Taking a warm shower after a long day is one of the best feelings. It’s an opportunity to wash away all the gunk (both physical and emotional) that has been bothering you all day. But are you making the most of your shower?
Even if you shower daily, it still can be a treat. The quiet time to yourself, dedicated towards self-care is sometimes more than enough to either propel you into the day or set you up for bed.
If your shower routine is simple, you probably at least wash your body and shampoo and condition your hair. It’s the best way to clean off your body so that you don’t get dirt in your bed or on your clean clothes.
But showers are also a great place to invest more time into self-care and making sure that your body is happy and healthy.
A lot of people think that dousing their hair with products and slathering soap on their bodies is enough, but it’s not. I mean, maybe that’s all you need, but there are some ways in which you can make your shower a lot better and more productive.
One thing that people should be looking into is exfoliation.
It might sound familiar. You’ve probably heard the word in ads about acne and skin care. But it goes much further than that. You can, and should, be exfoliating your body too.
So what is exfoliation?
Exfoliation is a process that removes dead skin cells from your body. Even if your skin looks and feels healthy, everyone’s got at least some dead skin on their body.
And while dead skin cells sound a bit gross, it’s pretty normal. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to take care of it.
Our bodies naturally shed skin every month. But not all of our dead skin cells get brushed off our bodies. And when they don’t, you can end up with dry patches and clogged pores, which can be really uncomfortable.
But this is why you’ve heard the term, exfoliation, so many times in skincare ads. It’s an important process used in alleviating acne and in improving skin quality.
Exfoliation improves your skin by preventing the build-up of dead cells that can clog your pores and by even promoting collagen production. Collagen is a protein that interacts with many parts of our bodies. In our skin, it helps with structure and elasticity, making it look smoother and more youthful.
It can become more important to exfoliate as you get older. This is because our bodies become less efficient in taking care of dead skin cells as we age. So, exfoliation is a good way to ensure that you’re keeping your skin clear of all sorts of residues.
Most people, when they hear the word, ‘exfoliate,’ think primarily about their faces. And this is definitely an important part of the body to exfoliate. But they rarely think about exfoliating the rest of their bodies, which is just as vital.
There are two primary categories of exfoliation. The most common is physical exfoliation, also known as mechanical exfoliation.
Physical exfoliation is a process that involves scrubbing or rubbing, usually with tools like a loofa or other sponge and serum-like products to help with specific needs.
Physical exfoliants are usually on the lower end of the price range. You can buy scrubs, brushes, and all sorts of other products.
These kinds of exfoliants are also usually pretty safe. Though they can sometimes irritate your skin, for the most part, they’re healthy and good for you. But you should make sure you check the ingredient list, to make sure you’re not allergic to any of the chemicals in the product.
Scrubs typically aren’t made with ‘dangerous’ chemicals, but you can still have a reaction to them, just depending on your body. For example, if you’re allergic to a type of fruit or vegetable that’s used in the scrub, then you should definitely stay away.
Most scrubs are made with natural ingredients that are mixed specifically to create concoctions that make your skin happy and healthy. Some of them also have bead-like substances but don’t confuse these with microbeads.
A lot of scrubs will have a grainy texture, which is partly due to the ingredients, but it also helps with scraping off dead cells. Microbeads, on the other hand, are small plastic beads that used to be used in exfoliants but are now banned.
Scrubs can typically be used for both your face and your body. But there are some products that are specific to either one.
In addition to scrubs, you should look into getting some kind of brush. This will especially help when exfoliating the whole body.
Shower brushes come in all shapes and sizes. The best choice will just depend on what your needs are and how the brush can help you overcome them. If you need a list, check out this one by Giftwits. They’ve curated the best exfoliating brushes from all varieties so that you can quickly read up on them and pick whichever is best for you.
The other main category of exfoliant is chemical exfoliants. This includes chemical peels.
Typically, chemical peels are more effective and efficient. They can be made up of everything from fruit enzymes to acids derived from sugars and milk.
The reason why chemical peels are considered ‘better,’ is that you’re not as likely to be overly aggressive with them, and thus cause more harm than good to your skin.
But on the other hand, chemical peels are also a lot more expensive. They can run from $40 to $100, and probably even beyond.
But if you’re looking for something of higher quality but not as expensive, you can actually buy enzyme scrubs. These are sort of like a physical exfoliant, but the enzymes do most of the work, so you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re doing it right.
Though there’s a large variety of exfoliants on the market, and it can be overwhelming, this also means that there’s an exfoliant for nearly every kind of skin problem.
If you’re looking to address specific, more serious problems, you should probably consult a dermatologist before jumping ahead. Even though many exfoliants are immediately available, some are better, and some are worse for your skin. So, make sure you’re choosing wisely.
But in any case, exfoliation is a must! If you haven’t been exfoliating, now’s probably the time to start.