The Best Way to Exfoliate and Brighten Skin

I can remember back to a few years ago, watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Caroline Manzo mentioned that she 'shaves her face'. When I heard that I was like what on earth?!

Well flash forward a few years and I got curious. So many articles were coming out online about this new craze. Instead of shaving your face, they are calling it 'dermaplaning'... which is really just a fancier word. 

You can go a dermatologist for a dermaplaning appointment or you can do it yourself at home. In my opinion, it would be nice to have someone else do it, but for the higher cost, it's just not worth it because it's so quick and easy to do yourself. 

The difference between going to the dermatologist and doing it yourself is that the blade you use at home is a lot duller than the one that they use at the dermatologist. Your dermatologist will use a surgical blade and the one I recommend is much duller so you're less likely to accidentally cut yourself. 

Here is my usual disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist, all of the information I am presenting is based on my experience and research. As always, you should consult with your doctor and do your own research to decide what is best for you.

So why do this?! Here's a quick list of some of the top benefits:

• It's anti-aging in that you are removing the top layer of dead skin on your face which gives way to brighter, clearer skin. It also helps with reducing acne scarring or dark spots/age spots. 
• It's also beneficial because you are removing the peach fuzz on your face which is one of the top reasons that make up can become 'cakey' looking... models and celebrities have been doing this for years and is one of the reasons their makeup always looks so smooth and flawless. 
• The hair on your face is also an aid to acne forming since the hair can trap dirt and oil on your face.
• Your skincare products will absorb into your skin better once you have removed that top layer that can get in the way. 
• It's chemical free. You aren't using any new products with this, so it's good for you and the environment. 
• The hair does not grow back any thicker or darker. The hair is called vellus hair and is a different type of hair than what grows on your head, it grows back exactly the same as you see it now (and I can vouch for this!). 
• It's totally painless. It feels so much more pleasant compared to things like chemical peels and microdermabrasion. 
• You can do it as often or as little as you choose. So you don't need to keep up with it if you do it once and end up hating it. 
• There's no downtime. You could shave/dermaplane and walk out the door 5 minutes later. 

Ok so you want to try this, what do you need?

Olay Daily Facials

To start, you are going to want to have very clean, fresh skin to work with. I swear by the Olay Daily Facials Daily Clean 4-in-1 Water Activated Cleansing Cloths (great for all skin types). They are water activated cleansing cloths that are textured and lather (but are soap-free!) when wet for a total clean. It has the cleansing power of a scrub, toner, mask, and cleanser all-in-one cloth. The Olay Daily Facials will ensure the total removal of your makeup as well as cleanse your face in one step. So using these is quick, easy, and also makes sure my skin is super clean and ready to go! 

Rubbing Alcohol 

This doesn't play a big part, but I suggest having it on hand to clean the blade before you start (just to be on the safe side). In most articles online, they don't suggest this or mention it at all, but I just do it to be overly safe! 

A Blade

I use these blades, but there are a ton of different brands/models to choose from. I suggest doing your own research to decide which is best for you. I like this blade because they aren't super sharp. They get the job done but they don't make me nervous that I am going to cut myself.

So now you have everything you need, what's next? First, I highly suggest watching this video by Carli Byble. She's a beauty guru on YouTube and really does a great job of illustrating how to do this properly. I will say, in her video, she says she re-uses her blades and doesn't really talk about disinfecting, so that's where I will come in and say I use the blade once and toss it. They're really inexpensive, there's no reason to keep one around after you have used it once.  

I also suggest doing this at night before bed because your skin could be slightly irritated and red afterward. I also don't love the idea of applying makeup right afterward since your skin is so fresh. I like to give it a night to 'heal' before applying makeup. I also suggest testing a small patch of skin to make sure your skin has no weird reactions, especially if you have super sensitive skin. 

So here's what you'll need to do to begin:

• Make sure your face is completely dry with no product on it. 
• Pull your skin taught
• Take the razor at a small angle and do short passes on your skin downward
• Once you've done your entire face, take a cotton round with lukewarm water and gently pat your skin to remove any straggling dead skin or hair. 
• Apply moisturizer- this makes my skin feel super dry afterward, so I like to apply a ton of moisturizer.

If dermaplaning isn't for you, I totally get it...it's an acquired 'taste' if you will. But I love it and am so glad I have started doing it!!

To safely and easily exfoliate without dermaplaning, I use the Olay Daily Facials Daily Clean 4-in-1 Water Activated Cleansing Cloths every night before bed since they are textured to gently exfoliate skin. They are non-irritating and make my skin really bright and fresh. So much so, I go makeup free during the week because my skin feels and looks so great! This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olay. The opinions and text are all mine.