top of page

How to exfoliate the right way: What does exfoliating do?

"What does exfoliating do?", "Is it really necessary to exfoliate?", "How do you exfoliate?"

As skin care professionals, these are just a few questions we receive on a daily basis about exfoliation. This skin care technique is crucial for all skin types, but might be the most misunderstood. Keep reading to learn what exfoliating does, why you need it, how to exfoliate and which exfoliator you should use for your skin type and concerns.

What does exfoliating do?

Your skin is constantly shedding skin cells. When this happens, smoother skin cells push their way up to the skin's surface. However, as you age, the rate at which your body sheds dull and dead skin cells begins to slow down.

In the simplest terms, exfoliation is physically or chemically removing those dead and dulling skin cells. Exfoliating helps speed up your skin's process and helps it to behave younger.

Physical exfoliators work against the top layers of the skin to remove dead, dulling surface cells via rubbing and sloughing. These can include crystals, micro-fine granules and natural beads.

Instead of physically sloughing the dead cells away, chemical exfoliants dissolve the intercellular glue that holds dead skin cells together. Chemical exfoliators penetrate deeper into the skin and can be a great option for skin that has deep congestion, is more resistive, or can't tolerate physically scrubbing their face.

Hey! Don't be put off by the word "chemical" – while it may sound negative, it's just a descriptive term for how the ingredients perform.

Is it really necessary to exfoliate?

Why do you need to exfoliate your skin? Without proper exfoliation, dead skin cells can get trapped on the skin's surface. When they're trapped, they build up. This leads to clogged pores, dark spots, rough skin texture, more pronounced wrinkles, dullness, dryness and more. Exfoliation ensures dead cells are swept away, revealing smoother, brighter, more refined skin.

Benefits of exfoliating your skin:

  • Unclogs pores

  • Reduces blackheads

  • Minimize the appearance of pores

  • Sweeps away fine lines and wrinkles

  • Detoxifies the skin by stimulating microcirculation

  • Controls excess oil

  • Brightens dull skin

  • Improves overall tone

  • Softens skin texture

  • Enhances skin clarity

  • Lightens hyperpigmentation

  • Helps skin behave younger