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all about exfoliation

Exfoliating is an important part of taking care of the skin; accumulating dead skin cells will start clogging your pores and blocking products (such as the all-important moisturizer) from being absorbed into your skin. Here are some great exfoliants options that will help you on your way to healthy skin.

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mariahreviews

Dry/Resilient

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1

Daily Moisturizing Body Scrub

First I want to start with your body. If you’re anything like me, sometimes you might focus too much on your face and potentially neglect the skin everywhere else. But it all needs to be taken care of! I love this scrub because it removes dead skin cells while also moisturizing at the same time. Also, if you shave your body, using an exfoliant like this one first can help unwanted shaving side effects such as razor bumps or strawberry skin. This scrub uses PHA instead of the more harsh alternatives AHAs and BHAs as its exfoliant, so it’s also a great choice for those with sensitive skin.

Daily Moisturizing Body Scrub product review
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mariahreviews


Dry/Resilient

When this body scrub describes itself as moisturizing, it really means it. I usually find with exfoliation that I have to take care to quickly follow with a heavily moisturizing product afterwords to combat the dryness exfoliating gives me. That’s not the case for this body scrub. I rub it all over my body, and when it washes off my skin feels soft and silky as though I’ve used a moisturizing lotion on it. the main exfoliant in these ingredients is gluconolactone, which is a PHA; PHAs still help dissolve dead skin cells but have been proven to be more gentle and better suited for sensitive skin than BHA and AHAs due to their larger structure preventing them from penetrating too deep inside the skin. This body scrub does not feel irritating or abrasive on my skin in any way. The PHA gently does its job at the same time as the prebiotic oat is nourishing and soothing my skin. I also like that it doesn’t have alcohol, which can dry my skin out, and it doesn’t have any ingredients that can trigger fungal acne. The texture when I pour it is thick and sticky, but don’t worry, it does not feel sticky whatsoever once you rinse it off. It just feels like baby-soft skin. This is how I use it in my shower routine: wash with body soap, use this exfoliation, and then I shave. My favourite way to use this scrub is to use it to prime my legs before shaving, and I highly recommend you do the same if you also shave your legs. Exfoliating before shaving prevents in-grown hairs and razor bumps. When I remove all the dead skin and trapped debris and oil with the scrub, it leaves a smoother surface for the razor to effortlessly glide over. I don’t suffer from in-grown hairs or the “strawberry skin” look when I do it this way, so I really love using scrub. I use it about three times a week and my body has never felt softer and happier. Please note that I originally received this product for free, but this is my honest review.

Daily Moisturizing Body Scrub

Aveeno
Daily Moisturizing Body Scrub

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5.0

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2

Daily Microfoliant

Sticking with recommended for sensitive skin, but moving on to our face. This has been my go-to exfoliant for a year straight. This is a physical exfoliant (with some chemical exfoliation as well from salicylic acid). When I first learned of physical exfoliating, I was terrified it would destroy my skin; but this doesn’t use abrasive ingredients like shells or pits. Instead, it uses the super gentle and soft rice powder. It’s safe to use everyday and does a great job of dissolving my dead skin cells without harm.

Daily Microfoliant product review
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mariahreviews


Dry/Resilient

I was actually recommended to try this by my facialist after she examined my skin, and I’m so glad I listened to her. I’ve been using this for a year now and it’s the perfect blend of a physical and a chemical exfoliant. I used to be afraid of physical exfoliants because the ones I’ve encountered in the past all had very abrasive ingredients like shells and pits that would be way too rough to rub against my skin. That is not at all the case with this one. Instead of those harsh ingredients, they use rice-based powder as its physical exfoliant. When you add water, it turns into small and super soft clumps that you rub against your face. A great thing about this kind of exfoliant is that I can customize how delicate it is by how much water I add to it; the more water, the more gentle the clumps are. I used to make it pretty watery, but I’m now able to just add a tiny bit of water without any issues. There is also some chemical exfoliation happening because it includes salicylic acid, which my skin responds really well to. I really didn’t understand the difference exfoliating could make to dry skin until I started regularly using this product. All of my flakiness and dead skin cells are completely removed every time I use it, and that allows me to see and feel the fresh and smooth skin beneath it all. The salicylic acid in it also clears up any pimples that I have. I have noticed my face seems to stay clearer when I’m diligent about regularly using this. It’s become one of the most important skincare products for me. I feel like I have a whole new face after I’ve used it, in the best of ways. It says it’s gentle enough for daily use but I personally don’t find it necessary to use more than a couple of days a week. If you have sensitive skin and have been afraid of exfoliation, I highly encourage you to give this one a shot, just maybe use it less times a week to start with and then build it up from there if you want to.

Daily Microfoliant

Dermalogica
Daily Microfoliant

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4.6

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369

3

Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel - Step 2

Does your skin require something stronger than the previous option? I recently discovered Dr. Dennis Gross’ Peel pads and I have been obsessed with them ever since. This is pure chemical exfoliation. There is salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acid all working together to exfoliate your skin. The second step brings in retinol to encourage that cell turnover. This might sound like a lot, and it is, but boy does it do its job. I’m getting the fastest results yet with this one, but you can read in my review how I carefully introduced it to my skin. They have three different strength levels: Ultra-Gentle, Universal, and Extra Strength; you can choose based on your skin’s sensitivity.

Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel - Step 2 product review
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mariahreviews


Dry/Resilient

I love this product because I really feel like it’s making a substantial difference in my skin over time. The skin tone on my chin has really evened out these past few weeks, and that’s an area I had been struggling with for awhile now. My pores are refined and my face is looking noticeably brighter and clearer. The very first time I used this peel, it caused a strong stinging sensation, and my face became noticeably more red. These effects happened at Step 1 but actually went away after I applied Step 2. Step 2 says it neutralizes the acid activity from the first step, and I can definitely confirm that seems to be the case with how it stopped the stinging and calmed down the redness immediately. I think the Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, and Witch Hazel combination was on the verge of being too strong for my dry skin to handle for my first time use, however I am now able to use both pads without any irritating feeling or redness! You can get these pads in three different strength levels: Extra Strong, Universal Daily (regular strength), and Ultra Gentle. I switched to the Ultra Gentle, which was made for more sensitive skin and didn’t cause any stinging, for two weeks and then returned to the Universal strength. This time, my skin was a lot more prepared for all the AHAs and BHAs I was about to cover it in, and I did not experience any negative reactions at all. I think this is a great way to gently introduce this product to your skin if you’re approaching the sensitive end of resilient like me, but I think I also could have gotten similar results from just using this universal peel only once a week for a few weeks. I love that they have different strength levels to suit everyone’s different levels of sensitivity. Having already pretty dry skin, I was afraid that combining all of these powerful acids in Step 1 along with using retinol for the first time in Step 2 would leave my face painfully stripped dry. But my face actually feels really nice afterwords; it feels clean, but not tight or uncomfortable. I’m really enjoying the changes it’s created in my skin and I’m excited to see what else improves as I continue using this product.

Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel - Step 2

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel - Step 2

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4.6

(17)

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15

4

Revitalift Vitamin C + Salicylic Acid Cleanser

We’ve talked about exfoliation in wash-off scrubs and leave-on pads, but did you know you might be getting some exfoliation from your cleanser too? Some people don’t realize they are overexfoliating due to having multiple products that don’t advertise themselves as exfoliants having ingredients such as salicylic acid in them. On the other hand, this can be a great option for someone who is wanting to carefully introduce these ingredients to their skin for the first time. Because you wash your cleanser off pretty quickly, the exfoliant is stopped before it can penetrate too deeply into your pores, so it’s not as harsh. That’s why it can be safe to use a cleanser with salicylic acid everyday when it’s usually not recommended to exfoliate everyday.

Revitalift Vitamin C + Salicylic Acid Cleanser product review
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Peggaaa


Dry/Sensitive

This cleanser is gentle for my skin, my skin wouldn't feel uncomfortable and tight after applying this product

Revitalift Vitamin C + Salicylic Acid Cleanser

L'Oreal Paris
Revitalift Vitamin C + Salicylic Acid Cleanser

star rating

5.0

(4)

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2

5

Aloe BHA Skin Toner

Another way you can get your exfoliation in is through toners. Because you don’t rinse off toners the way you do cleansers, they can be a lot more powerful than the above option. I like this Benton option because the Salicylic Acid is 0.5% in this, which I think is a great amount for a toner (remember, it’s being fully absorbed into our skin, so we might not want to slap too high of a percentage on there). I also like this option because it contains multiple soothing and hydrating ingredients to offset the BHA, such as aloe and snail secretion.

Aloe BHA Skin Toner product review
Aloe BHA Skin Toner product review
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ANisPicky22


Oily/Sensitive

✳️𝑷𝑹 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝑨𝒍𝒐𝒆 𝑩𝑯𝑨 𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝑻𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒓✳️ ➖➖➖➖➖ The Aloe BHA Skin Toner claims to treat various skin concerns such as blackheads, dead skin cells, skin texture, the appearance of pores, and acne, as well as moisturize the skin and improve skin barrier. ➖➖➖➖➖ 🌱𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 - the toner comes in a 200ml simple green plastic bottle with a tiny pump applicator and with a simple description in front. 🌱𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 - I use the toner immediately after cleansing. Some of you used it with a cotton pads but I prefer to tap it onto my face directly using my hands. 🌱𝑻𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 - it is a light-watery texture, this toner sinks instantly into the skin. It absorbs fast without feeling greasy or sticky at all. SWIPE to see the texture shot and video🎥 🌱𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾📝: 🌱If you have oily skin or combination skin just like me you’ll love it two times more because it feels so hydrating without feeling heavy on the skin. 🌱My skin never felt dry & felt sticky which was shocking because as we all know, aloe tends to leave our skin sticky🥴 🌱In 2 weeks of using this toner, it is obviously that my skin became more smoother. 🌱About the appearance of acne; honestly speaking, this toner did not really cleared up my acne, although maybe it's too soon to say because I've used it for only 2 weeks. 🌱🌱🌱🌱/🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱 #ANReviewsPH

Aloe BHA Skin Toner

BENTON
Aloe BHA Skin Toner

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4.6

(842)

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cookii user profile picture

cookii

Dry/Resilient

Thanks for sharing
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