Our skin naturally sheds its outer layer around every month. But sometimes, it needs that extra bit of push to get rid of the old dead skin cells, which is where exfoliation comes in. When we think of exfoliation, we often think of scrubbing our skin (a form of physical exfoliation) but you can also do it chemically as well.
Physical exfoliation, as the name suggests, uses physical abrasives to exfoliate the skin. The abrasive can be anything from beads, fine walnut powder or sugar particles in face washing products and also includes things such as facial cleansing brushes. Physical exfoliation can be good if the right sized particles are used. However, many products out in the market have particles that are too rough for our skin (e.g. walnut shells) which can cause microtears in the skin. Microtears are not noticeable at first, but the skin will pay the price in the long run if rough physical exfoliators are used too frequently.
Chemical exfoliators, use chemicals, mainly a group of molecules called Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) to accelerate the skin turn over rate. Now, I know the word "chemicals" might sound concerning to some of you guys, but remember, water (H2O) is also a chemical we drink every day! Let's talk about one of the compounds from the AHA family: lactic acid. Lactic acid is an ingredient that can break apart the chemical bonds between dead skin cells, which helps your skin shed away the excess dead skin cells more easily. Lactic acid is also a humectant, which means that it can help preserve moisture in the skin so it can be helpful to those who are prone to dry skin. Getting rid of the extra dead skin can help immediately brighten and even out the skin tone so it can be a good addition in anyone's routine.
I've been using The Ordinary's 10% lactic acid, which for sure has helped in brightening my skin tone and evening out the texture of my skin.
Heres the link for the 10% lactic acid: https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-lactic-acid-10pct-ha-2pct-30ml
If you've never used AHA's before, 10% might be too harsh so I would recommend starting off with 5% instead: https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-lactic-acid-5pct-ha-2pct-30ml
P.S. I LOVE The Ordinary! They're such a great company that sells straight forward products with no marketing BS. And it's so cheap! If you're interested in skincare, I would definitely recommend you check their website out.
Physical exfoliation, as the name suggests, uses physical abrasives to exfoliate the skin. The abrasive can be anything from beads, fine walnut powder or sugar particles in face washing products and also includes things such as facial cleansing brushes. Physical exfoliation can be good if the right sized particles are used. However, many products out in the market have particles that are too rough for our skin (e.g. walnut shells) which can cause microtears in the skin. Microtears are not noticeable at first, but the skin will pay the price in the long run if rough physical exfoliators are used too frequently.
Chemical exfoliators, use chemicals, mainly a group of molecules called Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) to accelerate the skin turn over rate. Now, I know the word "chemicals" might sound concerning to some of you guys, but remember, water (H2O) is also a chemical we drink every day! Let's talk about one of the compounds from the AHA family: lactic acid. Lactic acid is an ingredient that can break apart the chemical bonds between dead skin cells, which helps your skin shed away the excess dead skin cells more easily. Lactic acid is also a humectant, which means that it can help preserve moisture in the skin so it can be helpful to those who are prone to dry skin. Getting rid of the extra dead skin can help immediately brighten and even out the skin tone so it can be a good addition in anyone's routine.
I've been using The Ordinary's 10% lactic acid, which for sure has helped in brightening my skin tone and evening out the texture of my skin.
Heres the link for the 10% lactic acid: https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-lactic-acid-10pct-ha-2pct-30ml
If you've never used AHA's before, 10% might be too harsh so I would recommend starting off with 5% instead: https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-lactic-acid-5pct-ha-2pct-30ml
P.S. I LOVE The Ordinary! They're such a great company that sells straight forward products with no marketing BS. And it's so cheap! If you're interested in skincare, I would definitely recommend you check their website out.
I've never used a chemical exfoliator before. I'll admit, I was a little intimidated at first. After reading this post I'll definitely look into using the ordinary's lactic acid exfoliator. I've heard great things about this brand and I love that its affordable. I was not aware about the microtears in the skin. Its scary to think that it develops over time. I definitely should branch out from just using physical exfoliators.
ReplyDeleteI never knew there were different classifications for exfoliators. I haven't used an exfoliator for a while but the one that I use is neogen's exfoliating pads. Would that be considered a chemical or physical exfoliator? I like it but I'm not sure if it really does anything. Can you tell the difference in your skin when using exfoliators? I'll take a look at The Ordinary's lactic acid though. I've seen their brand while looking at skincare products at Sephora.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, Neogen's exfoliating pads would be considered both physical and chemical! It would be physical because you're scrubbing your skin with the pad but the pad itself also has AHA's like glycolic acid and lactic acid which exfoliate your skin chemically. I've personally never used the Neogen pads myself but they sound like a great addition as long as you're not too aggressive with the scrubbing!
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