Are You Over Exfoliating?

Exfoliating toners have been super big in the beauty community as of late and they seem to be something that everyone swears by for brighter, clearer - and just generally better - skin. For those of us who are regularly updated on our Bloglovin feed and Youtube beauty channels, it's very easy to get sucked up into the hype when a trend like this emerges. As it turns out, regular exfoliation is not something that works out for me. It really ruined my skin and it took a long time for me to fix the problems that over-exfoliation created, and I had to learn the hard way that we should always take a step back to evaluate "Is this trend really good for my skin?" before jumping on the bandwagon.  

When we exfoliate with physical scrubs or chemical exfoliants, we are taking dead skin cells off of the stratum corneum, which is the top layer of the epidermis. This layer is responsible for protecting the underlying skin tissue from any infection and physical stress. The stratum corneum contains a network of proteins that prevent the skin from becoming dehydrated by preventing evaporation, as well as give skin that sort of plump, bouncy texture when you touch it. Given the importance of the stratum corneum, we can conclude that maintaining a healthy stratum corneum is essential for healthy skin, and that a damaged stratum corneum will result in a myriad of skin problems. 

We've probably all heard that it takes 28 days for the skin to renew itself, which means that it takes 28 days for the dead skin cells in the stratum corneum to naturally shed off and be replaced by skin cells migrating up from the deeper layers of the epidermis. This is true for skin when you're in your 20's or younger. As we age, this renewal process slows down, and it may take 30, 40, 50, or more days. As a result, the stratum corneum becomes thicker. Fine lines and wrinkles begin to appear, the skin starts to lose its plumpness and becomes more dry. At this point, regular exfoliation can be beneficial to thin out the stratum corneum and push along the skin renewal process. For young skin, this isn't really necessary and can result in the stratum corneum becoming damaged if it becomes too thin.

Another thing to consider is that the thickness of the stratum corneum can vary between individuals for genetic reasons, such as ethnicity. The exfoliating toner fad emerged from the UK beauty blogger community, primarily bloggers who are Caucasian. A bit of research led me to find out that Asian skin, particuarly East Asian skin, has a much thinner stratum corneum than Caucasian skin. The stratum corneum in Asian skin is easily damaged, and Asian women take particular care to maintain a healthy stratum corneum in their extensive skincare routines. 

Now on to my own personal experience. Being Chinese and in the 20's category myself, at this point you can probably predict that exfoliating toners/pads everyday and exfoliating treatments twice a week turned out very badly for me. The picture shows some of the products I purchased during my "wow exfoliation is going to be the best thing in the world" phase. I'll definitely be passing them on to friends, because this exfoliating routine made my skin very, very irritated. I had a lot of redness on my face and was breaking out much more than usual. Many beauty bloggers swear by exfoliating to get rid of acne scars, but I think mine looked a lot worse both because my skin was so red and because my skin was probably dehydrated. 

Thankfully, I eventually figured out that regular exfoliation is not for me. I think I went through this exfoliation phase around January or February this year, and it has taken until now for my skin to become balanced again. I still do exfoliate but I've moved on to very gentle options such as the CURE Natural Aqua Peeling Gel (It causes the "waste" dead skin to ball up when you apply it so you can just wash it off. A really weird but effective product) or enzyme washing powders (which I will be talking about in a post very soon!), and I exfoliate much less frequently. 

If you are experiencing skin that is easily irritated and prone to breakouts, you may want to consider cutting down on the exfoliating and really focus on hydrating the skin. For me, the real secret to better skin is thorough makeup removal followed by a gentle cleanse and lots and lots and lots of hydration. 

Sephora Haul & Mini Reviews Part 1

Final exam season is in full swing, so I must apologize for my recent lack of updates. Of course, my best remedy for stress is to do excessive amounts of beauty shopping. And maybe a little bit too excessive, but hey, life's short, who can blame you? After a particularly long Sunday of last minute essay writing, I trekked on over to my local Sephora and picked up a few things. Maybe a little more than a few things. By now, I've already had a few weeks to test these products out, so I figured I would do sort of mini reviews on all of the products.

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask - I have a mini version of this mask in my skincare drawer that is on its last legs, so I knew it was time to get the full size. This mask is probably my favourite Sunday mask/detoxifying mask (as mentioned in this post) at the moment. It's the best clay type mask I've used for clearing breakouts and clogged pores. However, it dries very fast and feels like a really intense cleanse, so make sure to spray water over your face to keep your skin from drying out. I tend to reserve this for the bad skin days and use a gentler mask when my skin isn't as congested. My face looks quite red immediately after using this mask, but the next morning everything just looks ten times better. Highly recommend.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - I was looking for a new chemical exfoliator, and this fit the bill perfectly. They're basically cotton pads soaked in solution, which makes them very convenient to use. It's a AHA exfoliator composed of lactic and glycolic acid, but unlike other AHA exfoliators which tend to be quite harsh on the skin, these pads are not irritating even on my incredibly sensitive skin. These pads also contain soothing aloe vera juice, licorice root extract to brighten pigmentation, and antioxidant ingredients like white tea extract. $30 will give you 60 pads, but I've seen some reviews saying you can cut the pads in half and get twice the value for your money.

AmorePacific Moisture Bound Sleeping Recovery Masque - I watched an interview with a Korean actress with gorgeous, baby smooth skin reveal that her best kept skin secret was overnight masks. I'm sure some of it must have been attributed to her team of makeup artists, but I thought hey, why not give it a shot. This mask is meant to hydrate and increase antioxidant protection overnight. It feels like a gel-cream moisturizer and absorbs easily so nothing gets on my pillow cases. I would not say that it necessarily moisturizes any better than my regular night moisturizer, but maybe I have to give it a few more uses. It also is pretty heavily fragranced, so steer clear if that is not your thing.

Fresh Peony Brightening Night Treatment Mask - Another overnight mask, this one more targeted towards discolouration and dark spots. Fresh is my absolute favourite skincare brand, so when this came out, I absolutely had to have it. It has a light refreshing scent like their Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream, which is my current night moisturizer, and feels very similar as well. Although the product is packaged in a tube, it actually has a pump. It's always difficult with brightening products because you need to use them consistently for a long time to see actual results, and this product is pretty expensive at $76. If you are not a Fresh fanatic like I am, I would not put this at the top of your wishlist.

I don't want this post to be pages and pages long, so I'm going to review the other half of the products in my next post, which will unsurprisingly be Sephora Haul & Mini Reviews Part 2 and will be up later this week. Until then, take care everyone.