Written by Shea Keaveney
If Beyonce’s dermatologist suggests exfoliation should occur daily then we should probably invest in a good facial exfoliator. The man we’re talking about is Dr. Harold Lancer. He states that “Exfoliating properly is a nightly event. It’s sort of like exercise. ...The real good trainers will tell you that you must do a small amount of exercise daily.”
So now you’ve been told you should be exfoliating every single day, what exactly is exfoliation and how is Kokoa’s facial exfoliator great for helping to cure acne prone skin?
What is exfoliation?
Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of your skin using a chemical granular substance, or exfoliation tool.
Dr. Lancer urges you to think of exfoliating your skin in the same way you clean your kitchen. He explains that “If you have a tough stain on your kitchen counter, you need to scrub first before you can clean, it’s the same thing. Daily damage, age damage, and sun damage need to be exfoliated before [the face is] cleansed.”
What exfoliator should I use for acne prone skin?
Exfoliation is important for all skin types but can be significantly important to those who suffer from acne. One of the most common causes of acne is dead skin build up. If the dead skin is not removed it will build up and clog pores, which then leads to breakouts. Therefore, exfoliation can help to keep your pores free. Exfoliation does this by either physically removing dead skin cells with a product, a brush, sponge or glove. Alternatively, you can use a chemical exfoliator to penetrate deeper into the skin.
Those that suffer from acne may want to avoid scrubbing their face with a physical tool daily. Scrubbing can often be too harsh on acne prone skin and could further irritate inflamed skin.
We recommend cleansing daily with a cleansing brush and using a granular exfoliator 1-2 times a week. It is also important to never over exfoliate as this can lead to irritation, redness or inflamed skin. These issues may also be caused by using too harsh an exfoliator; we suggest using an organic facial exfoliator such as Kokoa’s Coffee & Brown Sugar Facial Exfoliator.
5 reasons why Kokoa’s facial exfoliator could be the solution to your acne
Glycolic Acid
One of the natural ingredients in our facial exfoliator is brown sugar, which naturally contains glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is an alpha-hydroxyl acid that has great benefits when exfoliating your face. One of these benefits is its ability to leave pores unclogged, which reduces the chance of a breakout.
Your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) consists of tightly packed layers of dead skin cells. Glycolic acid loosens the bonds between these layers of dead skin making it easier for you to shed these older layers of skin. As a result, this reduces the chances of pores becoming clogged up with dead skin which allows your pores to breathe.
Salicylic Acid
Our facial exfoliator also contains organic wild raspberries, which are a natural source of salicylic acid. This is a beta hydroxy acid that happens to be a great combatant of acne.
Salicylic acid is great for those that suffer with oily skin and acne due to its ability to dissolve sebum. Both oily skin and acne can be caused by overactive sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands are responsible for producing sebum – an oily substance that moisturises and protects our skin. However, when too much sebum is produced it can result in clogged pores which can then lead to breakouts and acne.
Salicylic acid works by delving deep inside pores and dissolving sebum. This will help to leave pores unclogged and able to breathe.
Linoleic Acid
Another vital ingredient in Kokoa’s facial exfoliator is safflower oil. Safflower oil has many benefits in skincare due to being made up of Linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is found in sebum but those that suffer from acne are often lacking linoleic acid in their sebum. Instead they have excess Oleic acid, which is a non-essential fatty acid. Oleic acid can get trapped in pores when not balanced with Linoleic acid.
Linoleic acid is a thinner substance than Oleic acid, so is suitable for those with oily skin. It will help balance out the excess production of Oleic acid, which should then lead to your pores being clog free.
Lemon Essential Oil
The final reason why our facial exfoliator is great for acne, is the fact that it also contains lemon essential oil. This does have several benefits when fighting acne such as killing bacteria that may get trapped in pores. Additionally, research shows lemon essential oil can also be used to lower anxiety.
Whilst treating acne, lemon essential oil can kill bacteria that could otherwise end up clogging pores and causing breakouts. Moreover, the healing properties of lemon oil can also help to fade acne scars.
Coffee
It may sound strange to hear coffee mentioned when talking about skincare. Despite this one of the ingredients in our Kokoa exfoliator is in fact coffee grounds. Coffee is packed with antioxidants which help protect against free radical damage.
Additionally coffee can be great at fighting signs of aging and sun damage by helping to decrease the appearance of sunspots, redness and fine lines. A study involving japanese women supports this by concluding that the consumption of coffee helps protect human skin from photoaging.
At Kokoa, we can ensure that our products contain natural and organic ingredients. The only additional ingredient that has not been mentioned above is coffee grounds, which is also a natural skin brightener and reduces dark circles.
If you suffer from acne or just want to maintain your healthy skin Kokoa’s organic coffee & brown sugar exfoliator could be the perfect solution. Check out the brilliant reviews on our website.