10 Jan 2022
Jenny Leazer-Ragolia
Skincare 101
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All About Exfoliating:

Exfoliation is crucial to your skin. Learn why!

Self care check! When was the last time you exfoliated?

Although it can seem like an extra step in the skincare routine, exfoliation packs some serious perks for promoting happy, healthy skin.

If you’ve been needing a little motivation to get glowing, here’s a helpful breakdown, with answers to your pressing exfoliation questions:

So why do we need to exfoliate?

The fact is that most skin types can benefit from at least some form of exfoliation to help the epidermis perform optimally.

Although the skin exfoliates itself naturally, for a number of reasons - including health, hormones, environment, genetics, lifestyle and aging - the skin can sometimes end up with an excess accumulation of dead skin cells on the surface.

When this happens, the skin can become sluggish and begin to look dull. Products may have a harder time working effectively and more breakouts or congestion can occur.

The good news is that exfoliation helps prevent this by breaking up buildup and debris, and polishing away impurities from the surface of the skin.

What are the different types of exfoliation and what’s the difference?

With so many different exfoliant options on the market today, it can be overwhelming to try and choose.

To help you narrow it down, here’s a helpful little breakdown:

Physical Exfoliation

Physical exfoliation is any manual form of exfoliation involving brushes, tools or physical scrubs containing exfoliants such as salt, sugar, jojoba or other natural beads.

Although these can be a good option for the body, they can be a bit aggressive for the face, and should be used with caution on delicate or sensitive skin.

Chemical Exfoliation

Chemical exfoliation refers to AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) or BHA (beta-hydroxy acid) which are derived from fruit or other plant sources.

Some examples include glycolic acid from sugar cane or salicylic acid from willow bark.

In highly-concentrated formulas, these acids work to very effectively break up the bonds between dead skin cells and encourage cellular turnover. AHAs and BHAs are the ingredients most commonly found in professional-strength products and chemical peels.

Enzyme Exfoliation

For a more gentle alternative that is still plenty effective, enzyme exfoliation is similar to chemical exfoliation in that it uses botanical enzymes to digest dead surface skin cells and promote rejuvenation on a cellular level.

Botanical enzymes are also incredibly nourishing, working to infuse antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients skin loves.

Popular enzyme exfoliants include papain enzyme from papayas and bromelain enzyme from pineapple.

How often should you be exfoliating?

Something important to note about exfoliation is that it doesn’t need to be done every day.

Rather, the best results come from a moderate approach to exfoliation, giving the skin days to rest in between.

If you are new to exfoliation, we recommend starting out with just one day per week and then working up to two to three times weekly.

Any more than that may be damaging for the skin, so think “less is more” and back off any time you notice signs of irritation such as dryness, flakiness or redness.

Our Approach to Exfoliation

At Ewali, we are big fans of enzyme exfoliation for its ability to treat almost all skin types, and leave the skin looking luminous.

For a gentle botanical treatment that packs all the perks of enzyme exfoliation, we’ve been working on something special!.

Our Exfoliating Enzyme Mask is our newest creation, featuring a blend of mango, pineapple and papaya enzymes. This tropically-inspired treatment mask is super-effective for exfoliation, hydration, and a little bit of relaxation.

We can’t wait for you to experience exfoliation the Ewali way. We know you’re going to love it!

Hope you find this helpful. Follow us on Instagram @ewalibeauty for more skincare updates.

Jenny Leazer-Ragolia

Licensed Esthetician

A driven beauty writer, certified and licensed esthetician with backgrounds in journalism. She has a passion for the science of skin care, and helping people find their beauty, inside and out, to bring their glow to the forefront.