The Complete Guide for Home Exfoliation to Help You Feel Refreshed

The Complete Guide for Home Exfoliation to Help You Feel Refreshed

Does your skin feel flakey and dry? Is it not as radiant as it could be? Do your pores clog more quickly than usual? Then perhaps you are missing a step in your skincare routine known as exfoliation.

But what is exfoliation? Why is it beneficial for your skin, and why is it wrong if you elude it?

Read on and learn the complete guide for home exfoliation to help you feel refreshed, renewed, and reinvigorated.

What is Exfoliation?

Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. Humans shed their dead skin cells every 30 days and need exfoliation to remove them.

After exfoliating your skin, it looks brighter and enhances the effectiveness of the skincare products you use to improve the chance of absorption. Over time, exfoliating enhances the skin’s collagen production and produces a glowing appearance, tighter skin elasticity, and a reduced appearance of fine lines and sagginess. Exfoliation prevents clogged pores resulting in fewer breakouts.

If you elude the exfoliation step in your skincare regiment, your skin will end up feeling flakey and dry while pores get clogged.

The two primary exfoliation methods include mechanical/physical exfoliation and chemical exfoliation. A lesser-known third method is enzymatic.

Mechanical/Physical Exfoliation Method

This exfoliation method involves scrubbing or rubbing the skin with a skincare product(s). Physical or mechanical exfoliation is easy, accessible, and budget-friendly. It is essential to finalize this exfoliation process with serum or oil to minimize irritation and lock in moisture.

While this method has many positive factors, it is possible to exfoliate incorrectly by over scrubbing, thereby causing irritated, red, or dry skin with worsening breakouts.

Mechanical/physical exfoliant tools include exfoliation mitts, dry brushes, loofahs, pumice stones, and microneedling. This process uses abrasive materials and tools to loosen dead skin cells like sugar grains, oatmeal powder, salt grains, washcloths, facial cleansing brushes, and body brushes, jojoba beads, and rice powder.

Physical exfoliation has many benefits, like keeping the pores cleaner and allowing skin care products to penetrate the skin more easily and efficiently.

Chemical Exfoliation Method

The chemical exfoliation method is the process of applying face acids to the skin for a short time to dissolve dead skin cells. This method uses exfoliants with chemicals that have different concentrations like alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs), retinol, and enzymes to renew the skin and eliminate dead skin cells.

Chemical exfoliators come in many forms, including leave-on products, cleansers, toners, and peels. Chemical exfoliators have much gentler effects than physical exfoliators and have much more popularity for at-home use because of it.

For example, by using an at-home chemical face peel, your skin’s appearance immediately improves. Although it costs much more than home exfoliation, when professionals treat you with a chemical peel, their more potent chemicals instantly reveal smoother, brighter skin safely and conveniently.

Chemical exfoliation tools will vary depending on the method you wish to use, but the process does have many benefits. Not only does chemical exfoliation keep the pores cleaner and allow skincare products to penetrate the skin more easily, but it helps even out your skin tone and decrease sebum production, the appearance of pores, and fine lines.

Ingredients in Exfoliators

The main ingredients in most exfoliators include:

• Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs)

• Beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs)

• Poly-hydroxy acids (PHAs)

• Enzymes

• Retinols

Physical/mechanical exfoliators will have anything granular like sugar, salt, or volcanic ash. Chemical exfoliators, on the other hand, will have both alpha and beta-hydroxy acids.

Exfoliation by Skin Type

Skin types fall into four primary categories: dry, normal/combination, sensitive, or oily.

How you exfoliate and what exfoliation products you use will depend on the skin type that you have. But how do you know what kind of skin you have?

How to Know Your Skin Type

You can take two tests to determine your skin type and figure out whether it is dry, normal/combination, sensitive, or oily.

The Bare Face Method

Wash your face thoroughly, pat it dry, and leave bare for 30 minutes. Then, scan your cheeks, chin, nose, and forehead while looking for shine. After another 30 minutes, determine whether your skin feels parched, especially when you make facial expressions. If it feels tight, you have dry skin. If you have a noticeable shine on your nose or forehead, you have normal/combination skin. If you have shiny areas on your nose and forehead and your cheeks, your skin is oily.

The Blotting Sheet Method

The blotting sheet method is the most popular skin type test and the one most used.

Gently pat a blotting paper on different parts of your face. Once done, hold the sheet up to the light to observe the results. If the sheet has little to no evidence of oil, you have dry skin. If the blotting paper has oil after applying it to the forehead or nose, you have normal/combination skin. If your facial oil saturated the paper, your skin is oily.

