Exfoliation 101: Unlock Glowing Skin with Physical & Chemical Exfoliators - Your Guide to Clear, Smooth Complexion

We all want a fresh, flawless face that doesn’t need filters or editing, and we’re here to tell you it’s possible to achieve! Radiant, glowing skin is within reach, but the key to unlocking it may be something you haven’t been vigilant about including in your clear skin routine. 

Enter exfoliation! 

Maybe you’ve added exfoliation sporadically into your skincare routine but let it fall by the wayside. However, you need to exfoliate regularly if you want to achieve flawless, glowy skin.

To truly exude that radiant, lit-from-within glow, you need to remove dead skin cells that are clinging to the surface, and to do that, you need to add an exfoliation step into your regimen. 

Your skin already sheds dead skin cells naturally to reveal the new cells underneath, but unfortunately, this process gets less efficient with every trip you make around the sun.

When these dead skin cells don’t shed completely, you’ll be left with dry, flaky patches and clogged pores, leading to breakout bonanzas and skin that looks uneven and dull. 

Fortunately, our exfoliation guide is here to help you help things along for that natural glowing beauty!

Why Exfoliation is Essential for Your Skincare Routine

According to Healthline, exfoliation benefits your skin by helping to slough off those stubborn dead skin cells that keep hanging on like your ex who keeps sliding in your DMs and just won’t go away. 

When you make time to incorporate exfoliation into your routine, you’ll see brighter, healthier skin and be rid of those stage 5 clingers. 

The Role of Exfoliation in Skin Health

Since dead skin cells can clog up pores, removing them through exfoliation will help clear the way for that fresh-faced complexion. You’ll promote cell turnover and start to see a radiant complexion shine through. 

Plus, without those dead skin cells in the way, you’ll prevent clogged pores as well. This means you can rejoice in clearer skin.

What Exfoliation Accomplishes

As if that’s not amazing enough, you’ll get the full benefits of your skincare products as they’ll be better absorbed by your skin when you remove this dulling layer, maximizing their effectiveness.

But the best news of all is that committing to regular exfoliation can boost collagen production. Just like your skin becomes less efficient at naturally shedding those dead, dulling skin cells, it also slacks off on making more collagen with each passing year. Your future self will thank you for taking this step to keep skin youthful and bouncy while minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Who Should Exfoliate and How Often?

Exfoliation is totally inclusive, and everyone should make time to do it. However, every skin type has different needs. The exfoliating skincare tips that work for your bestie may not be ideal for you. It’s important to first get to know your type of skin to determine the best way to add exfoliation to your lineup. 

Different Skin Types and Their Exfoliation Needs

Depending on your skin type, you’ll have different exfoliation needs. Let’s go through each type. 

Oily and acne-prone skin types: Can benefit from chemical exfoliators more than physical exfoliators, though some physical exfoliation can certainly help.

Dry skin types: You’ll see better results with chemical exfoliators. A gentle physical exfoliant may help as well, though dry skin will be more prone to microtears this way. If you have combination skin, you can easily use both types of exfoliators to get those exfoliation benefits.

Sensitive skin types: Can also be exfoliated, but you should use mild formulations of chemical exfoliators and start off slowly to see how your skin handles it.   

How Often Should You Exfoliate?

Now onto your most pressing question…how often should you exfoliate? Well, that depends on your skin type. Here’s a quick rundown:

Combination skin: Two to three times a week.

Dry skin: Once per week or once every other week with gentle products.

Oily or acne-prone skin: Three times a week, though reduce frequency if you discover irritation, redness, or dryness.

Sensitive skin: Start with once per week and watch how your skin reacts.

Chemical vs Physical Exfoliators: What's the Difference?

Not sure what all this business is about chemical and physical exfoliants? While “chemical” might make you think of harmful ingredients, it’s hardly like that at all. We break it down for you all below!

Understanding Chemical Exfoliators

Chemical exfoliants are acids or enzymes that dissolve dead skin cells and boost new skin cell turnover. They’re super gentle on the skin, despite the name, and are much less abrasive than physical exfoliators.

You can break them down into 2 categories, AHAs and BHAs:

AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids): Glycolic acid is the most common AHA since its molecules are small enough to go deep into the skin. Other AHAs often used in skincare are lactic acid, mandelic acid, citric acid, and malic acid. These are all water soluble and ideal for resolving issues with skin texture and aging concerns.

Read more about The Power of Glycolic Acid in Your Skincare Routine. 

BHAs (Beta Hydroxy Acids): According to CeraVe, “[BHA] almost always refers to the ingredient salicylic acid, as it is by far the most widely used BHA ingredient in skincare products.” Salicylic acid is a BHA that is oil soluble and best for deep pore cleansing to give skin a clearer and smoother appearance.

Understanding Physical Exfoliators

On the other hand, physical exfoliators can also do an excellent job, depending on your skin type and needs. You can use scrubs with particles in them (just avoid the ones with the plastic beads like this one, please!) to buff dead skin away, or you can use skincare tools like this one that help you manually exfoliate.

