What does it mean to exfoliate your skin and why is it so important? Often we think that just cleansing is enough when regular exfoliation can actually change the look and feel of your skin. Read on to find out the benefits of regular exfoliation and why you should be doing it.
What is skin exfoliation?
Skin exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells, grease, and impurities from the surface of the skin. Exfoliation can be done with either a chemical exfoliant or a natural/manual exfoliant. Cycle Booty’s Coconut Sugar Body Scrub is a natural/manual exfoliant.
What are the benefits of exfoliation?
-Exfoliants work to remove dead skin cells from the surface of your skin revealing the newer softer, healthy skin underneath. Exfoliating regularly will leave your skin feeling soft, refreshed and glowing. Regular exfoliation is especially great for people who work out frequently and/or spend a lot of time outdoors.
-Exfoliating will allow your other skin products to penetrate deeper into your skin and ultimately be more effective.
-Exfoliation also works to improve blood circulation bringing more oxygen and nutrients to your skin cells and therefore improving the look and feel of your skin.
How often should I exfoliate?
For best results, we recommend exfoliating 3-4 times per week. This may change however depending on your skin’s tolerance. We recommend starting small and then increasing frequency as your skin tolerates it.
Will exfoliating irritate my skin?
Though exfoliation should not irritate your skin, it can if you are either exfoliating too frequently or scrubbing too hard. Start by exfoliating just a couple times per week at first and build up to 3-4 times per week if your skin is feeling good. You also don’t need to press hard while scrubbing. The exfoliant will do the work, all you need is a light rub.
Manual Exfoliation vs. Chemical Exfoliation
There are two ways to exfoliate your skin; manual exfoliation and chemical exfoliation. Manual exfoliation done with either a product that contains small granular ingredients, or a rough surface such as a loofah or washcloth. A chemical exfoliation is done with a product that contains acids that work to loosen and dissolve dead skin cells. Both forms of exfoliation work to remove dead skin cells and bacteria leaving your skin soft and smooth. You would not want to do both a manual and chemical exfoliation at the same time so it is best to pick one form of exfoliation and stick with it. Using both methods at the same time could cause serious skin to be over exfoliated and very irritated.
Cycle Booty Coconut Sugar Scrub is a manual exfoliant and the sugar granules act as the exfoliant in this case. The sugar granules are small and gentle yet big enough to be an effective exfoliant.
Sugar Scrubs vs. Salt Scrubs
The two most common types of manual exfoliant ingredients are sugar and salt. Both of these ingredients work great to exfoliate your skin and which one you choose will depend on your skin type. Sugar scrubs are better for sensitive skin because the sugar granules are smaller and more gentle. Salt scrubs have larger granules and are best when you are looking for a deeper, more intense scrub. Salt scrubs however, can sting if used immediately after shaving or if you have a cut or a sunburn. Cycle Booty Coconut Sugar Body Scrub contains sugar granules only and is meant to give you an effective scrub without stripping or irritating your skin.
The Benefits of Coconut Oil
Not only does the delicious smell of Coconut Oil make it fun and luxurious to use, but Coconut Oil has a ton of great benefits for your skin. Coconut Oil is rich in both Lauric and Caprylic fatty acid. These fatty acids are deeply hydrating and antimicrobial.
Coconut Oil contains Vitamin E which works to fight free radicals and enhance the function of your skin barrier. Your Skin barrier is the outermost layer of your skin which protects from UV rays and bacteria. The function and health of your skin barrier is crucial in order to have soft, smooth, youthful looking skin.
Coconut Oil is easily and rapidly absorbed into your skin leaving your skin soft and moisturized. Keeping the moisture in your skin is also a key factor when it comes to anti aging.
The Benefits of Grapeseed Oil
Another key ingredient in Cycle Booty’s Coconut Sugar Body Scrub is Grapeseed Oil. Though the amazing benefits of Grapeseed Oil have been known for some time, this natural ingredient has only recently been growing in popularity. Like Coconut Oil, Grapeseed Oil is deeply hydrating and your skin will instantly feel softer and smoother after use. Grapeseed Oil also works to smooth fine lines and wrinkles while firming the elasticity of your skin.
Grapeseed Oil is an ingredient that can be great for people who have acne prone skin. It has the ability to treat breakouts while moisturizing your skin. So many acne products work by drying out your skin leaving your skin looking damaged and feeling rough. Grapeseed oil gives you the best of both worlds.
In addition, Grapeseed Oil is rich in Vitamin E which will protect your skin barrier while fighting free radicals. It has also been known to even out skin tone.
The Benefits of Sunflower Seed Oil
Sunflower Seed Oil is another key ingredient in Cycle Booty Coconut Sugar body Scrub. Sunflower Seed Oil is rich in nutrients, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and antioxidants. This skin nourishing oil focuses on the health of your skin by promoting cell rejuvenation. It works to fight free radicals and protect the function of your skin barrier.
Like Grapeseed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil can also be helpful for acne prone skin. It works to get rid of bacteria that can lead to acne and will leave your skin soft and hydrated. This light weight oil gives you all the hydrating benefits of an oil while being non comedogenic, meaning it won’t block your pores.
Benefits of Neem Seed Oil
Another oil contained in our Coconut Sugar Body Scrub is Neem Seed Oil. Neem Seed Oil has been gaining popularity for its healing properties. This powerful oil is best known to relieve dryness, redness, inflammation, eczema and skin impurities. It has also been known to be great for dry itchy skin.
Neem Seed Oil is very potent and in most cases is not something that you would want to leave on your skin for a long period of time. It is perfect when contained in a scrub, cleanser, or shampoo because it will allow you to get the benefits of the oil without leaving it to sit on your skin.
In Conclusion
Exfoliation is crucial to the health, look and feel of your skin. With most exfoliants you will notice a difference right away in the look and feel of your skin. Find the exfoliant that is right for you and gives a good scrub without irritation. With continued use, you will notice your skin looking younger and developing a healthy glow.