For perfectly smooth skin, any serious skin care regimen should be followed throughout the year. Yet, unlike other seasons, the rising levels of heat, pollution and sweat in the summer can create issues like blemishes, dehydration, sunburn and just plain lacklustre skin that can affect all dosha types to some degree.
To counteract this, you need to upgrade your everyday skin care, including modification of your exfoliating regimen. Here is your quick guide on why and how you should do proper exfoliation in summer:
Exfoliate To Unveil Clear Skin
Your skin is constantly creating new skin cells at the lower level, with the old cells gradually rising to the surface, where they die and become filled with keratin protein. By leaving the skin to build up these cells for long, the cell turnover slows down and these keratinized cells accumulate on the surface, giving it a pasty and rough appearance.
Furthermore, when the high-levels of summer heat, humidity, pollution, oil, dirt and microbes interact with sunscreen, makeup and other comedogenic ingredients in skin care products, the tiny pores on the skin can become blocked, leading to the formation of whiteheads, blackheads, acne and other types of blemishes.
The hot summer days also increase the body’s internal temperature, which hyperactivates the oil glands and cause a kapha imbalance – all of which has a greater impact on kapha/oily skin.
Exfoliating with natural ingredients opens locked pores, removes oils and dirt that will sooner or later result in blemishes and removes keratinized cells to reveal fresher skin.
Tailor-made Natural Scrubs & Masks for: Vata, Kapha & Pitta Skin
Even when you choose for clean skin care, each skin type require tailor-made formulas for ideal results:
- For Uneven Dry/Normal/Oily (Vata/Kapha Skin) – Use our Papaya & Honey Exfoliation Mask & Scrub with Pure Manuka Honey and Papaya (Enzymatic action), Walnut scrubbing particles (Mechanical), Milk & Essential oils of Lemon, etc. (Organic acid-based exfoliation) and various anti-inflammatory botanicals.
The three way action deep cleanses, detoxes, sloughs dead skin and encourage cell regeneration for visible results in just one use.
- For Sensitive/Blemished/Rosacea (Pitta) and Dry Skin – Our calming SBR Papaya & Honey Mask is specially designed for hypersensitive SBR skin. Free of physical abrasives, the active enzymes in the formula provide complete deep pore cleansing and exfoliation, while also instantly soothing and healing facial skin for a more youthful appearance.
How Frequently Should You Exfoliate?
While exfoliation is a must in the summer season, did you know that due to the removal of the superficial layer of the skin, frequent exfoliation can increase sun sensitivity by 45%? Over exfoliation can dry the skin, making it prone to irritation, redness and damage.
According to dermatologists: for optimum results, exfoliation should be done only up to 2-3X times a week in the summer. Since freshly exfoliated skin is more susceptible to environmental damage, it’s critical to make sure to use a high quality mineral sunscreen and lightweight serums with topical antioxidants to protect, soothe and minimize redness.
Discontinue Use of Microbeads & Chemical Exfoliators
Most OTC skin care exfoliators contain harsh physical abrasives, environmentally unsafe ‘microbeads’ (learn why?) and chemicals that cause more harm than good to your skin. While mechanical exfoliators can be too abrasive that can expose & break down skin’s protective barrier; chemical exfoliators like trichloroacetic acid, phenol or synthetically derived AHAs and BHAs are known to irritate the skin, increase redness, darken skin color, an it is increasingly shown to be able to enter the bloodstream with unknown risks.
To learn more about exfoliating acid and enzymes and what’s the best for your skin, click here.
