Whatever the skincare counter person told you at Macy's about it being bad to exfoliate everyday, could not be farther from the truth. I can explain this to you in my post about my skincare go-to bible by Dr. Denese, which I discovered many years ago during my quest for acne free and beautiful skin. For now, I'm going to break down what you can start doing today to have smooth new skin.
In Hawaii, we (meaning "da locals") love to use a Japanese washcloth that may be a bit abrasive to you if you have never used a washcloth before. I suggest you use it gently until you get used to it and then scrub harder! There are many different kinds of washcloths that you can buy at any drug store in Hawaii, however, the all time fav is Salux - that's the one I use and it is the best in my opinion. It is not too soft and not too hard, which makes it perfect to exfoliate all that dead skin off of your body! Now please, do not use this on our face unless you use it very gently in circular motions.
Honestly, I don't know how the rest of the world can live without this because it as important to us as having soap and water! It's great for blood circulation and very sanitary unlike cloth washcloths or loofahs. Just pour some soap on it or rub your bar soap on it, squish it together, and scrub your entire body. Then make sure you rinse it out well and hang it up to dry for next time. My family on the mainland always ask me to mail them some, which you should replace at least once a year. If you are living on the mainland, you can probably find it at an asian store. In Hawaii, you can buy at Walmart, Kmart, Longs Drugs, and usually at any local grocery store.
Another great exfoliation tool is the the Korean mitt. This is great because you can use it like a glove. I prefer to use the Salux washcloth because I can scrub faster, but I also have a mitt in case I want to use it. Again, if you are not used to it, please do not go to town on your face or body thinking it's not that bad, because believe me, you will be irritated afterwards. Normally you would soak your body in hot water before scrubbing, so please be gentle.
So now you've got the body scrub down! Next, ever year I get a Korean Scrub down at my favorite Korean Spa in Honolulu. Alhtough I scrub my body like crazy every day, I feel it's very important to have this done professionally. At a Korean Spa, you have to be totallly naked and a Korean grandma will scrub the crap out you, even in areas you may be a little shy about. I'm always surprised how much dead skin comes off after grandma scrubs the @#$# out of me. You will know this because the dead skin looks similar to a used rubber eraser. The treatment usually comes with full use of the jacuzzi and steam rooms along with the full body scrub, korean massage (painful!), and hair shampoo wash.
Let's not forget your beautiful face! I always use my Clarisonic brush on my face every night when I take a shower before bed. I make sure that all of my make-up is completely off. Then to be completely sure that every trace of make-up and dirt is off, I also use Glycolic acid pads to swipe my face, which also helps to exfoliate the skin and get rid of the old skin so that the new skin can come through. Make sure you use 15-20% glycolic, otherwise, your wasting your time since it will not be effective.
Happy Scrubbing!!!!
