Grooming 101: What is Exfoliation?
There is a lot of fuss out there about grooming. Dozens of cleansers and scrubbers and microwhatevers. I know, it can be very confusing. I want to give you a brief intro into what exfoliation is so you can know when & if a product will work for you.
Exfoliation is simply a process of scrubbing off all your dead skin cells. When you take off these dead layers you expose a softer, healthier skin. It is a more aggressive cleaning method, one you should take part in.
When you exfoliate, you unclog your pores in the process. This can help in acne prone areas. For anyone with troublesome skin, this is a good thing. But most good things require some moderation. Don’t scrub your skin raw or do this too much, as you’ll likely trigger an overproduction of oil, and we don’t want that.
A gentle exfoliation can be a part of your daily cleaning routine, right before any cleaning or soap product you would use to clean your face, then followed by moisturizer to get into those open pores and keep you hydrated and happy. I know we’ve not touched on cleansers or on moisturizers yet. We will. Just a brief note to NOT use normal body soap on your face - it will make you too dry.
Anyway, exfoliation also has a huge benefit when shaving. Why? Because it gets all those pokey ingrown hairs to expose themselves for shaving. Hey, who doesn’t want a smoother face?
Let’s talk about exfoliating your face. I’m a girl and gifted with smaller pores. You, on the other hand, have larger pores, rough patchy hair, are more prone to sweat, and have a different skin altogether. Face it, your face can get dirty.
Here’s what you need. Some sort of cleanser. Foaming ones are great. Nivea has one for men, and that can do. There are definitely more expensive ones, I know of one from Lancome, but let’s just stick with the basics. Look for cleansers with: granulated pumice, sea salts, fruit seeds, salicylic acid, alpha-hydroxy acid, and beta hydroxy acid. One or more of these will help. Apply the cleanser by rubbing it on your hands first (important to get foam). Use the aid of exfoliation gloves (gently) or a more rough/fibrous sponge if you want.
For the every once and a while deep clean, try an exfoliating mask (most are plaster) - do it in your bathroom and nobody will ever know - or a simple pumice soap. The soap is simply a regular bar with little bits of volcanic ash in. Nice and abrasive. Kind of hard to lather.
Always Moisturize After!
The body (back and chest) exfoliation is important to unclog your pores, since the hair traps dirt. Shampoo yourself then use a sponge on a stick - the more abrasive ones - and use one of those abrasive cleansers. There is one from St. Ives that is a thick cream with bits in it. Quite nice. The gloves are good for the rest of your body.
Via AskMen.com
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