SO winter is FINALLY (hopefully) over, and it’s about time. The cold winter months reek havoc on our skin and now that the seasons are changing, your skin is changing. During winter, our skin becomes incredibly dry from our heaters, the cold wind, and the need to consistently blow our poor noses. The problem with this is that we create a thick layer of dry, dead skin on our epidermis. We do this to protect our skin from all the damaging environmental issues. This is awesome for winter, but awful for summer. Your body produces more sweat and oil in the summer, to keep your skin cool and hydrated. If we don’t do something about the think layer of skin that we’ve created during the winter, that sweat and oil gets trapped, and creates blemishes. So if you’re breaking out right now, and freaking out because you don’t know why… well that’s it. Have no fear, though… there’s something totally great to get rid of that. Hence. Exfoliating. You’ve heard the term exfoliation and probably thought of something like St. Ives apricot scrub. It’s so much more than that. And BTW if you have St. Ives… please, do your skin a favor and throw that away.

Chemical exfoliation is when your exfoliant contains an ingredient that chemically gets rid of dead skin. (ex. Alpha Hydroxy Acids, Beta Hydroxy Acids, enzymes, ect.)

Mechanical exfoliation is when your exfoliant contains little beads or something to manually get rid of the dead skin. Products sometimes contain both, a mechanical and a chemical exfoliation. You need to work with a few different exfoliants until you find something that your skin responds well to. I’ve narrowed down a few of my faves to share.

All the ingredients for this are in your pantry. So basically… anyone can make a simple sugar scrub, and honestly, it’s one of the best exfoliants you can use. Mix 2 parts coconut oil with 1 part white sugar, and voila… a glycolic exfoliant that’s gentle and effective.

Literally, my favorite mask. It contains vitamin C, which helps even the skin tone, and brighten, and Calcium Montmorillonite Clay, which absorbs impurities. You have to apply this mask pretty thick and then let it dry. After it dries, you peel it off, and along with the mask, comes all your dead skin and all the impurities it’s been packing away. If your skin is feeling dull, and your pores feel clogged.. this mask is your best friend.

You can purchase it HERE

Miracle worker. No joke. It contains an enzyme that works to de-clog your pores, but it doesn’t irritate your skin. You apply at night, after your skin care routine, and sleep with it on. It’s literally a mini peel, that you don’t have to wash off. This product is ideal for all skin types, but especially if you suffer with acne or aging.

You can purchase this HERE: http://www.perriconemd.com/product/mobile/blue+plasma.do