How to Exfoliate in 3 Easy Steps

So let's understand the importance of exfoliation! Fragrance Direct are here to answer all of your questions about how to properly exfoliate your face and body as part of a weekly routine. Our three step guide will help you to choose the best exfoliant for you and walk you through how to use it.

This first step is all about choosing the right products for your skin and when to use them. There are plenty of exfoliating products out there, from scrubs to chemical exfoliators, so it can be a bit confusing to know where to start. It all depends on what you prefer and also your skin type.

It is super important to use exfoliators in your skincare routine. They slough away the dead skin allowing all the healthy, glowing, plump skin cells to shine through. How often you exfoliate your face is up to you and how your skin reacts to it. If you have sensitive skin you may want to stick to a less frequent routine when exfoliating as it may aggravate your skin more than others.

Some of our favourite daily facial exfoliators are the Yes To Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub, Bourjois Radiance Boost Face Scrub, Human and Kind Face Scrub and Anatomicals Get Outta My Face Apricot Scrub (which is perfect for travelling!).

The other type of facial exfoliator involves acids. Don't be alarmed, they are in a super low concentrate and work to remove the dead skin cells chemically rather than using abrasives. The Anatomicals We Never Forget A Face Glycolic Cleansing Pads are really effective and easy to use. If you want to know more about using acids in your skincare see our blog post about it here.

Exfoliating your body is just as important as your face. So give yourself ten minutes of pamper time each week to keep it up! The most common question we hear about exfoliating your body is 'should we exfoliate or shave first?' and the answer is definitely exfoliate! Removing all the dead skin and debris leaves you with a clean slate to remove hair much more effectively.

Body exfoliators tend to come in the form of a scrub that are used in the shower. There's loads of different types of scrubs, including coffee exfoliators, sugar exfoliators, oatmeal scrubs, the list is endless. We prefer to use exfoliators with natural elements like coffee or salt etc.

Some of the best body exfoliators are the Bean Body Coffee Scrub in Vanilla, it is a gorgeous product that's infused with organic cold pressed coconut oils that hydrate, exfoliate and soften the skin. Isla's Apothecary Blood Orange and Vanilla Sugar Scrub is a really luxurious product that will definitely make you feel like your giving yourself a good pamper!

Step two is all about which areas of the face and body to focus when exfoliating.

The face is super easy to exfoliate, you basically need to focus your attention on the whole area. If you have problematic areas on your face e.g. hormonal acne on the chin or dry patches then you need to be a bit more careful. So once you are totally makeup free and have used your normal cleanser, it's time! When using a scrub type product, squeeze out an almond size amount onto your fingers and begin to massage into the skin. Treat this step as if you're giving yourself a mini facial, focus on all areas and make sure you're really working the product over the skin thoroughly so it is removing the dead skin evenly. Start from the neck and work your way upwards with upward motions to increase the blood flow.

When exfoliating the body start by using a body wash or shower gel to make sure as much sweat, grime and debris from the day has been removed. Then begin to exfoliate from the bottom up.

Start at your feet and focus on the soles, this is where more dead and dried skin will be. Then move up each leg in circular motions, also paying more attention to the knees. Carry on in the same circular motions all the way up the rest of your body until you get to your arms. When you reach your arms continue in the same way just making sure you focus on the elbows as they can also get particularly dry.

Step 3 is the easiest of them all' rinse! Make sure you fully rinse of all traces of your exfoliating product from both your face and body. Your skin is now prepped perfect ready for your next step, whether that be shaving, tanning or moisturising!

Let us know in the comments if you have anymore questions about exfoliating!