Exfoliating away dead skin cells is one of the best things you can do for your skin, but it can also be one of the most confusing, especially for men as you have to add in the extra complication of shaving. Do you do this before or after and how do you exfoliate with a beard?
Were here to answer all your burning questions and get you on the road to healthier smoother skin in no time!
First things first we should probably cover what exfoliation actually does and which one is best to use.
Exfoliation is the one step in your skincare routine that is guaranteed to make your complexion grow and keep your skin looking younger. It does this by buffing away dead skin cells and accelerating skin cell renewal. Your skin does this naturally and its called desquamation. The problem with letting your skin to get on with it all on its own is that with the lifestyle we live our skin is exposed to a lot more free radicals, UVA UVB Rays as well as pollution and build up from various sources.
This is why we need to exfoliate. We need to help that natural process along and get through all the excess pollution and free radicals to reveal renewed skin cells and stimulate the natural repair process.
What will you see after an exfoliation
- smoother skin texture
- Smaller pores
- Improvement in all over skin tone
- Remove blackheads
- Reduction in in-grown hairs
What you won’t see after an exfoliation
- increased blood circulation
- Nutrients returning to the surface of the skin
- Your moisturiser will absorb into the skin better keeping you more hydrated for longer
The build up of dead skin cells leads to razor bumps and ingrown hairs when you shave, so exfoliating the dead skin cells away stops the bumps and ingrown hairs from from forming in the first place. Black men can benefit the most from exfoliation as it will get rid of the dead skin cells that make dark skin look ashy and clogged.
If you have a beard, exfoliation will keep beard dandruff away, improve your skin texture, keep your hair follicles clear and healthy and encourage strong beard growth. With all hair growth, ensuring the skin around the follicle is healthy will ensure healthy strong hair.
Back to the exfoliation. What can you use to exfoliate?
We recommend using either Mediscrub or Cleansing Dust by Synergie Skin once or twice a week. A common myth is that we need to exfoliate every day and this is not the case. You can cause more harm than good exfoliating too often. The trick to exfoliating is finding the right exfoliant for your skin type.
Cleansing dust is a deeply purifying cleanser that is both effective and gentle on the skin.
Granulated rice particles contain ferric acid and allantoin to gently exfoliate, soothe and brighten your skin while CoEnzyme Q10 helps to reverse free radical damage (that that nasty pollution and environmental build up) Great for all skin types who want a gentle and effective exfoliant.
Mediscrub is a deeply exfoliating facial scrub with crystals almost chemically identical to sapphire. These natural crystals are used to effectively remove dead skin cells, remove black heads and improve dull skin. It feels a lot more granular and is perfect for skin that has a lot of blocked pores, blackheads and looking quite dull.
If you are exfoliating before you shave, never after always before you should opt for a gentler exfoliant as shaving is already quite a rigorous exfoliation of the face. What you want to do is remove any dead skin cells beforehand so you can shave with less pressure and there’s also less chance of irritation.
For all you bearded men out there, we know the skin under your beard can become dry and flaky and extremely itchy. The best way to exfoliate the skin under your beard is with a beard exfoliator brush. The brush will lift all the ready to flake skin from your face and you won’t have to battle with trying to remove the particles from a scrub that will get trapped in your beard.
After using your brush, cleanse your face well and apply a beard oil to nourish your beard and the skin underneath it will help reduce the amount of beard dandruff you have to out up with.
So by now you should understand what exfoliator will work for you, how often you should exfoliate and what to do about exfoliating with or without a beard. Your on your way to smoother, fresher skin!
Just remember, for a better exfoliation, dont scrub harder just scrub for longer and limit your exfoliation sessions to twice a week. Consistency is key so give yourself 4 weeks of routinely exfoliating and you will be amazed at the difference!
