Every day 330 billion of your body’s skin cells replace themselves in a skin evolution of natural exfoliation, with your body taking approximately 27 days to completely regenerate your skin’s protective sheath transforming you into a ‘new’ you.
Our modern lifestyles make things quite difficult for our skin, as the significant increase in air pollution, including cigarette and vape smoke, dust, exhaust fumes, chemical smog, and harsh weather conditions can increase skin irritations, allergic reactions, rashes and wrinkles. The result: Decreased elasticity and accelerated ageing.
The rescue remedy is regular exfoliation – the ultimate way to rejuvenate your skin, by gently cleaning out your pores of oil and dead skin and polishing and refining the surface to leave it smooth, velvet-soft, and radiantly glowing. Here is everything you need to know to master your exfoliation routine:
- Faster cell generation: Exfoliation is the key to boosting new cell turnover, loosening, and lifting dead skin cells and making way for cleaner, younger, and more absorbent skin that can be nourished and protected.
- Increase in collagen: When you add or increase your exfoliation treatments, your skin is stimulated and alerted to produce more collagen, which helps to keep your skin firm and wrinkle free. Exfoliation helps your moisturiser and anti-age serums to penetrate better.
- Wrinkle and worry-free days: Research tells us that wrinkles get wedged into place and are deepened by corneocyte plugs, which are balls of dead, hardened skin which build up and keep your wrinkles in place – eeew! The gentle circular motions of your all-over body exfoliation provide a massage effect which helps to keep your skin clear of these plugs, so it is more difficult for wrinkles to form.
- Boost Lymphatic Drainage: Exfoliation encourages blood circulation and an increase in your skin’s hydration levels. It also reduces the risk of ingrown hairs, making shaving easier and diminishing the appearance of skin discolouration and dark spots with use over time.
- Sensory Touch Stimulation: Just like a baby’s, our bodies love to be touched and soothed and exfoliating your body’s skin is a perfect opportunity to calm and pamper yourself with a loving touch and healthy attitude towards self-care, mood enhancement and confidence, enjoyed along with the fragrant feel-good scent of your exfoliator.
So how often should you exfoliate?
Two to three times a week is recommended, depending on your skin type. If you have sensitive skin, exfoliate once a week, but always go according to how your skin feels after exfoliation. It should tingle and feel invigorated and stimulated and not dried out, irritated or red from over scrubbing. Remember to moisturise after exfoliating.
Our fave product: If you aren’t sure which exfoliator to start with, we love the new Bramleys’ Limited Edition Shea Butter Exfoliating Body Scrub 250ml, (R29.99). This limited edition addition to their range provides a solution to modern day skincare problems without hurting your pocket spend.
