Last week, I learned that I needed to use more physical exfoliators – in the most painful way possible. While warming up my car, I saw that I was long overdue for a facial wax. The Chicana in me was flaring up in the form of a low, connected goatee. Never cute on a woman, FYI. I decided to book an appointment to get a sugaring instead of waxing, because they’re more natural and painless. Unfortunately, the hairs were too short to “sugar” off, but there was another option – threading. Yes, I got my facial hair threaded off and it was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in the name of beauty and self-care.

The “Threader of Death”, who was actually very nice and informative noticed that I hadn’t regular exfoliated in a while. Guilty! My lack of weekly exfoliating and thick hairs is what made it so difficult to thread the hairs off my chin. While wiping the bucket of tears that gushed out my eyes due to the pain, I realized that I hadn’t properly exfoliated my skin in a while. So, I went home that night and collected all the physical exfoliators I could find. While doing this, I narrowed down the three that I preferred the most, which I’ve decided to share.

There are 2 types of exfoliators – chemical and physical. Chemical exfoliators are just that, chemicals that help gradually exfoliate your skin. Some of the popular chemical exfoliators are acids that remove buildup and clear the skin, such as AHA and glycolic acids. However, I’m here to talk about physical exfoliators.

Depending on your skin type determines how often you should exfoliate your skin. Since I have combination/oily skin, I should exfoliate 1-2x a week. Especially in the winter months when my skin wants to have the audacity to have an occasional dry patch.

So, when me and skin are all lovey, dovey and doing fine, I use a sugar scrub once a week. The one I always reach for is Buff City Soap facial sugar scrub. Sugar scrubs are great exfoliators, because they melt as you use them. Therefore, you get a gently exfoliating feel without the aggressive scrubbing that some facial scrubs does to your skin. *cough, cough, apricot scrubs*

When my skin feels like it needs a little extra oomph exfoliation, I reach for the Peter Thomas Roth Firmx Peeling Gel. However, don’t let the title fool you – it’s not a peeling face mask. You apply a nice amount in your hands and rub it over clean, dry skin. As you continue to rub it on your face, it removes the build-up that form into little balls. It’s actually very gratifying to feel the dry skin and residue roll into little pillage balls.

The final physical exfoliator that does it for me is the Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion. This exfoliator is for people who have enlarged pores. *raises both hands* However, what makes this exfoliator a beast is that it’s a physical and chemical exfoliator. Yep, there are aluminum oxide crystals, which help clean out the pores while caviar lime extract acts a chemical exfoliator to smooth and brighten the skin. You apply a nice glop with a little water on damp skin. After leaving it on for a couple of minutes to let it do what it do. The directions say to use this 2-3 times a week to help minimize the appearance of large pores. I did notice that my pores weren’t as noticeable when I use it 3 times a week. However, I’m too lazy to do or remember to do it that much.

What’s one of your favorite physical exfoliators? Share below.

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