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Exfoliating your skin, everything you need to know!

Woman exfoliating the skin of her back with soap.

Taking regular steps to exfoliate your skin can be an essential aspect of your skincare routine. Removing the layer of dead skin cells makes way for new and healthier ones to restore themselves.

But it’s not as easy as it seems – sorting through the wide array of products in today’s marketplace that all claim to give you the best exfoliating results can seem daunting and overwhelming.

Fortunately, we’ve got you covered! In this blog post, we’ll review what ingredients should be looked out for when obtaining a quality exfoliant product.

Plus, let us teach you how often you actually should be using such products and some possible missteps that many people tend to fall into during and after they exfoliate.

With our help, you can master perfecting your skin’s renewal phenomena.

Best Techniques for Exfoliating

There are two ways to exfoliate: physical and chemical. Physical exfoliation involves using granular scrubs or brushing devices to slough off dead skin cells. Chemical exfoliation involves using acids like alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs) to dissolve dead skin cells.

If you prefer physical exfoliation, always use a gentle, non-abrasive scrub. Avoid using scrubs with large grains or beading because they can create micro-tears on your skin. Also, avoid using a brush with stiff bristles because they can cause irritation. Instead, use a soft-bristled brush and make circular movements on your skin.

If you prefer chemical exfoliation, choose products with active ingredients such as glycolic acid, salicylic acid, or lactic acid. These products dissolve the dead skin cells and unclog congested pores. But be careful not to use too much or too often, which can cause irritation and redness.

The Best Ingredients for Exfoliating Your Skin

There are a lot of different ingredients that can be effective for exfoliation, but some are better than others. Two of the most important things to look for are AHAs and BHAs.

AHAs, or alpha hydroxy acids, help to loosen the bonds between dead skin cells so that they can be more easily removed.

Common AHAs include glycolic acid, lactic acid, and citric acid. 

BHAs, or beta hydroxy acids, penetrate deeper into the pores and help to break down sebum and other oils that can lead to breakouts. The most common BHA is salicylic acid.

Other helpful ingredients include enzymes, as well as jojoba beads or other physical exfoliants.

Salicylic Acid

One of the most popular exfoliating ingredients is salicylic acid. This beta hydroxy acid helps to break down dead skin cells and unclog pores. It’s an ideal choice for those who have oily or acne-prone skin

Just be sure to start slowly if you’re new to using salicylic acid, as it can be drying if you use too much.

Glycolic Acid

If you’re looking for an ingredient that will help to brighten your complexion, glycolic acid is a great choice. This alpha hydroxy acid penetrates deeply into the skin to break up surface pigment and reveal brighter, healthier skin. 

Glycolic acid can be used on all skin types, but those with sensitive skin may want to start with a lower concentration and work up.

Lactic Acid

Lactic acid is another alpha hydroxy acid that’s beneficial for both dry and sensitive skin types. Unlike other exfoliating acids, lactic acid is hydrating, so it won’t leave your skin feeling tight and dry after use. 

Lactic acid also helps to stimulate collagen production, making it a good choice for those who are concerned about signs of aging.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic that can help to fight acne-causing bacteria. It’s also gentle enough for sensitive skin types. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, look for an exfoliating product that contains tea tree oil as one of its main ingredients.

How Often Should You Exfoliate?

It’s important to remember that exfoliating isn’t necessarily a one size fits all regimen. Most people should stick with just once or twice a week, but if you have sensitive skin, it might be best to start with only doing it once each week and then build up as your skin gets used to it.

On the other side of the spectrum, having oily skin? You may actually be able to exfoliate more often without any problem. 

Just make sure not to go overboard here either, as overdoing things can bring about some irritating and pretty unwanted breakouts!

And finally, those of us sporting drier skin types absolutely need to use a good moisturizer afterwards – we can’t afford to rob our face (or any other parts of our body) of moisture when exfoliating!

What to Avoid When Exfoliating

Exfoliating products can be beneficial to your skin, with helpful ingredients such as natural oils and extracts working to fight off dead skin and dryness.

But watch out!

Some ingredients you should look to avoid are alcohols, fragrances, sulfates and harsh chemicals. These components aren’t doing you any favours since they can actually make your skin angry.

Scrubbing them away with a creamy alternative might make you feel perfection…but this dream won’t finalise if these problem ingredients take the top spot.

