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Five Great Grown Up Exfoliants

2017 June 21
by WWGD

I watched a skincare video with Hollywood facialist Kate Somerville a while back and she made a statement that stuck with me:

“If your pores are enlarged, you are simply not exfoliating enough.” 

I took one glance back at the mirror and vowed then and there to make a regular skin scrubbing part of my regimen (sans actually scrubbing…read for more). And just a few months later, I am happy to say Ms. Somerville was right. I have seen a very noticeable difference in the appearance of my combo skin pores since I started using some sort of exfoliant several times a week. Now that microbeads are officially banned (thank god), your old school St. Ives apricot scrub from high school is finally declared off limits (as it should be) so I thought I would share some more “grown up” exfoliating favorites I have loved of late on my (successful!) quest for smaller pores. No beads within.

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask (pictured above). This Vermont-made all natural skincare brand has taken luxury cosmetics counters across the country by storm and with good reason. Harper’s potent yet pure mix of ingredients gives serious results with no icky chemicals or preservatives. The Resurfacing Mask is known for the instant glow it gives you after 20 minutes of sloughing away your dead skin cells with a beta hydroxy focused formula. The mask feels cool and hydrating when applied so it’s perfect for warm summer nights. Only complaint is that it’s a small container and if you love it as much as I do, it will go fast.

goop Instant Facial. This is officially a desert island must-have for me and by far my favorite product in the goop skincare line. This (almost) all organic instant facial smells faintly like your favorite green juice and goes on in a very thin layer of grainy goodness. After only three minutes of activation from the natural blend of alpha and beta hydroxy acids, you gently massage and rinse your way to a glowing, baby soft complexion. It may be a little red afterwards so I tend to do it at night and follow with a serum to feed my skin while it’s fresh. If you do it during the day, sunscreen and shade are a must for an hour or so.

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant. This is my favorite grab-and-get-it-done exfoliant. All it takes is a cotton pad and a splash or two of this liquid exfoliant and you can quickly (and efficiently) wipe away dead surface cells in a second. It’s the least intense (and least expensive) of the five and the one I probably reach for the most because it feels like my skin can handle it daily with no issues.

Kate Somerville Exfolikate. Where it began. When a client of mine who has skin like porcelain told me she swears by this stuff, I knew I had to try it. Dubbed “Hollywood’s 2-minute facial,” it’s a Somerville signature product packed with lactic acid, silica, papaya and pineapple enzymes, salicylic acid and more. Similar to the goop product, you apply a thin layer and do a quick “scrub” and then let it sit for two minutes and work its magic. And magical, it is. Your skin feels polished, soft and instantly brighter. This one tends to leave me a little less red than the goop, but if I had to choose, the goop leaves my skin a touch smoother. If it’s still too strong for you, there is a Gentle version available as well.

Eminence Yam & Pumpkin Peel. Finally, the best smelling of the bunch. This all natural exfoliating peel from Eminence smells so good you will want to eat it. And you probably can because the brand is known for its clean yet super effective concoctions. This purée-like mix of yam and pumpkin sloughs away dead skin cells, improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and leaves your skin feeling firm and extra glow-y. And that’s a very good thing. PS – I linked this one to DermStore.com because I find they always have 20% sales happening AND you can usually get a free magazine subscription at check-out. How fun is that??

*this post contains affiliate links but is not sponsored by any brand mentioned above; I buy and try them all and only share my favorites. 

**image above via TataHarperSkincare.com

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