Whether you’ve got a makeup arsenal to rival Ru Paul’s or you prefer to show the world a visage that’s naked and unashamed, if your cupboard is without a quality natural face exfoliator, it’s sorely lacking. Face exfoliators are one of the most, if not the number one, essential element to any beauty—or just plain hygiene—routine.
Exfoliation keeps your skin firm, glowing, and moisturized. Not only does the process whisk away complexion-dulling dead skin cells, it also “increases cell turnover to reveal newer, healthier skin cells, plus it decreases blackheads, minimizes hyperpigmentation and fine lines, and imparts an all-over healthy glow” according to Holly Sherrard, education manager for Demalogica Canada. Furthermore, it helps hydrate your skin for a fresh-faced, healthy look sans makeup: “Cells transitioning from below the skin’s surface to the topmost layer bring with them essential lipids and moisture,” according to Sherrard.
Just ask celebrity chef Giada de Laurentiis, who swears by an all-natural concoction made up of baking soda and water or olive oil to keep her skin so darn clear (have you seen the woman?). “I exfoliate every day,” she told us during an interview this September. “My face, my neck, my chest, and my hands. And it can be a light exfoliator that you buy, or you can use some baking soda and water or baking soda and olive oil. It kind of depends on the season.” For the dry winter air, Giada recommends using olive or almond oil as opposed to water, because you “need that extra moisture.”
To learn how to whip up an all-natural, homemade face exfoliator similar to Giada’s, using ingredients you’ll find at your local grocery store, head over to Northwest Edible Life. Or, if you prefer a visual step-by-step guide, check out the YouTube video below, featuring “Beautasia,” self-professed “superhero by day, supermom by night” (aren’t we all).
Since we know a lot of you are probably thinking “ain’t nobody got time for that,” we chatted with Natalie Rowe, our resident skin expert, about her top five natural, store-bought face exfoliators. As founder and CEO of FLOAT Luxury Spa in Santa Barbara, Rowe knows a thing or two about skincare.