Your skin is constantly renewing itself. Every minute, many small dead skin cells invisible to the naked eye give way to new cells. If exfoliation is an essential step to cleanse your skin and rid it of dead cells, it also has the mission of unclogging your pores and limiting excess sebum. There is nothing like exfoliating to regain clear skin and a radiant complexion. However, it is important to be careful about the type of scrub you use, as not all of them are suitable for your skin type.
For dry and sensitive skin
If you have dry skin, the exfoliation will aim to get rid of too much accumulation of dead skin that often prevents moisturizers from penetrating it. A gentle exfoliation will therefore be favored at the rate of once or twice a month only. While dry skin deserves to be exfoliated, it needs it less than oily and combination skin. Favor a gentle exfoliation with small grains, so as not to attack your skin.
To perform your exfoliation correctly, start by moistening your skin with a cotton pad soaked in lukewarm water, then, with a dab of exfoliating product, gently massage your face in small circular movements for 1 to 2 minutes. Then rinse with cold water and moisturize your skin with your usual day cream.
For oily skin
Oily skin is the one that most needs to be exfoliated to get rid of excess sebum and blackheads. But beware, this does not mean that you have to choose too strong an exfoliation and too brutal an application. Prefer a special scrub for oily skin, with small or medium grains. In the same way as for dry skin, moisten your skin before applying a dab of your exfoliant. Massage in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes, focusing on the T-zone, often the oiliest part of the face. Then rinse with cold water and don’t forget to moisturize. The scrub can be repeated once a week.
For normal to combination skin
If you have normal to combination skin, then you will need to choose a clarifying scrub, which will absorb excess sebum from your T-zone, without drying out the other parts of your face. Indeed, if you choose a scrub suitable for oily skin, it will rather tend to “scour” your skin too much, which will react by producing even more sebum. Not requiring any particular precaution, normal to combination skin should however be exfoliated with gentle scrubs with medium gains, at the rate of once a week maximum. The process remains the same, except that you will not necessarily have to moisten your face before applying the exfoliant, if you want to increase its exfoliating effects tenfold.