Dry Skin Exfoliation

If you have dry skin, it is essential to avoid mechanical exfoliation as the drying process can lead to microtears. AHAs act the most effective on dry skin as they break through the surface, allowing moisturizer and hydrating serums to penetrate. Applying glycolic acid to the skin is beneficial, especially if followed by SPF and moisturizer. Exfoliate daily with gently, non-abrasive ingredients.

Normal/Combination Skin Exfoliation

For this skin type, use exfoliating products for both the oily parts and dry parts of your skin. Use a scrub and chemical exfoliators on the oily parts of your face one day and low-level AHAs on the dry parts of your face the next. But never use both a mechanical exfoliant and a chemical exfoliant on the same day. If your skin ends up feeling dry after exfoliating, immediately apply moisturizer.

Sensitive Skin Exfoliation

If you have sensitive skin, avoid scrubbing, and mechanical exfoliation, as this can cause irritation and redness. Use mild chemical exfoliants and apply gently with a washcloth. Also, try BHAs (as these are less irritating than other physical or chemical exfoliants).

Oily Skin Exfoliation

The most effective exfoliation technique for oily skin is manual exfoliation and brushing. Use an exfoliator or scrub by gently applying circular motions to the face. The best exfoliants to use for oily skin are retinoids, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid.

How to Properly Exfoliate

Mechanical/Physical Exfoliants

First, wash your face with a face wash cleanser. Then, take a quarter-size amount of face scrub, and gently and carefully apply it to your face in circular motions for 30-60 seconds (or as long as the product instructs you to).

Rinse your face with warm water and gently pat your skin dry with a towel. Finalize the process by applying a hydrating mask, serum, or cream.

Chemical Exfoliants

With chemical exfoliants, always wash your face with a cleanser. The exfoliation process for chemical exfoliants differs based on the products you use.

Pre-Moistened Cloth/Pad Chemical Exfoliants

Take the pad/cloth and apply it everywhere on the face, neck, and decollete. Wait a few minutes for the chemical to get completely absorbed into the skin. Then, treat the skin with cream or serum.

Chemical Peel Exfoliants

If your exfoliant is a chemical peel, apply it to the face like a face mask and wash it off after a few minutes as the product instructs.

Home exfoliation has terrific benefits. It is convenient, budget-friendly, and accessible. Simple home exfoliation, like DIY body scrubs and chemical exfoliators, will often make you wonder why you ever went to the professionals. Contact Beauty Roulette for more information on how we can help you reach your skincare goals!

Mask Friendly Makeup Tips: A Step by Step Guide

Mask Friendly Makeup Tips: A Step by Step Guide

Despite wearing facial masks, the love of makeup, beauty, and cosmetics has never ceased to elude American culture. Besides, American women spend an average of $3,000 every year on cosmetics.

During the first quarter of 2020, both the makeup and skincare sectors of the United States’ beauty industries saw significant sales growth. They continued to grow even after the Covid-19 pandemic caused by the coronavirus broke out in March later that year.

Since then, the world thrust into a new reality where wearing facial masks is the ordinary practice, and standing six feet away from other people is the norm. Still, the beauty industry has the second largest revenue after retirement and pension plans as of November 2020.

But many people have wondered what the point of doing their makeup was if they had to wear a facial mask?

In China, Alibaba reported that eye-cosmetic sales increased 150%, month over month, during the week of February 18, 2020.

Makeup is an integral part of American culture and is designed to make you feel empowered and confident. So, here are some mask friendly makeup tips with a step by step guide that will explain different application techniques and hacks to help you get through this particular time in history.

Mask Friendly Makeup Tips

A Step by Step Guide

As you are probably mandated by an authority to wear a mask, you may frequently decide to forgo wearing makeup—especially if you work from home or stay in a lot.

But what happens when the time for you to go out arrives, and you are left pondering about the best ways to apply makeup on a face required to wear a mask?

Do not fret because here is your guide.

Step 1: Apply Hydrated, Tinted Moisturizer.

Face masks can irritate. But by using a heavier moisturizer before makeup application, you create a barrier and avoid chaffing so that the edges of your face mask do not annoy your skin while wearing it.

Step 2: Apply Primer and Setting Powder.

Primer has an incredibly important purpose—it helps you with smooth application and longevity. Primer increases makeup’s lifespan and will help it withstand a face mask’s wear and tear. With primer, there is no chance of fading or transfer.

Use a mattifying primer that grips your makeup in place and set it with loose or translucent powder.

Loose VS. Translucent Powder

Loose powder is just that—loose powder—that comes in different shades.

On the other hand, translucent powder is a powder shade that can come in an either loose or compact form.

