Exfoliators and Why I Love 'Em

A big part of my weekly skincare routine is exfoliation. It's really the only way to get that dead skin that's accumulated off and allow new skin to grow, thus giving you that radiant skin we all hope and dream for.

There are two types of exfoliants; chemical and physical. Chemical exfoliants are acids like Alpha hydroxy, beta hydroxy and glycolic, to name a few. Physical exfoliation occurs when you rub small grains or beads on your skin or use a dry brush.

Because I have sensitive skin, I've tried many exfoliants, both chemical and physical, that really worked, some that didn't do anything and some that really fucked my skin up. My thoughts below:

I mentioned this Philosophy Two Step Peel in another post and it really is my holy grail of masks. Because it's two steps, it's both a chemical and a physical exfoliant. It's 🙌🏼 . I love that it's quick; from start to finish, like 10 minutes and you will feel a very noticeable difference when you wash the mask off. Your skin literally feels as smooth as glass. And I'm actually using "literally" properly because it really does.

I returned this Origins Modern Friction exfoliator because the beads were too big and too sparse to actually do any exfoliating. Plus it left a film behind. Gross.

I've also mentioned these Dr. Dennis Gross Peel pads and I love them, especially because they include a self tanner step. This is a chemical exfoliant, no scrubbing:

And this Peter Thomas Roth is also a double whammy; chemical and physical. It smells like pumpkin, (obviously). Not my favorite but it's not unpleasant and it's really effective. And TBH, if it smelled like dead fish but made my skin look magical, I'd do it. 💁🏻

This Dr. Brandt one is about the same price as the Philosophy peel, but honestly I didn't think it was very effective. The grains were very small but for whatever reason, my skin felt no different after I used it. And with these types of treatments, you should be able to feel a noticeable difference immediately after you use the mask.

This Skin Inc is a different type of exfoliator; I guess somewhere between chemical and physical or maybe it's both, who tf knows. Either way, it's basically a gel that you apply to your face and you're supposed to rub it into your skin. And then once you do this, you're supposed to see dead flakes of skin kinda...roll up and fall off your face? Omg that sounds horrifying and disgusting but really what's happening is that the rolled up gel pieces are exfoliating your face. Does it work? Yeah? Kinda? I mean it's worth getting a sample at Sephora next time you're there to give it a shot.

And lastly, this Ole Henricksen one I got at Sephora the other day for 100 points. After doing some research it sounds like it's made specifically for people with oily skin (the directions on the back say to use with an oil control toner) so I thought it was going to really dry out my skin but it was actually really pleasant to use. Not only does it have this amazing warming sensation, after I rinsed it off it left behind no residue but had a cooling effect which I loved. That said, I don't think the grains are actually small enough to do much but it was all in all a really pleasant experience. If I had oily skin, I'd buy this with the toner they recommend. But since I don't...I won't.

Ok so...gimme the deets! Which ones have you tried? Liked? Hated? What should I spend my money on next 🤔

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