So why take the risk? Steer clear of these irritants for the health of your body’s outer layer.

Exfoliating 101

Exfoliating your skin is an important part of any skincare routine. By regularly removing dead skin cells, you allow new ones to regenerate more quickly. This can help your skin look brighter and more radiant.

There are a lot of different products on the market that claim to be good for exfoliation, but not all of them are.

Be sure to look for products that contain AHAs and/or BHAs, enzymes like papain or bromelain, and jojoba beads or other physical exfoliants. And avoid products with alcohols, fragrance, and other harsh chemicals.

Lastly, don’t forget to follow up with a moisturizer if you have dry skin!

About author

Selma Durmo M. Pharm

“As far as I can remember I have always struggled with sensitive skin. The issues culminated in my mid-twenties when I started having rosacea flares and redness. My personal quest for effective, safe solutions took a professional turn, and I was given the opportunity to apply my (Pharma) background in developing a new skin friendly product line. My goal was to create something new, a clinically proven sustainable skincare brand. This science backed probiotic skincare derived technology is a product of years of research and innovation in personal care products. Metabiotics contain naturally produced hyaluronic acid, lactic acid, SMase, lipoteichoic acid, over 40 peptides and enzymes. All assigned with specific tasks for activating the skins native repair mechanisms.” 

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Clean

Following the principles of Clean Beauty, we have joined the dedicated stream of safe, non-toxic beauty enthusiasts.

Our products contain carefully selected hypoallergenic ingredients suitable for sensitive and reactive skin.

We’re committed to formulating with natural, organically-derived, and skin-friendly synthetics while excluding popular “good feeling” and potentially harmful compounds to provide the best skincare solutions.

“It is easy to get hooked on conventional products, with inviting perfumes and the instantly pleasant skin feeling. The sooner you understand that those sensations are short-lived the better! Choose Clean Beauty and allow the science backed ingredients time to work wonders on your skin.”

Cinically proven

Our products’ superiority has been proven in a controlled study on 50 volunteers where it was shown that four-week product use leads to a significant increase in skin moisture levels (39%), increased skin elasticity (50%), and a decrease in the appearance of wrinkles (23%).

Other beneficial effects include decrease in skin sensitivity, increase in skin cleanliness, evenness of the skin tone, decrease in acne formation.

This study serves as proof of the skin’s gradual return of its protective layer, integrity, and balance. All study results have been published in a peer reviewed journal as well as the full study report.

“Putting all science aside, we are most proud of our users’ testimonials. All tested volunteers claimed visible and tangible improvement in skin feel and appearance.”

Transparency

The greatest breakthrough discovery we stumbled upon is that skincare and cosmetics should not be sensational.

Personal care should be comprehensive, accessible, and efficient, just as all solutions that come from nature are.

We are often faced with labels such as anti aging skin care, organic skin care, natural skincare products, which lack the necessary explanation… What do these phrases actually mean?

“Grown tired of all the misleading, incomprehensive, irrelevant information used in the beauty industry we decided to stick to a no-nonsense approach. It is what it is, and skin care is not magic! It requires commitment, patience and understanding your skins’ needs.”

Sustainable

We are dedicated to neutralizing our negative impact on the environment as much as possible and have joined the stream of sustainable skincare brands. We’re taking you on for the ride (we’ve even packed the goodies)!

To help minimize our carbon footprint, for every product order a tree will be planted thanks to our amazing planters at One Tree Planted. It’s estimated that a mature tree nullifies around 20lbs of CO2 a year.

We’re doing our best to reuse, reduce and recycle. Wishing to inspire a circular economy we have partnered up, to create a customized recycling program. Collect three empty plastic packages to receive your Anbiome Recycling Envelope and follow the instructions on how to take part in our recycling mission. 

Your good deed shall be rewarded. For every three products recycled you receive one product gift!

Technology

Today’s trends in skincare require the use of synthetic active ingredients which interact with the skin. Our approach is to distinguish natural alternatives, which mimic the skins native repair mechanism and are more efficient and ecologically sound.

Translating solutions from nature into industrial settings is hardly an easy task, but it’s one we enjoy undertaking.

We have screened 500+ different wild probiotic strains from the nature, to find the most powerful ones.

Special fermentation process was developed to harvest powerful molecules (HA, LTA, SMase, LA and 40 peptides).

Result is the composition of native signal components and molecules that keep the skin balanced, healthy and protected.

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