While some makeup users have heard of setting powder, others have heard of finishing powder, but very few people know the difference between the two. Here is the breakdown of powders.

Setting Powder VS. Finishing Powder

Designed to hold your foundation in place, setting powder prevents base makeup from rubbing off, fights excess oil buildup, and reduces shine for a long-lasting, flawless complexion. Setting powders come in loosed or pressed forms.

On the other hand, finishing powders are designed for use after you have completed your makeup application. Use finishing powder if you will be in front of bright lights or cameras. Finishing powder comes in loose form, conceals pores, blurs fine lines, and leaves a flawless finish.

Step 3: Apply Light, Non-Comedogenic, Skin-Boosting Foundation.

Using a long-wear, complexion formula foundation, you can conceal any area on your face with light coverage. While people will not see much of your face while you wear a mask, wear a foundation that is not only healthy for your skin but provides your desired coverage as well.

Ensure the foundation you choose has SPF and hydrating serum for sun protection and hydration. You can apply foundation right under the eyes in the eye sockets’ hollow parts to give your eyes a boost.

Step 4: Apply Concealer.

The purpose of concealer is to blur imperfections, cover dark circles, and add hydration.

Apply the concealer below your eyes in the shape of an upside-down triangle. This application technique ensures that you have natural-looking coverage, a brightened face, and attention drawn to your eyes. You can also draw attention to your eyes using a concealer shade that is one to two shades lighter than your skin tone.

Step 5: Highlight and Contour.

You may wonder why you even need this step if your face is hiding beneath a mask all day.

Well, your cheekbones add structure and angles to your face, so it is essential to highlight them. Besides, when you take off your mask, you will surely want to look your best.

While highlighting is not just for the cheekbones (even though it does illuminate them), highlighting is also to draw attention to the eyes as the makeup reflects the light.

Apply your highlighter to your eyes’ inner corners, beneath the arch of your brows, on the tops of your cheekbones, on cupid’s bow, on the center of your chin, and on the bridge of your nose. Light reflects most significantly off these areas of the face.

Once you have finished highlighting, apply contour powder along the sides of your nose (to slim its appearance), along the forehead (next to the hairline), and in the hollows of your cheekbones (to add shape and dimension to your complexion).

Step 6: Brows

Grooming your eyebrows not only shapes your face but also draws attention to your eyes. When you do your brows, you must use a pencil, powder, or even an eyeshadow that is the same color as your hair once you pluck the strays.

To create thicker, fuller brows, brush your brow hairs upward with a spoolie, followed by filling in the scarce parts using an eyebrow pencil a shade lighter than your brow color.

Finish your brows with an eyebrow gel to keep the brows in place.

Step 7: Lashes

First, always make sure to curl your lashes.

Then, using a voluminous or lengthening mascara, wiggle a double-curved mascara wand from your lash base to the tip for visible length and volume. Apply several coats, along with an additional layer or two on the center lashes, to further enhance your eyes.

Mascaras can add volume, length, curl, or all three.

Fake lashes are also an option. Artificial lashes can open your eyes and add dimension to your face. If you decide to try fake lashes, ensure that you choose adequate eye shape ones.

Step 8: Eye Shadow

Eye shadow palettes offer a lot of options and provide different possibilities.

But you must ask yourself: do you look best in warm tones or cool tones? Do you like matte or shimmer?

The requirement to wear a face mask allows you to go bolder and brighter with your eye shadow. So, look for a color palette that compliments your skin tone. Look for long-lasting shadows with minimal fallout, and work on both wet and dry surfaces. Non-creasing eye shadows may also be something to consider.

Use bold, colorful shadows that accentuate your eye color. Developing eye shadow application skills takes time, but by practicing with a makeup brush and learning blending techniques, you should be an eye shadow application expert in no time.

Step 9: Lips

Face masks can irritate the lips, so it is good to use matte liquid lipstick or lip balm.

Long-wearing matte liquid lipsticks can cause dryness, so use a lip balm with SPF on the surface of your lips and avoid lip glosses.

Step 10: Setting Spray

Setting spray is an essential part of the makeup application process if you want to ensure your makeup will not go anywhere.

Setting spray sets your makeup, sealing it in place so it does not smudge or fade. But if you do not want to use a setting spray, applying translucent powder by lightly dusting it over the face, giving is a smooth, matte finish, is also an option.

This face-mask wearing and social-distancing world may have thrust you into having a new sense of reality. Still, a reality that you can always be sure of is the never-failing and empowering effect that makeup can have on your self-assurance, self-esteem, and overall confidence.

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