Why Exfoliants Are Amazing

Our skin has a lot of ways to keep itself looking as fresh and fabulous as we need it to be – but sometimes, it’s not enough. For example, you regularly shed dead skin while going through your life because it gets old or damaged, but the memo doesn’t really get through sometimes – and you end up with flaking, dry and dead skin.

Fortunately for all Skinlovers out there, these skincare items are just the thing to come to your rescue – exfoliants!

Do it like the Egyptians

The first instances of exfoliation being used as cosmetic tools was with the ancient Egyptians, who had already known the effects of keeping yourself looking fresh, fab and fierce (remember that girl Cleopatra?) by using abrasives like masks and stones. Sometimes, they’d even use plants, mild forms of acid and the earliest forms of sandpaper! Thankfully, cosmetics didn’t stop there and became more refined over the years. But why exfoliate the skin?

What’s supposed to happen

Your skin isn’t exactly as permanent as you think. It may seem that way when the only time you notice it peeling off is after a long stint at the beach without suntan, but it actually renews itself every few weeks. You notice this because you end up needing to vacuum or clean your every week or so, even if you’re not tracking in too much dirt in the house – it’s because a lot of that dirt is actually dead skin cells that your shed as you go about your daily routine.

What happens when that doesn’t happen

Every few weeks, your skin undergoes a process called “desquamation”, where your skin literally sheds itself. A lot of factors can affect this process, like the environment, diet, vitamin deficiencies and hormones, making the process somewhat less than ideal. The glue that holds your skin together begins to harden, making desquamation difficult and in turn, giving you less-than-fabulous skin.

Enter exfoliation

That’s where exfoliation comes in: if desquamation is the natural way of getting your skin to shed, exfoliation is us giving it a little help along the way. Whether by physical or chemical methods, or peeling and rejuvenating, exfoliation has become an essential part of keeping your skin look healthy and young.

Now, exfoliation comes in all shapes and sizes – from your loofahs to your microbead soaps – all formulated for the kind of skin and exfoliation that you need. And some exfoliants have actually gone one step further:aside from getting rid of dead skin, they actually promote the glow and growth of new skin!

Vitamins to the rescue

One of the last things to round off exfoliants was infusing them with vitamins and minerals to help replenish fluids, correct and balance the oils, and promote the rapid growth of new skin. For example, exfoliants with Vitamin A (like our Micro Cream exfoliator – crafted for sensitive skin!) contains retinol, a compound which, once applied to your skin, is converted into retinoic acid. Don’t worry though – it’s a good kind of acid that’s been shown to boost your body’s natural desquamation process, as well as being a potent anti-aging agent.

We hope that this short lesson was enough to make you appreciate that exfoliant you have on your shelf. Being fabulous is hard work – but sometimes, beauty just has to find a way.

If you’re interested in other cosmetics, you can visit our site here and browse for the latest word in skin care. Or contact us by filling out this form if you want to get started on your very own Skinlover journey today!