Exfoliating the skin is a necessity when it comes to skincare. The proper methods of exfoliation are necessary things to know when discussing the need for healthy skin, and one of these is the prospect of time. When and how many times a week should you be exfoliating? Why should you exfoliate? Where?
All of these are necessary questions when attempting to do this, whether it's the first time exfoliating, or your millionth time. It's never too late to learn the right way to exfoliate!
One of the reasons for exfoliating is ingrown hairs, which can happen anywhere where hair grows. Aside from this, exfoliation can help with dry skin, oily skin, complexion, acne breakouts, and problematic skin—such as pimples and acne on the skin. Finding the right exfoliants that can better help with your specific needs can be difficult, but there are various Bubbly Belle body scrubs that can help with your different needs and can benefit your skincare routine.
How To Exfoliate
Exfoliating can be rather confusing or difficult if you are not well versed in the different kinds of exfoliants and how to use them. There are two kinds: chemical exfoliants and scrubs, or physical exfoliants. Chemical exfoliants serve as a way of exfoliating without abrasive ingredients, especially for people with very unhealthy skin barriers or sensitive skin.
Yet, some sensitive skin may do better without the chemical exfoliants, and instead use scrubs, which contain harder ingredients along with the oils, that rub on the skin.
The difference between scrubs and chemical exfoliants is that chemical exfoliants are chemicals that remove dead skin cells and remove ingrown hairs with the ingredients themselves, rather than added solid grounds of ingredients. For example, the chemical exfoliator will break down bonds to remove dead cells and penetrate the follicle in order to loosen the ingrown hair.
On the other hand, scrubs are used to exfoliate and remove dead skin, but with different ingredients. Some scrubs have walnut pieces, whereas others can have dried plants, sugars, salts, or microbeads. Regardless of what the added ingredient is, its purpose is to remove the dead skin cells and expose the ingrown hairs with their abrasive properties.
The topic at hand is how to properly use the scrubs. It is important to note, however, that overuse can lead to increased acne and rashes. Although the common misconception is that only abrasive ingredients in scrubs do this, it is also possible for chemical exfoliants, because of the repeated chemical interactions. For this reason, it is recommended to only exfoliate twice a week regardless of which you use.
In order to exfoliate properly, make sure you are in the shower, and you have already cleaned your body with a moisturizing body wash. This is to avoid any damage to the skin or any bacteria from entering the skin barrier.
Once the body is clean, you grab the body scrub of your choice and begin to scrub the product into the skin with your fingertips, moving in a circular motion. You do not want to rub it into the skin with too much force, given that you would want to avoid breaking off too many skin cells. You can also choose to use a washcloth, brushes, or exfoliating gloves to massage your skin, making sure to focus on tougher areas like the knees or elbows.
After rubbing it into the skin, you can opt to rinse it off immediately or to let it sit for a couple of minutes while the oils and serums in the cleanser absorb into the skin. This method of letting it sit for a couple of minutes is beneficial for scrubs that have oils that can benefit the skin, such as those sold by Bubbly Belle.
Which Scrubs Can You Use?
There are different body scrubs and skincare products that can help with different skin problems or complications. Whether it's oily skin, dry skin, acne-prone skin, or skin prone to ingrown hairs. In order to know which one to use, you may also want to consider what ingredients benefit you.
Bubbly Belle has three main scrubs that can help make the decision easier: Disco Scrub, Destess Scrub, and Coffee and Coconut scrub. The ones we will be discussing today are disco scrub, and coffee and coconut scrub, which are best for moisture and healthy skin.
Disco
This scrub is helpful for the skin because of the main ingredient: lavender. The lavender helps the skin heal and be cleansed due to its antioxidant properties. It is also known to have relaxing properties and helps to reduce dryness and itching, thus nourishing your skin’s texture.
Lavender is able to reduce irritation as well as itching. Because of this, as well as its ability to remove bacterias and toxins, it is a great choice for cleansing acne-prone skin. It will aid in removing bacterias from the skin, which is the common cause of acne.
When bacteria is lodged into the hair follicles, skin pores, and other areas within the skin barrier, acne will develop as an attempt to remove the bacteria. The lavender helps to remove this bacteria, thus lessening the acne that arises.
Aside from this, it also contains jojoba oil and almond oil. Both of these oils are known for their moisturizing properties, with jojoba oil being able to mimic the body’s natural sebum. Because of this, the body does not produce more oil, helping overly oily skin as well as dry skin—since it locks in the moisture.
Coffee and Coconut Scrub
The Coffee and Coconut scrub is beneficial for similar reasons, in terms of moisture and producing a healthy skin barrier. Coconut oil alone is well known for its moisturizing properties. You can find coconut oil DIY hair masks, skin masks, etc. all online, claiming to help with moisturizing the skin, as well as keeping moisture in. moisturizing the skin is the first step in maintaining a healthy skin barrier, and the next is protecting it from outside problems.
Coconut oil also helps to reduce redness and inflammation. It can lessen itching as well and will help the body to retain moisture, making situations like these, in which you itch and swell, lessen altogether. Aside from this, there are also antibacterial properties, which help to rid of the bacteria in the pores and follicles as well, similar to lavender oil.
This scrub also contains coffee, which is known for its firming and antibacterial properties during mechanical exfoliation. The caffeine in the coffee, which is also the abrasive ingredient used to remove dead skin, is key to firming and reducing cellulite. The caffeine content serves to dilate the skin’s blood vessels, increasing blood flow, and causing an increase in oxygen and nutrients to the skin that help it glow.
Aside from this, caffeic acid helps as an antioxidant, which can benefit even normal skin or combination skin. It helps to remove unwanted toxins from the skin that don't belong. It can help to reduce acne as well since it removes the unwanted toxins from inside the skin’s pores. Aside from this, like the disco scrub, it helps reduce ingrown hairs. The abrasive nature of the coffee grounds breaks down the thin layer of skin that is covering the hair, thus exposing the hair and reducing the number of ingrown hairs that develop.
Making the Right Choice for You
Making the right choice of body scrub is often difficult, but given the two scrubs discussed, and the fact that two more helpful scrubs aside from those are sold by bubbly belle, there are various options to choose from. Deciding should focus on what's best for you, and as always, you should always be careful with how much exfoliating you do, as well as how your skin reacts to different types of exfoliants.
With any exfoliant, use light strokes, and avoid exfoliating any wounds or areas with sunburn. If your skin peels after exfoliation, consult a dermatologist.
Some exfoliates, like chemical exfoliants, may be too strong for your skin if you have sensitive skin. Thus, it is always important to look at ingredients, and when in doubt, use a regular body scrub. There are multiple different ways to exfoliate, but the most important advice would be to only exfoliate twice a week, and to make sure you are not over-scrubbing!
Happy exfoliating!
Sources:
Coffee for skin and hair: 8 benefits and how to use it | Medical News Today
Is Coconut Oil Good for Your Skin? | Healthline
Lavender Oil for Skin: Uses and Benefits | Healthline
Jojoba Oil for Face: 13 Benefits for Acne, Wrinkles, and More | Healthline
15 Chemical Exfoliation FAQs: Acids, Skin Types, Products, and More | Healthline
How to Use Body Scrub Effectively for Soft, Radiant Skin. | Healthline