We all know exfoliating is super important.  If you want to rid your skin of impurities like blackheads and dead skin cells that can clog your pores, you’ve simply got to use an exfoliate foaming cleanser to get the job done.  If you aren’t sold on exfoliating, here are three reasons why you should be exfoliating on the daily:

1. Exfoliating revives skin that is dull.  Complexion looking a little lackluster?  Does your skin look lifeless, sallow, or just unhealthy?  It’s likely because it’s covered in a layer of dead skin cells that aren’t allowing the regrowth of newer,  healthier skin to emerge.  Exfoliating your skin can remove the dead skin cells sitting on top of your pores and trigger your skin cells to start making newer, fresher skin asap.  

2. Exfoliating your skin keeps it clean.  When we use a facial wash, it’s only able to penetrate our skin if the layer of dead skin cells has been removed.  The, and only then, can our cleansers penetrate our pores deeply to remove impurities like dirt, oil, and even some makeup that keep our skin in a constant state of breaking out.  Exfoliating cleansers deliver a one-two punch because they penetrate pores deeply to clean as they remove surface grime.

3. Exfoliating triggers collagen growth.  If you’re looking for a way to kick start your collagen production, exfoliation is the way to go.  The removal of dead skin cells is a signal to the underlying skin cells to get busy making new skin, and when that happens, collagen production is sent into overdrive.  Collagen is what fills in our tiny lines and wrinkles, and helps our skin look more hydrated and healthy.

Maybe you think exfoliating isn’t an option for you.  After all, you tried that drug store apricot scrub and it left your skin irritated, red, and uncomfortable.  Have no fear, you can absolutely exfoliate.  You just need to use an exfoliate facial cleanser that has a much less abrasive exfoliating ingredient.  Those apricot seed drug store wonders aren’t really safe for anyone’s skin.  In fact, they can rip your skin and create more damage than good.

Our issues with apricot seed may have led some of us to try a more natural exfoliate foaming cleanser, and some of the most popular available contain salt.  Unfortunately, this too, is not a great option.  Salt crystals are too large to not damage your skin, especially when you’re scrubbing them on like we are sometimes apt to do with an exfoliator!  

The problem then becomes finding an exfoliator that will actually work.  Some exfoliate foaming cleansers that are labeled “gentle” aren’t really great at doing their job.  We need a cleanser that really exfoliates but in a manner that is safe for sensitive skin.

The best way to effectively exfoliate your skin is by using an all-natural, sugar crystal based exfoliant.  Sugar is a much safer exfoliant than salt, apricot seed, or any other exfoliant you may have used in the past.  This is because sugar is gentle enough to be used daily on your skin, yet effective enough you won’t need to use it more than two to three times per week.  Sugar also has a great “melting” effect, which allows the crystals to melt into your skin and do the exfoliating work better than other exfoliating agents which simply rub the surface of your skin raw.  Here are three reasons you should be using sugar instead of other exfoliants.  

1. Sugar crystals aren’t sharp.  Structurly, we needed an exfoliant that didn’t damage our skin like those pesky apricot seeds or even salt crystals.  This required studying the individual exfoliant particles under a microscope.  What we found was that sugar crystals have less sharp, pointy angles than any other natural crystal we examined.  These sharp edges on cut or crushed apricot seeds and the ones found naturally occuring in salt cut and damaged our skin, leaving it red and irritated.  They weren’t even really great at exfoliating.  Sugar was way less abrasive and still did a great job exfoliating our skin; a better job than did crystals that were rough around the edges.  

2. The melt effect.  We know from junior high that water will melt sugar.  When sugar crystals are exposed to water, like they are in an exfoliate foaming cleanser that utilizes sugar as the exfoliant, the sugar crystals become smaller and are more effective at removing only the upper layer of dead skin cells and dirt without damaging the fresh new skin underneath.  Other exfoliants can change structurally when they’re exposed to water too.  For instance, salt will change to saline, so you’re essentially washing your face with salt water.  If you’ve ever spent a few minutes in the ocean you know how incredibly drying salt water can be to your skin.  Even if you’ve got oily skin, using a cleanser that dries you up only makes you produce more oil.  

3. Alpha hydroxy acid.  When sugar dissolves into water, it becomes alpha hydroxy acid.  AHAs are excellent for our skin because they’re great cleansers.  They’re gentle yet effective and not harsh and drying.  If you’re using an exfoliate foaming cleanser that dries out your skin, it will trigger your sebaceous glands to go into overdrive, and eventually you will likely end up with skin that is oilier than it was before you started cleansing.  

For dry skin, products that dry it out even more are a no go.  Dry skin happens because we have less sebaceous glands than our friends with oily skin, so using a product that is drying won’t cause our skin to produce more oil, it will simply make it drier.  

We should all be exfoliating our skin at least two to three times a week, but the quality of our exfoliate foaming cleanser matters.  Stay away from harsh exfoliating agents like salt and apricot seed and opt instead for something gentle yet effective like sugar.  Sugar based exfoliate foaming cleansers are great for all skin types and can help you get great looking skin without damaging it or leaving it overly dry.