The winter months can be tough on skin.
Between the cold air we face outside and the hot, dry air indoors, our skin compensates by turning over more frequently, resulting in layers of dead skin cells piling up causing skin to look dry and flaky.
We’ve already told you that you need to give your skin extra TLC during these cooler months and now we’re going to talk about what should be one of the most important parts of your winter skin routine: exfoliation.
Why You Need To Exfoliate
Exfoliating does two things: first, it sloughs off the old, dead skin cells and second, it encourages the skin to turn over allowing new healthy skin cells to grow. Both of these are crucial to keeping skin healthy, youthful and glowing. Once the dead skin cells are off, your pores are open to absorb moisturizer or any product you use on your skin.
How To Properly Exfoliate
When exfoliating, you should avoid using anything with jagged, sharp edges, which actually create tiny tears in the skin that increase the likelihood of redness, acne and uneven skin tone. Washing your face with a moisturizing cleanser daily and then exfoliating with a sugar scrub once a week is all you need to do to keep your skin looking its best. Then, follow up with a moisturizer. Also, be sure that you use moisturizing products while your skin is damp. That way, it absorbs directly into your pores.
Chemical vs. Physical Exfoliants
Peels or chemical exfoliants contain either salicylic acid or glycolic acid. They actually “eat away at the connection between skin cells and allows dead cells to fall off,” according to Dr. Joshua Zeichner. Chemical exfoliants work on a variety of skin types, but salicylic acid is ideal for younger, oily or acne prone skin. Physical exfoliants or facial scrubs use rough particles to remove dead skin cells physically, so they’re a best bet for individuals who don’t have sensitive skin or eczema. Sugar is great for exfoliating because the sugar particles become spherical as you work it over your skin in circular motions. Try the Fresh Sugar Face Polish for a good sugar scrub that contains moisturizing oils. Using a skincare brush to exfoliate will work too, just make sure you are using the appropriate brush head for your skin type.
How Often Should You Exfoliate?
Since skin turns over more frequently in the winter, ideally you should exfoliate once a week. If you typically exfoliate every night, dermatologists recommend using a non-scrub gentle cleanser with a rotating brush, like the Clarisonic.
Feature Photo via We Heart It