The Best Ways to Exfoliate Your Face

Illuminating: It’s one of my favorite words to describe “gold-standard” skin, so much so that Renee and I included it in the names of Orenda Skin Care’s inaugural product line up.

So how does one get illuminating skin? A skin care regime heavy with fresh, vitamin-rich ingredients, of course, and exfoliation. Skin that’s exfoliated consistently will absorb products more efficiently and reflect light better.

The result? Skin that’s healthier, happier and illuminating.

Here are my favorite ways to exfoliate that keep my skin looking next level.

1. Chemical Peels

Chemical peels don’t really peel the skin, despite what the name implies. Rather, they quickly exfoliate the top layers of skin, allowing dead skin cells to shed quite rapidly. Aside from revealing fresh and illuminating skin, chemical peels clear out pores which can reduce breakouts and minimize fine lines. 

I always opt for a medical-grade chemical peel done in the comfort and safety of my favorite medi-spa. Go big or go home, right?

The VI Peel by Vitality Institute is very predictable and in my opinion, always delivers.  This chemical peel includes salicylic, ascorbic and trichloroacetic acids, as well as Retin-A. It's  considered a moderate to aggressive peel by most.

Above: Day 3 after my winter VI Peel. Kinda crazy looking!

Post-procedure, I use Orenda Skin Care’s Illuminating Skin Serum which helps soothe my skin during the healing process. By day 6, my skin looks so fresh, clean and next level. I do a VI Peel twice a year, once in January and once in June or July.

Cost depends on location but in my experence can range from $150-$275

2. Dermaplaning

The results of this treatment are immediate.  An aesthetician uses a small surgical scalpel to gently "shave" the skin's surface, removing the top-most layer of dead skin along with the tiny hairs (peach uzz) that many of us have.

Look scary, but it’s not!

While the skin is held taught, the aesthetician swipes the blade in small upward motions. The procedure takes 20-30 minutes and is 100% painless. After a few passes my skin feels silky smooth, bright and glowy.

I try to fit dermaplaning into my skin care regimen about once every 3 or 4 months.

Cost depends on location and add ons but in my experience can range from $75-$225.

3. Dermaplaning on a Budget

An efficient and effective alternative to dermaplaning is a good, old-fashioned face shave. That’s right ladies! Shaving your face, just like you’ve seen the men in your life do, will produce similar results as a professional dermaplaning procedure.

Make sure you wet your face and use a gel or cream cleanser as a base. The viscosity of a gel or cream will allow the razor to glide over the skin without friction. Use a high-quality, sharp razor and shave away. Clean your razor well after each use.

And don’t worry, your hair won’t grow back darker or thicker. That’s a myth you can read more about here.

I shave my face every other day while in the shower. Have you tried shaving your face?!

Effective exfoliation promotes cellular turnover and allows for skin care products to penetrate deeper thus creating skin that looks and feels happier, healthier and illuminating.

There are a ton of skin care products and even brushes on the market that can be used to exfoliate. I am not a fan as I believe those types of products are more of an extra cleansing step than anything else.

Save your money on exfoliating scrubs (which can often be abrasive) or products and invest in an effective chemical peel once in a while, or start with just shaving your face. Combined with vitamin-rich skin care, your skin will look next level.

Let me know if you have any questions. Cheers to Illuminating skin!