From The Straits Times    |

face scrubs damaging skin micro tears singapore - how to exfoliate face without damage

There are few skincare products as satisfying as a good face scrub. Scrubs can make you feel like you’re really sloughing all the dead skin off and giving your face a thorough cleansing. You’ve probably felt at some point in your life, that the harsher a scrub was, the better it was going to clean your skin (and boy does it feel good too). In truth, harsh scrubs can be very damaging to your skin.

Many of the particularly abrasive scrubs tend to have rough or jagged particles in them (like grounded nuts or seeds). When rubbed into your skin with enough force, these jagged grains can cause micro-tears in the skin that make your skin more susceptible to environmental damage and pollution as well as sun damage. All of these can accelerate the ageing process of our skin.

face scrubs damaging skin micro tears singapore - how to exfoliate face without damage

With that in mind, it stands to reason that scrubs with round microbeads would be safer on the skin. But they’re also really awful for the environment and ocean life, which is why they’ve been banned in the US and we also can’t (in good conscience) recommend them. You can opt for more gentle scrubs with natural dissolving exfoliants like jojoba wax beads, or, my personal favourite, chemical exfoliants that use natural enzymes or acids to get rid of all that dead skin.  

Of course we aren’t saying you shouldn’t ever use scrubs that contain ground up nuts and seeds or that you need to throw them out immediately, but you need to rethink the way you use your facial scrubs. The length of time you spend massaging the scrub into your skin and the pressure you use are both crucial to how harsh the scrub ends up being.

Always be as gentle as possible when using a more abrasive scrub. Resist the urge to rub your face raw, and reduce the number of times a week you scrub your face. You can also invest in some reparative serums or creams to strengthen your skin’s natural barrier, and always remember to use sunscreen in the mornings.

 

With all this in mind, here’s our top 3 picks that will refresh, cleanse but not tear your skin:

#1 Hada Labo AHA/BHA Face and Foam Washes, $13.50 and $15.90

#2 Ren Rosa Centifolia Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, $53

#3 First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Polish, $42

 

READ MORE: Skincare review: The new Abalone sheet mask from Korean beauty brand Blithe, and our favourite new setting powders for flawless looking skin.

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