So… How Do You Scrub Your Face?

As Kylie Skin - Kylie Jenner’s new venture into skincare - gets set to launch tomorrow (22 May 2019), you may have noticed the controversy surrounding a particular one of her products - the walnut face scrub. Kylie has released marketing telling her fans that she uses the face scrub twice a week but that this secret ingredient to her amazing skin is gentle enough to use as a daily exfoliator and will leave your skin feeling as good as new. So what’s the problem? Well, it has been alleged by a few skincare experts that this type of physical exfoliation is actually harmful to your skin. Let me explain…

The Different Ways To Exfoliate

If you’re new to exfoliation, there are two types - physical and chemical. The type that Kylie is releasing is physical. It means it has ingredients that you manually use as a scrub to remove the dead skin from the surface of your skin and (hopefully) leaves it feeling soft and clear.

Chemical, the second type of exfoliation, uses two types of acids (don’t worry it’s not as scary as it sounds). The first is AHA. This stands for Alpha Hydroxy Acids and come from a mix of natural substances that basically ‘dissolve the glue holding the dead skin cells together’. This only gets to the top layer as its ingredients are water-based so although this sounds totally disgusting and scary, this can actually be a gentler way or exfoliating. AHAs can also help with hydration but do beware as they make your skin more sensitive to UV rays.

The second way is BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acids) which get deeper into the skin. They are oil based so can get rid of the dead skin cells from a little deeper and tend to be a little more heavy duty. They are typically used for congested skin so work well for blemishes and blackheads.

So What’s The Problem With Physical Exfoliators?

There is no problem in general with physical exfoliators (as far as I know). Many skincare experts will recommend physical but in this case, it’s the ingredients causing the issue. Experts warn again using ingredients in a face scrub that are ‘too harsh on your skin’. The theory is that nut shells (walnuts) cannot be made smooth enough and could therefore cause micro tears to your skin leaving long-lasting damage. As far as I can find, there is no evidence to back this up. St Ives released a Walnut scrub a few years back and were faced with a lawsuit, but this was later dropped due to lack of evidence. But does that make me want to risk it? Absolutely not!

Some (I imagine Kylie’s PR team specifically) are promoting that it’s safe to use walnut scrubs and debating with those that disagree over the safety issues. But what most experts will say is that using scrubs with smoother and smaller ingredients like sugar, coffee and bamboo beads is the way to go. 

What they all seem to definitely agree on is that you certainly should not be exfoliating everyday. Whilst it’s seen as a vital part of the skincare routine, there is just no need for it to be carried our more than 2-3 times a week max.

What Should You Use On Your Skin? Physical or Chemical?

The answer is I don’t know! As with everything, it’s all about your skin. There are some people who have been using scrubs and even walnut scrubs for years who will tell you it’s totally harmless and has their skin looking natural and flawless - apparently Kylie Jenner is one of these people… I said apparently!

As for me, personally, as my skin is so sensitive, I have not used a physical exfoliator on my face for many years now and I find chemical works far better for me. I enjoy the one from Kiehl’s (although this is a little heavy duty) and would really like to try some others out there - see the pic below.

If you’re not sure, I would recommend gently giving a few different types of exfoliators a try and just see what works for you. Alternatively, speak to a dermatologist or skincare expert who can give you some advice for your skin type. If you notice any irritation or soreness then stop and maybe try something gentler and if it’s not working for you then maybe you need a more heavy duty one.

I’d love to know how you get on though and I would love to hear more abut the Kylie Skin scrub - I won’t be trying this product myself but would be interested to hear if you will be.