Whatever your physical exfoliator of choice, building it into your skincare routine can improve your skin texture (hello, smoothness!) while brightening your skin. Since physical exfoliators require you to massage your skin to a degree, they’re a treat that feels like a facial massage, one that can help improve blood circulation, which has a bevy of benefits for your skin.

Take it easy when you use physical exfoliators though. Harvard Health warns that while exfoliation has many benefits, rubbing too hard or using products that are too strong for your skin can cause irritation. Heads up that even when you use exfoliation products and techniques properly, your skin is more prone to sunburn, so slather on SPF protection before you head outdoors.

Can a Product Be Both a Chemical and Physical Exfoliator?

Why, yes, there are skincare products that combine both chemical and physical exfoliation. These brilliant products are referred to as hybrid exfoliators.

 Hybrid Exfoliators Explained

With hybrid exfoliators, you get the benefits of using both types of exfoliation methods in one exfoliation sesh. How cool is that? But before you go wild, make sure that any hybrid exfoliator you choose is right for your skin type, and don’t forget to follow the guidelines for how often to exfoliate based on your skin’s needs.

Recommended Hybrid Product: Exfoliate Mate

If you want to give a hybrid exfoliator a try, Exfoliate Mate is an excellent, mess-free option. It comes in a convenient sheet-mask format that infuses skin with a unique blend of physical and chemical exfoliants through pineapple extract, papaya extract, and lactic acid that harmonize for a revitalized and refreshed appearance.

Exfoliation for glowing skin is achieved through the natural enzymes found in both papaya and pineapple, while the skin gets to soak up a cocktail of vitamins and antioxidants. With the addition of lactic acid, you have everything you need to combat dull skin and reenergize it with radiance.

The Best Products for Effective Exfoliation

Want more exfoliating skincare tips? These amazing products have you covered from head to toe…literally!

Detox SmartMud™ No-Mess Mud Mask

Detox SmartMud™ No-Mess Mud Mask is one of those skincare secrets that we simply can’t keep to ourselves. This powerful detoxifying mask brims with naturally detoxifying and clarifying ingredients, and best of all, it comes in the best format – a sheet mask.

Make it a spa day at home and without the goopy mess that tends to come with mud masks formulated with volcanic ash, kaolin clay, and activated charcoal. These ingredients will slay your skin concerns to clean and clear pores.

But the best is yet to come! As it dries, it provides gentle exfoliation, so when you peel it off, you’ll have smoother, more refined skin. Don’t say you don’t have time to sit and chill with this mask – it only takes 10 minutes from start to finish, making it a winning choice for your skincare routine.

Smooth Exfoliating SmartMud™ No-Mess Mud Mask

The Smooth Exfoliating SmartMud™ No-Mess Mud Mask is going to be your new BFF, giving you chemical exfoliation with a refreshing deep cleanse. Like the detox version, it’s mud masking simplified into a no-mess sheet mask. But this one is perfect if you have concerns about acne, oiliness, and aging. 

A brilliant combo of AHAs and BHAs are used to gently dissolve and shed dead skin cells away. Sit back, relax, Netflix, and SmartMud your way to detoxify, clean, and clear skin. This mask helps you achieve your skincare goals with white kaolin clay, lactic acid, and salicylic acid for a triple effect.

PoshPeel Pedicure Exfoliating Foot Peel

Remember what we said about having you covered from head to toe? Well, PoshPeel Pedicure tackles the toe, or more specifically, your feet. You can put your best face forward with other exfoliation products, but your feet deserve some attention too.

Slathering on foot creams and soaking your tired feet in bath salts can’t fully give them the refresh they need, especially when they’re dry and cracked. You can restore them to that baby-soft texture with this simple foot peel that deeply hydrates while exfoliating through AHAs and BHAs, dissolving away dead skin and smoothing over those rough spots in a gentle and soothing experience.

A word to the wise with this one though – plan three weeks ahead of any special event like your beachy Bali vacay. You’ll also want to keep socks on and protect your feet, allowing everything to shed naturally.

And whatever you do, do NOT pick at the peeling skin! Crocheting is hot again, so if you need something to do with your hands, literally do anything instead of picking. Trust the science and you’ll see these calluses fall away, revealing your most epically soft feet. 

Let exfoliation give you the glow-up you’ve been dreaming of!

If you’ve been skipping exfoliation, you may have answered your own questions as to why your skin simply isn’t looking radiant or refreshed when using your skincare products. Now that you know, make it a priority and step up your skincare game!

The Importance of Consistent Exfoliation

Regular exfoliation that is in tune with your skin type is a game-changer, and when you use the right blend of ingredients, you’ll get those glowing results.  The products listed here are known for using gentle formulations, though you should always pay attention to any irritations in your skin.

If you see improvement, then you’re on the right track, and if not, you may have mistaken your skin type for another one. Once you find the right fit, keep up with your exfoliation, though remember not to overdo it. While exfoliating benefits your skin, too much of a good thing can undo all the good you’re trying to get out of it.

If you need to create a skincare routine or the one you have is currently lacking, make sure you, get the right skincare products to help you treat your skin to what it needs to exude radiance!