body care

4 Reasons to skip Scrubbing in Skin Care Routine

Swathy · June 19, 2015 · 4 Comments

Long long back, I remember reading a comment on my blog about how a reader uses olive oil + sugar every single day to keep her skin soft. Well, as much as I love sugar or salt for scrubbing, I would love to say it is not for everyday. Exfoliating everyday harms the skin in the long run. In fact, recently, I came across an article which claims that it is better to skip exfoliation altogether as a skin care step. And, then, I thought it might be a good idea to look at the reason why we should do so.

I’m not crazy about scrubs because clients abuse them,” says Czech. “They go crazy with them and it results in tons of broken capillaries. If you just use a cleanser and washcloth to wash your face every night, that’s enough exfoliation. (Source)

If you have been lately feeling that your skin is not doing well even after a lot of your efforts, the answer might be that you are just doing too much. So, let us see why exfoliation can be an unnecessary step for some.

#1. Easy to go Overboard with it!

Once upon a time when I had done some post on skin care, one of the readers had mentioned that she scrubs her skin everyday with oil+sugar. When I told her that it might be a tad too much, she said she loved how soft her skin felt.

But, my personal opinion about the practice since then has always been that it is very easy to go overboard. It is easy to love the feel of the skin and do it everyday in quest of the same result. It is important to remember at such a time that everything in excess is harmful.

Are you making the same mistakes as I do while exfoliating your face? {Skin Care}

Swathy · December 8, 2014 · 3 Comments

exfoliation tips at perfect skin care for you

photo credit: FoundryParkInn via photopin cc

So, now that winters are almost in full swing, hopefully you are doing what I am doing these winters! And, then, now my skin is absolutely perfect. But, then, I suddenly noticed my entire face is not so soft! In fact, one of my readers also sent out the same query. Check out!

I use fair n lovely face wash I also apply the same cream after my wash….n when I touch my skin honestly I do not feel anything like cracking and all…I sense it smooth…but at the same time when I touch the corner part of my nose I feel it rough n its like skin coming out! What should I do?

So, now you would have already understood what I mean to say in this post. So, let us see if we really exfoliate our face properly!! And, discuss what are the proper exfoliation methods. Lets start.

What is the best time to Exfoliate?

So, this is the first thing I would like to clear. Now, my favorite time is the night time. Because, a proper exfoliation in the night helps the moisturizer to soak in better. Also, exfoliating in the night avoids the fresh skin to get exposed to the morning sun!

Where as, the morning time is a better time. Because, the skin rejuvenates in the night and in the morning, your face has a layer of dead skin which is ready for removal. But, then, the fresh skin is exposed to the harsher sun light and might tan unless one is diligent in applying sunscreen. Btw, exfoliating in the morning also helps the makeup go on better.

So, you can decide which is the best time for you!

What to use for Exfoliation?

So, what is your favorite ingredient for exfoliating your skin? For me, it is sugar and salt!! Well, is it really correct for my skin type? Ok, so sugar is an all-rounder when it comes to exfoliation and gives a smooth and perfect skin. For dry skin, it is quite hydrating and nourishing.

But, for oily skin, salt is an absolute must. Salt absorbs the oil and provides the minerals which sugar can not. It also detoxifies the skin which is why even people with dry skin should use salt once in a while for exfoliation. Do check out my homemade DIY body polishing scrub!

Never Exfoliate on Dry or even Damp Skin!!

Have you ever done this, anywhere on your body? Like scrubbing the dead skin on your heels or even nails? If yes, DO NOT ever repeat it. It is extremely harmful for your skin and you can end up injuring yourself. Exfoliate only completely clean and dripping wet, preferably soaked with warm water so that the pores are open, skin.

Don’t forget these areas during exfoliation!

And, then, we take the scrub and apply it to the face. Start from the forehead and proceed to the cheeks in light circular motions. Be gentle and have a light hand. And, DO NOT forget these areas –

crevices around the nose where it generally gets dry and skin peels off – extend your nose as if you are removing blackheads and scrub the crevices thoroughly!
corners of the lips – extend your mouth like you are applying the lipstick and scrub off the corners.
inner curve below the lower lip and above the chin – extend the lower lip over the lower jaw to make the curve flat and scrub it
on and behind the ears
lips – press your lips tightly to avoid tasting the scrub :P, and, finally
neck lines – extend your neck like a giraffe and giving it a thorough scrub. Moisturise in the same way!!

photo credit: FoundryParkInn via photopin cc

Leave the scrub on for sometime to help it soak into the Skin

So, now that you have scrubbed your face, leave it on for sometime while you finish washing or scrubbing yourself. That will make the skin even more softer and helps the active ingredients of the scrub to soak into the skin.

And, finally, wash off with luke warm water and last rinse should be cold water. Do NOT forget to Moisturize. Just because your skin is feeling awesome does not mean you forgo the skin care routine. So, do not forget to tone and moisturize your skin with your favorite oil or serum.

And, now, we have one more thing!

Type of Skin and Frequency

Now, this has been said time and again that oily skin should not be exfoliated as often as dry skin. For one, oily skin if exfoliated regularly produces more oil causing more oiliness. And, dry skin accumulates more dead skin which needs to be removed regularly for a fresh and glowing look. So, twice a week is enough for oily skin and for dry skin, thrice a week of exfoliation is enough.

So, what all steps do you follow? Do you have any exfoliation tips!!

Loving It / Using It Vol. 10 – Vaadi Herbals Face & Body Scrub with Walnut and Apricot

Swathy · November 6, 2014 · 2 Comments

Vaadi Herbals Face & Body Scrub with Walnut and Apricot product review

After a long time, I have used a body scrub. I like that they are easy to use and less time consuming but then most of the body scrubs fail to show any results for me. So, lets see how did this one fare for me.

Loving It / Using It : Using It

Price – Rs 68 for 90 gms

Availability – generally available on online stores like flipkart, nykaa. Vaadiherbals.com is the existing brand website as well.

Packaging – Product comes in a plastic tub and will not leak. The tub is small enough to be carried around.

Texture – The scrub is grainy and creamy. The grains are less in density and not very harsh so they do not tear on the skin but generally, it is advised to skip on the grainy scrubs as they can cause micro-tears in the skin and harm the skin in the long run.

Usage – The product is a little more creamy so a bit of product diluted with water applies smoothly on the skin. Since it is a body scrub, it can be applied on both the face and body. I would say that it is gentle enough but still I would prefer to avoid it on face.

Results – Even though the product is creamy, it does not feel as if it leaves a residue after washing off. And, it does leave the skin shinier than before and the moisturiser gets absorbed real quick after a scrub session. And, it does not leave the skin dry as well. But, yes, it would not do anything like removing the dark spots and all which it does not claim to do either. Yes, one thing, I did not notice if they really made a difference to the blackheads, though!

Ingredient List – Vaadi Herbals is notorious for not specifying the ingredient list which puts me off the brand a bit.

My Verdict

Well, it definitely is a product to try out. I did like it.

Have you tried the product? Have you tried any other product from Vaadi? How did you find it?

Other products from Vaadi Herbals:

Vaadi Herbals Chandan Kesar Haldi Face Pack
Vaadi Herbals Amla Thanda (Cool) Tail (Oil)
Vaadi Herbals Aromatherapy Body Oil Pure Lemongrass and Lily Oil