Using a Scrubber for Exfoliation

Luffa acutangula

There are two basic ways to exfoliate the skin: mechanically, by rubbing with something abrasive, and chemically, by applying a chemical peel, facial scrub, or gel that contains agents that help the skin to shed old, dead skin cells. A scrubber exfoliates the old-fashioned way -- by mechanically rubbing away the top layer of dead skin cells. Scrubbers do take the top layer of skin cells off, and they are safe to use every day. After scrubbing your skin, you are likely to notice a rosy glow to your face which may last for an hour or two.

Using a Scrubber for Exfoliation

Method

• One kind of scrubber is a facial cleanser that contains an abrasive agent, such as a cleanser with pieces of walnut husk in it.
• When you wash the face with this kind of scrubber, be gentle.
• It is not necessary to scrub hard.
• Another kind of scrubber is a mitt, loofah, washcloth, or nylon scrubber that you can reuse regularly.
• Again, when scrubbing with a mitt, loofah, or scrubber, be gentle with your skin.

Why It Works

Scrubbing the skin with something abrasive helps to loosen the top layer of old, dead skin cells. As those skin cells are removed, a fresher, newer layer of skin is revealed underneath.

Precautions

It is always important to be gentle with the skin. If your purpose in exfoliating is to make the skin look more smooth, you will not achieve that by scrubbing so hard that you injure the skin. Scrubbing that hard can result in a red, blotchy look.

Be aware, as well, that when you first begin to exfoliate regularly, exfoliation may remove the top layer of dead skin cells only to reveal impurities below that were just beginning to form. The skin under the top layer is not always in perfect condition.

If you have a negative reaction (such as blotchiness, a rash, or acne) to a facial cleanser with abrasive agents in it, consider the possibility that you might be having an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in the cleanser. Try using a very gentle, hypoallergenic cleanser for a while and observe whether the reaction disappears.

More Remedies

• Click here for all Exfoliation remedies