Feeling a little rough round the edges? Maybe you’re feeling a little dull around the edges as well?
Sometimes gentle cleansers can be enough to keep your skin looking healthy and fresh, but other times you just need a bit of a scrub to really make a difference. Exfoliating removes the dead skin cells that collect on the outer surface of the skin and reveal the new dewey skin underneath. This helps brighten your complexion, even out skin tone and helps your moisturisers work more effectively.
It can be hard to know what exfoliator to choose though, especially with so many options. Everyone is boasting to be the best. Gentle, yet powerful. Soothing yet restorative. Let’s just get back to the basics shall we? Heres a few natural exfoliators that you can use anytime your skins feeling a little lack lustre.
Baking soda: Hmm, now this is one to use with caution. Baking soda can be a darn effective exfoliator, but it’s pretty powerful stuff. If you’ve got sensitive skin then it’s best to avoid this. If your skin can take it, then read on. Baking soda is an alkaline, so it can help balance out your skins pH, and won’t be as harsh on the skin as citrus based skin cleansers. It’s brilliant at buffing away dead skin cells and it’s so simple to use. All you need to do is mix one teaspoon with a few drops of water until you make a mixture the consistency of watery cement. No that’s not a good description. How about, rice pudding. It has to be thick enough to stay on your face but smooth enough to rub into your skin. Exfoliate for thirty seconds to a minute and then rinse off with warm water. Apply your favourite moisturiser on afterwards and you’re all set.
Sugar: Oh nice, something delicious to put on your face. That’ll be good. Well um, sorry to disappoint you guys, but although sugar is a great exfoliator, it works even better when you mix it with olive oil. Less nice, but much, much more skin friendly. Sugar is full of glycolic acid, which is good for breaking down the protein that causes dead skin cells to linger on your face like a limpet. Mixing it with olive oil makes it less harsh on the skin and keeps it in a nice, easy to use, consistency. Three tablespoons of sugar to about one tablespoon of olive oil should be enough, but as long as you can feel the grains when you work it into your skin, you can make it as thick or runny as you like.
Oatmeal: Oatmeal should be the number one choice for those with sensitive skin. It’s truly the kindest of all natural exfoliators. It absorbs and removes impurities, it can soothe breakouts of acne, and it would probably never forget your birthday. Blitz up a handful of oats in a blender and mix it with a few teaspoons of water until you make a paste. Then slap that on your face and rub away your cares. Hmm, that didn’t sound quite PG, but you know what I mean.
So if you’re wanting to get back to basic skin care then why not gives these ingredients a go. Hopefully they’ll be so effective you’ll end up being the weird person on the train who can’t stop touching their face admiringly. Be that weird person. Own it baby.
Diamantes and Diamonds 