Having already spoken about my favourite cleansers in a previous post, I wanted to talk about my favourite exfoliators which, for me, are an intrinsic step in my skincare routine.

My skin is lazy and really doesn’t shed very well by itself. This has lead to adult acne and a bumpy dull complexion that I have been tackling over the last few years.

After much trial and error with all kinds of skincare products and medications, I’m starting to feel like I have a routine which includes a selection of products that seem to be working for me (right now anyway).

Because of my lazy skin, regular exfoliating (every or every other day) really is a crucial step in keeping the spots at bay and getting my skin glowing.

So, enough of my rambling, here are my favourite exfoliators.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is an interesting exfoliating product as it doesn’t contain any kind of beads or scrubbing particles or anything really that you can see that would ‘manually’ exfoliate the skin. And that is because it actually ‘melts’ away all the crap on your face with some clever ingredients.

Firstly, Dermalogica explain their product much better than I can:

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is a unique, Rice-based enzyme powder that activates upon contact with water, releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes to smooth the skin and accelerate cell renewal. Our unique Skin Brightening Complex of Bearberry, Aspergillus, Grapefruit and Licorice helps to balance uneven skin pigmentation. Active agents derived from Rice Bran and Rice Extract help to regulate melanin production while micro-exfoliating dead cells. A super-soothing blend of Green Tea, Ginkgo and Colloidal Oatmeal calms inflammation, leaving the skin extraordinarily clear and refreshed. Gentle enough to use on a daily basis.

See, I told you it was clever! The main benefits are removing debris, encouraging skin renewal and tackling uneven pigmentation. All of these things are fantastic if, like me, you already have old scarring, pigmentation and dullness coupled with skin that gets easily inflamed.

And if you read my post about cleansers, you will already know that i’m a fan of Salicylic Acid and I have to say that because you massage this in for a good minute or so, it really gets a chance to work it’s magic.

This is how it looks (my only bug bear with the packaging of Dermalogica is that I can’t see how much product I have left)

 

Now, Dermalogica as a brand is not cheap. But, I have to say that they seem to really push the boundaries of skincare, including the latest high quality active ingredients in their products without the nasties. Hence, in my humble opinion, the performance of their products really are quite impressive and sets them apart from the high street brands.

So again, this is a bit of an investment item (Retailing between £35-£40), but it does last an age. Also, although it is sold on many websites, the link I have provided takes you to a site which gives you quite generous free samples of other products when you place an order. And that is actually how I came to try out and become a huge fan of my next favourite exfoliator –

– Dermalogica’s Skin Prep Scrub. Now unlike the ‘melting’ action of their Microfoliant, this little baby manually exfoliates using very very fine (but surprisingly effective) corn cob particles. That’s right, corn cob, not beads or scratchy nut shells.

Over to Dermalogica for the low-down:

Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub is a skin-polishing scrub exfoliant with natural grains that leaves the skin with a smooth, healthy finish. Finely-granulated Corn Cob Meal gently removes dulling surface debris, allowing for improved absorption of moisturising treatments. Comforting botanical extracts of Mallow, Ivy and Cucumber plus soothing Aloe Vera help to prevent over-stimulation of the skin.

Why I love this exfoliator is that it never scratches or irritates my skin, it lasts soooo long and because it is so fine in texture but still robust (it doesn’t evaporate like some fine exfoliators), you can really work it into all the nooks and crannies of your face (around those pesky nostrils and into the pores on your chin) for as long as you want. I guarantee you that you have to rinse this off afterwards and it doesn’t give up until you do.

Despite its ability to buff away relentlessly, it’s also super gentle and contains clever ingredients such as the natural anti inflammatory Arnica, which ensures you don’t look red and blotchy afterwards.

Sorry to harp on, but I really can’t find another fine particle exfoliator to match it. If you do please tell me because, once again, this doesn’t come cheap.

Retailing between £25-£30 for 75ml, once again it is an investment.

Now, if this really is too much of a stretch for your budget, there is one other exfoliator which is a great fall back for me. I can’t say it is a favourite when I compare it to the other two, but it does a fairly good job for the money, contains natural ingredients and perhaps i’m a little nostalgic about it because it is a brand my mum always used. I’m talking about good old St Ives.

Now i’ve always used (stolen from my mum) the original apricot scrub and until recently didn’t realise that, behind the scenes and rather quietly, St Ives have been re-vamping their range which now contains a number of variants of the original.

Now available in the range are: “Fresh Skin” (to invigorate)/ “Timeless Skin” (to renew and firm)/  “Naturally Clear” (blemish and blackhead control)/ “Sensitive Skin” (to be gentle).

They also have a new “Even & Bright” (Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange scrub) and a “Green Tea” (for clearing black heads).

Now as I said, i’ve only ever used the original version but I’m always interested in saving money, so fully intend on purchasing one or more of these and reviewing them properly at a later date.

From the ingredients side of things it looks quite promising. They are all paraben free, the particles are naturally derived and i’ve already spotted some Salicylic Acid in the “Naturally Clear” version – all positive so far.

In fact, now i’ve had a look at the website I’ve also spotted their oatmeal scrub/mask and a collagen/elastin moisturiser which could tempt me..

Have you used any these products yourself ? I’d be interested to hear your experience and which one you’d recommend, especially if you have delved into the new St Ives range.