Let’s talk exfoliation. Back in the day (the late 1900s), I used apricot scrub on my face. It was, according to magazines, the exact thing I needed to remove the old, dead skin cells that kept me from having the gleaming skin of the model on the page. So, as any budding beauty guru would, I used it religiously. Fast forward a couple of decades, and now I know better. I’m going to reveal one of my few “I will die on this hill” opinions: chemical exfoliants are superior to physical exfoliants. I know, I am sorry, apricot scrub, but it’s true. At least for our faces. Use apricot scrub all you want on your feet, but please don’t use it on your face.

Why do I not like it as much as a chemical exfoliant? The reasons are threefold:

1.It can create microtears in your delicate skin. It’s made of a rough grain specifically so it can physically remove the dead skin that can build up. This is why it works well on feet, which can handle walking barefoot outside. But, that is why it can be too much for your face. It tends to be more delicate than your feet.

2. It doesn’t necessarily exfoliate evenly. The particles in a scrub exfoliate wherever you use it. But to reach each part of the face without overlapping and exfoliating more in one area than another is a tricky game. And, when that happens, some parts will be overly scrubbed while others will be underscrubbed.

3. It’s often marketed to people for acneaic skin or for blackheads. While exfoliating these types of skin is important for many reasons, the last thing acne needs is something else irritating it. Besides, not all face scrubs have salicylic acid, which is the ingredient that actually gets into your pores and cleans them out.

Now, don’t get me wrong, some physical scrubs are better than others. Some are microbeads that don’t tear your skin, but I still don’t think they work as well as a chemical exfoliant. By chemicals, I mean acids. Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) and Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) are the most mainstream and can be found everywhere from Target to Sephora. They each help remove dead skin cells in a different way. Essentially, AHAs clear the surface of your skin, while BHAs clean inside the pores. I like to use one that has both so I can kill two birds with one stone. Actually, that’s such a terrible saying-let’s change it to “feed two birds with one fry.” Bird murder aside, using one formula to meet all of your exfoliating needs is a great way to save time and money. I love that it gently exfoliates and actually helps clean my pores. 7th grade me trying to keep blackheads at bay by scrubbing the apricot scrub increasingly harder on my nose to no avail is especially appreciative. Give it a try and let me know how your pores feel after a few weeks- I bet your pores will love it!