your guide to physical and chemical exfoliation
Most of us know and love acids. They’ve been having a moment in skincare (for good reason!) but there’s one type of exfoliation that’s totally underrated IMO! It’s gotten a bad rap ever since people realized just how bad St. Ives apricot scrub is for your skin but guysssssss, not ALL physical exfoliants are shitty like that!
In truth, our skin needs BOTH but I bet a physical exfoliant is probably what your skin is missing right now!! While they both exfoliate, they share some different benefits and that’s why both are key in getting glowing skin.
Let me break them both down:
PHYSICAL EXFOLIATION:
x This a product that could be amazing but can also go totally wrong so when shopping for a physical exfoliant, avoid nut seeds, fruit pits or anything large in size as the exfoliant. Please don’t buy salt or sugar scrubs for your face. Look for something with small beads (like jojoba beads) or something super fine milled.
x Don’t forget — physical exfoliation doesn’t have to a product per se. Washcloths, the texture of exfoliating pads and even face shaving are all forms of physical exfoliation!
x Use light and gentle pressure. If you finish exfoliating and your face is a bright tomato, you’re probably pressing too hard. Obv if you are prone to redness naturally, don’t take that statement too seriously—your skin will turn your red regardless—but that’s ok and you can still benefit from physical exfoliating too!
x This is the best kind of exfoliation for the neck. and FYI, when applying any kind of skincare to the neck, apply products upward!!
x I’m also gonna go on the record and admit that I had forgotten how good physical exfoliation can be for the skin! Before FF, I wasn’t regularly using one. Fast forward to now and using the ZO exfoliating polish 3-4x/week and I’m like hellllllo, “WE ALL NEEDS PHYSICAL EXFOLIATION!!” lol. A little bit of grit will do wonders in to smooth and improve dullness (due to layers of dead skin cells)! I’m personally obsessed with the ZO exfoliating polish because it has magnesium crystals (the grit) and vitamin C (to brighten) and literally leaves the skin buttery soft!
x PSA: use your physical exfoliant on your lips too because lippies need exfoliation too!
CHEMICAL:
x There’s a lot of different acids out there and they all have unique benefits so I’m breaking down the most popular ones:
Glycolic acid: brightens, best for dryness
Lactic acid: anti-aging, helps our skin retain moisture
Mandelic: anti-aging, anti-acne
Azelaic acid: best for brown spots (aka hyperpigmentation), rosacea and fights acne bacteria. Pregnancy safe— and a good one to use to prevent melasma
x Typically, chemical exfoliants can be used more frequently than physical ones.
x Chemical exfoliation can be drying, especially if you’ve never used any before. Start out slowly and increase frequency as your skin tolerates it.
DON’T FORGET:
x With ALL exfoliation — too much is too much so be careful not to overdo it! The goal isn’t to irritate the skin but more so to “nudge it” along and keep it moving in a healthy state.
x If you do over-exfoliate, stop exfoliating, skip any other active ingredients, then use some hydrocortisone to calm it down. Pick it back up once your skin isn’t irritated anymore.
My recs if you want to start incorporating chemical and physical exfoliation into the reg with your skincare:
ALL SKIN TYPES:
+ ZO exfoliating polish
+ ZO complexion renewal pads
ANYONE DEALING W/ CYSTIC ACNE OR PAINFUL BREAKOUTS:
+ ZO dual action scrub
+ ZO oil control pads
There you have it! File this one under ‘skincare’ and get to exfoliating!
xx