXFOLIATING PRODUCT
On the subject of product, make sure you are using the right type of exfoliator for your skin. Without bogging you down with too much science, there are two types of exfoliators you should know about: (1) mechanical; and (2) chemical. Mechanical exfoliators use microbeads to slough off dead skin cells from the surface of your skin, while chemical exfoliators containg ingredients strong enough to seep into the skin and eat away at the dry skin on the surface. Both types of exfoliators get rid of dry skin, but beware of mechanical, gritty exfoliators containing seeds or granules, since these can actually scratch the skin and irritate it. If you have sensitive skin (or if you want to exfoliate every day), consider using a gentle exfoliating product like IMAGE’s Intense Brightening Exfoliating Powder ($29.90), which exfoliates skin with coconut milk powder and papaya enzymes. Not only that but this powder removes debris and oil from pores while providing skin with long-term hydration and anti-aging benefits with its natural botanicals and antioxidants to help skin reach a new level of radiance.
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DON’T FORGET YOUR OTHER LOTIONS & POTIONS
Right after exfoliating your skin is the ideal time to layer on your other skincare products such as serums and moisturizers because exfoliating allows your other skincare products to be absorbed more thoroughly. It’s as simple as this: the deeper a product can penetrate into the skin, the more benefits you’ll have over time.