It’s no secret that we at Belmondo Skincare love using nature’s ingredients in our healthy skin regimen. Teaching our clients, customers, and readers about the benefits of using earth-grown ingredients in their skin care regimen is the heart and soul of what we do.

In Part 2 of this 10-part series on the benefits of natural skincare, we’re giving you the inside scoop on exfoliation, which is the process by which we slough off the layers our skin no longer needs, and reveal the gentle glow we all long for. We bet you’ll enjoy it, too.

P.S. Look for Belmondo’s Favorite Tips scattered throughout this series. There’s one in each article. We’re giving you the inside scoop on how we enjoy the things of earth, naturally, for beautiful skin and a greener planet – and how you can, too!

You’ve probably heard that exfoliating the skin is an important part of a balanced skin care regime.

You’ve heard right. Ex-fo-li-a-tion. Let’s all say it together. It’s good for the skin. And an exfoliant with all-natural ingredients, such as olive oil, almond oil, or apricot oil, is your best option of all.

Skin exfoliation can be accomplished chemically or manually using all-natural ingredients like olive oil and sea salt. Guess which route we at Belmondo Skincare embrace and endorse? You’ve got it: we know that all-natural exfoliants are better for your skin and for the earth. That’s why we use natural oils from the earth as a base for our skincare products, including our Face Scrub and our Clay Mask.

Exfoliation is nature’s way of renewing your beauty.

In fact, everything about exfoliation is a natural process. Your skin naturally exfoliates itself every 30 days as older cells migrate to the surface – making the skin temporarily more acidic – and then are shed, revealing the newer, younger, smoother layer of skin beneath. This natural exfoliation process slows down as we age, so it’s great to help it along by doing it intentionally. 

New skin cells are created in the lower layer of the skin, called the dermis. When older skin cells at the skin’s surface aren’t shed rapidly enough due to age or climate, they clog your pores, leading to congestion of the skin and acne breakouts. Shedding old skin cells through a timely and natural process, however, consistently reveals a natural and healthy glow.

Want to hear other benefits to exfoliation? Ladies, removing dead skin cells allows your moisturizer and face oil to penetrate more deeply into the skin, preparing your skin to receive all of your products’ nourishing benefits. Men, exfoliating your face exposes hair follicles, promoting a better shave and fewer ingrown hairs. (So you’ll be more handsome and more comfortable – nice!)

But how often should you exfoliate? And is there such thing as too much exfoliation?

It’s true that over-exfoliating can lead to skin damage. A healthy schedule? Plan to exfoliate every two weeks or so for optimum skin health and cell turnover. In drier climates or in seasons when you’re perspiring more often (such as during the Summer), increase this frequency to once per week.

If you have dry skin, an all-natural exfoliant with an olive oil base replenishes the right type and levels of moisture to the skin as it sloughs away dead cells.

Can’t I just get a chemical peel? Why is manual exfoliation with natural ingredients better for my skin?

Chemical peels and other chemical-based exfoliants, while popular and highly marketed, can be very aggressive to the skin and cause more harm than good. Chemical exfoliants include ingredients like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, fruit enzymes, citric acid, or malic acid. They’re usually applied in high concentrations by a medical professional or in lower concentrations in over-the-counter products. 

While the thought of putting acid on the delicate skin of your face should be enough to make you cringe, consider that these acids alter the natural, self-renewing state of the skin and become less effective with use over time. So you’re shelling out more money for decreased results.

At Belmondo, we believe that manually exfoliating your skin with gentler, all-natural ingredients, such as olive oil, is just as effective as using chemical versions, better for the earth, and has longer lasting benefits to your skin across time.

Belmondo’s Favorite Tip No. 2: Make a fabulous, all-natural skin exfoliant at home using olive oil and sea salt.

How do I manually exfoliate my skin at home, using all-natural ingredients?

So glad you asked! 

To manually exfoliate the skin, scrub the skin gently but firmly in circular motions, using a product such as The Dunes Face Exfoliant or a clay mask. You can use a dry brush or a loofah for the body and be more vigorous.

When manually exfoliating, we recommend you avoid heavily scented and perfumed scrubs, or scrubs with almond or apricot pieces in them, as these can be skin irritants, exacerbating the problems you’re trying to soothe and repair. Note: Naturally-derived almond and apricot oils as ingredients are great for the skin, so keep using those!

How hard or soft should you scrub? There’s a balance. Please be gentle to the delicate, sensitive skin of your face, especially if you have some congestion or acne. You can scrub more firmly on the skin of your body.

We also recommend dry brushing your body skin with a natural bristle brush before getting into the shower. This gets the blood circulating and stimulates the lymphatic system – a pleasant and holistic treat for your skin and your entire body.

What about a clay mask? Do clay masks help to exfoliate the face, too?

Totally! Use a clay mask once a week to exfoliate and absorb dead, dry skin cells. You’ll find your skin looking brighter, clearer, and firmer after each use.

Energetically, clay has cooling and calming properties. Ours and other clay masks work by loosening dirt and impurities from the skin’s surface, purifying and reducing the appearance of enlarged pores, and visibly resolving blemished skin by soothing redness and inflammation.

A bonus: our green clay mask, called The Earth, contains olive oil.

Prior to applying a clay mask, take a few minutes to gently steam the skin over a sink or basin full of hot (not scalding) water. Or apply a very warm (again, not scalding) cloth to your face to moisten the skin and ‘open’ the pores to receive the clay mask’s healing properties.

So there you have it! Not only is exfoliating your skin a wonderful part of a balanced skin care regimen, but manually exfoliating your skin at home using all-natural based products and ingredients is far more beneficial – and less expensive – than chemical exfoliants. We can’t wait for you to experience the benefits of all-natural skin exfoliation.

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*We at Belmondo Organic Skincare are natural skincare professionals, not medical professionals. If you have a skin condition you feel needs medical attention, please consult a physician.