How to Safely Exfoliate Your Skin

What is Exfoliation?

Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the outer layer of skin.  Because your skin constantly repairs and produces new skin cells, the layers of old, dead skin cells can build up all over your body.  Removing these dead skin cells by exfoliating, can uncover and reveal the newer, healthier skin. There are two types of exfoliating.

Physical exfoliation - Scrubbing your skin to remove the skin cells

Chemical exfoliation - Peeling your skin with the help of a compound that contains acids.

It's important to know that as you get older, your body is less efficient at shedding the excess dead skin cells.  So if you never felt the need to exfoliate, don't be surprised if it becomes necessary as you grow older. 

What are the Benefits of Exfoliating?

Healthier Looking Skin.  By revealing the newer skin cells that were below the dead ones, your skin can appear healthier looking.

Smaller Pores. As dead skin cells accumulate on your face, they can get into your pores which may expand to hold the dead skin cells.  By exfoliating and removing the dead skin cells, there is less for your pores to hold and they may appear smaller.

Fewer Breakouts.  If your pores do not have to hold as many dead skin cells (and the oil that may get trapped with them), it may reduce the breakouts you experience from dead skin and oil build-up.

Less obvious Wrinkles.  A build-up of dead skin cells can exaggerate wrinkles - especially if you wear a lot of make-up or foundation which sits on top of the dead skin cells.

Is exfoliating safe?

Everyone's skin is different and you need to take care that your skin handles exfoliation well.  Safe exfoliation will not leave you with excess redness, irritation, or skin breakouts.

How should I exfoliate?

At Goat Milk Stuff, we have two goat milk products for exfoliating your skin.

Luffa Sponges filled with goat milk soap.  This is my favorite product for use on my face.  I love the peppermint luffa, but many people use the tea tree if they're struggling with acne.  I simply keep one in the shower and wash my face with it several times per week.  Experiment to find out how often works best for you.  The goat milk soap luffa can also be used on the rest of your body as well.

Scrubby Soap.  This is a limited edition soap we make that contains coffee grounds. The coffee grounds are fairly abrasive, so these are best used on your hands, body, and feet. Use carefully if you choose to wash your face with the scrubby soap. You can also have a custom batch made if you don't want to wait for it to be available as a limited edition.

Does goat milk help exfoliate?

Remember that there are two ways to exfoliate - through scrubbing and through peeling. Goat milk contains lactic acid which is an alpha hydroxy acid often found in commercial chemical exfoliants.

So while the three items mentioned above can be used to physically exfoliate through scrubbing, you're also going to get some extremely gentle chemical exfoliation through the lactic acid that is naturally present in the goat milk.

It's just one more way that goat milk is wonderful for you and your skin!