Ask the Expert: Natural Exfoliator for Acne
Nothing beats the fresh and clean feeling after exfoliating your face; your skin feels so refreshed you can almost feel it working instantaneously. Deep exfoliation can be exactly what your skin needs to feel rejuvenated.
As much as we all love to indulge in a good scrub after a long day, it’s important to be aware of the ingredients and chemicals you are using on something as delicate as your skin. The need for all things natural is catching like wildfire as we as a society are becoming more socially aware of the ingredients in the everyday products we use. Natural products are not only better for the environment and safer to use but they can be easily absorbed by the skin.
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The same, if not better deep exfoliation can be achieved by natural ingredients, some that you can even find lying around your house. Everyday items like sugar, honey, and oats can become amazing assets to your beauty regimen. “As a young girl, I struggled with acne,” said Patti Naiser, the owner and founder of Senior Home Transitions. “However, I would always venture into the kitchen for an impromptu DIY acne fix! You’d be surprised by the gems you can find in your house.”
Her favorite at-home skincare trick includes oatmeal, milk, and honey. “Honey for its antibacterial properties, oatmeal to slough my dead skin, and milk to act as a soothing agent. I only use the mixture once every two to three days a week before bed. People often forget that natural does not mean that you can’t damage your skin—which is something I learned the hard way. Less is more in my skincare routine!” says Naiser.
Taylor Sinclair, an aging, acne, worthiness, and intentional living blogger at www.radiantskincare.org tried five to six different cleansers, a combination of natural and human-made before she found the right beauty regimen for her skin. She prefers to use sugar because it’s gentle and charcoal to detoxify.
“Sugar granules are rough in texture, but fine enough to be gentle on the skin. They break down when mixed with water, so the scrub becomes smoother as you rub it onto your body—that’s how you know it’s time to stop and rinse. Charcoal, like clay, has a negative charge and it binds with positively charged toxins and bacteria and removes them from the skin,” says Sinclair. The blogger only uses this natural treatment three times a week and says her skin glows, feels smoother, and produces fewer breakouts. She recommends Zum’s Sugar Charcoal Scrub because of the enchanting smell and the baby soft results.
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Natural exfoliants can come in a variety of different forms from homemade scrubs and DIY masks to simple and pure ingredients on the shelves of a drugstore. “It’s satisfying! Just like eating a healthy diet and exercising can make you feel incredibly happy and satisfied, so does the use of natural and non-toxic products on your skin,” says Ella Jesmajian, Co-founder of Naturalee, an online site for all things natural concentrating on skincare, bath and body and wellness products that are non-toxic, cruelty-free, zero-waste and reusable.
With acne, there is no easy solution, but harsh, processed chemicals and dyes don’t help. Make sure you check the labels carefully when hunting for new scrubs, or make an event of it with a stay home full treatment beauty night and create your own exfoliator!
Written by Lorraine Jones
Photo by Tara Winstead from Pexels