HomeMade Body Scrub for dry rough skin

Hello,

Suffering from Dry Rough winter skin??? 

To scrub away the winter blues let the Kitchen Cabinet to come to the rescue ..

Relaxing Guacamole Body Scrub 

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup mashed avocado
• 1 tbsp milk cream
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• A few drops of lavender, or your favorite essential oil (optional)

Process:

Stir ingredients together in a large bowl until well mixed. Use in the shower or bath to exfoliate elbows, knees, heels, or any dry, scaly areas. Rinse well. 

Avocado and olive oil both contain fatty acids to replenish your skin’s natural protective barrier. In fact, some of my patients with rashes such as eczema or “winter itch” prefer olive oil and other natural oils to soothe their sensitive skin because these oils don’t sting or irritate. Lavender is a scent commonly used in aromatherapy — they've been shown to help you sleep more soundly. Consider adding a few drops of this oil if you scrub before bedtime. 

There are many more packs to choose from - read more about Home-Made Packs

Do you like doing Body Polishing at home?? try my method of Body Polishing this winter season.

For face I have just the perfect Face Pack-cum- Scrub recipe


Stay Beautiful,
Shweta

Myths around Acne

There are few Myths around acne for long. Here are few of those myths and an explaination for them

Myth #1: Acne can’t be cured

Acne is lifelong and it can’t be cured be cured, just learn to live with it. FALSE. Today it has become very easy to treat acne; there are very effective treatments available. Like for mild acne there are topical treatments like, topical antibiotics, benzyl peroxides, exfoliants like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and even the traditional topical treatments like sulfur and Resorcinol. For more severe acne, there are oral medication like, oral antibiotics, birth control pills and ultimately, Accutance, if the other treatments haven’t worked. Accutance will work 100% of the time because Accutane stops oil and if you don’t have oil, you don’t have acne.

Myth #2: Acne is a disease of teenagers

FALSE. Women suffer from acne also in their later twenties, thirties, forties and even fifties. Some women even have acne right into menopause. The reason for this change can be: 1) more women in the workforce where they experience untraditional stresses; 2) air pollution; 3) make-up.

Myth #3: Covering acne with makeup will aggravate it

FALSE. As long as it’s marked either water-based or oil-free or non-comedogenic which simply means it won’t clog your skin. Acne blemishes can be covered make-up.

Myth #4: Picking pimples causes dents and scars.

Dents and scars are caused by very deep picking of the skin. A scar is a depression in the skin, underneath the surface, or a bump above the surface of the skin, but what picking pimples does do, it causes flat stains, discolorations, dark spots on the pimple, around the pimple, and these are even more difficult to treat than the actual pimples themselves. So the reason not to pick pimples is so that you don’t get these dark stains which are so annoying and so hard to get rid of.

Myth #5: Food causes acne

Foods which are considered forbidden are chocolate, nuts, caffeine, colas, fried foods, pizza. According to well-controlled, statistically-valid studies, those foods don’t cause acne but there are always exceptions to these studies. But this relationship between eating those foods and breaking out with pimples the next day has to be from ever, if these foods causes acne once or twice, then there probably is no relationship. The only exception is iodine. Iodine is contained in seafood, and certain green vegetables like seaweed, spinach, and medications like thyroid medications. Iodine causes pimples, but not the day after you eat it. It’s the accumulation by eating these foods day after day that suddenly causes acne. So the bottom line is, if you’re prone to acne, try to avoid iodine-containing foods.

Myth #6: Antibiotics are forbidden

Rather the antibiotics prescribed for acne will not weaken the system, it cures the infection in it, and they’re perfectly safe if used as prescribed.

Myth #7: Washing face after perspiration will stop acne

On the contrary, acne is caused because when we sweat, we tend to wipe our face and all the dirt and oil gets rubbed into the skin and clog pores. Washing face prior to any activity which causes sweating is beneficial in this regard.

* This blog is based on a article by a dermatologist from NYC.

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta

My Skin Care Routine

My skin is very unpredictable, it changes with season, places I reside and water hardness. It behaves best when I am in my home town, Water there is very soft and probably i have been accustomed to the weather there. We cannot have all the good things all the time :-/ .

My current skin care routine is what I would like to share with you, as I have recently moved back to India and my skin had to face some drastic weather changes. It took me around 2 months to get my skin accustomed to these changes. But now it’s doing pretty well. So here is my Basic routine.

Foreword:

I am living in a very humid climate down south (no winters), my skin had been very dry earlier, i had acne breakouts instantly as we reached here. Oiliness (majorly because of humidity), open pores, white heads and black heads became a regular problem.

I had a talk with my dermatologist before I started with this regime. I suffered from all the dreadful effects of the key ingredients, majorly skin redness, peeling and burning sensation as few ingredients were new to me and for others concentration was increased. I took all the possible precautions and overcame the effects.

I have been using Glycolic acid peel (35%) since last 3 years and my skin loves it. Glycolic acid peels refreshes my skin, exfoliates, removes tan, white heads, blackheads and kept my skin soft and supple over these years. I was particularly impressed by the way it has kept my skin wrinkle free. (Touch wood).My Doc here, asked me to continue with my fortnightly glycolic peel regime along with an additional lower concentration (10%) daily usage.     

I used Salicylic acid 2% as an active ingredient in my face wash every day since last three years. Juggling between two products of major skincare brands. My Doc here asked me to increase the concentration to 12% ointment to be used once a day for 2 weeks.

Benzoyl Peroxide is a new component my dermatologist added to my skincare regime. She asked me to use 10% benzoyl peroxide directly onto the acne as spot treatment. This was to be used once a day for 2 weeks in a row.

Hydroquinone was given to me as an anti-scar solution for the nasty mosquito bite scars I had developed in initial days of my stay. (I guess mosquitoes were lured to a fresh supply of blood and therefore decided to bite me more than anyone else in home). I have been applying this on the scars of my hands and legs with definite improvement, but I have yet to see them gone.

My Routine:

Morning:

Step 1. Face wash (Garnier Pure Anti-Blackheads Deep Pore wash, I bought this one in U.K., but I have found exact product in India too, see here. It’s probably one of the best face washes I have ever used; it contains Salicylic acid and Polyethylene particles.)

Step 2. Toner ( Rose water or Alum, Depends on the weather, if it’s too humid I like using alum for not more than 1 min and it takes away the oiliness for few hours. Otherwise, Rose water)

Step 3. Sunscreen (Lotus 3-in-1 Matte Look Daily Sunblock)

Step 4. Salicylic acid Ointment (Salicylix SF 12*, it’s a 12% concentration ointment, it caused me lot of burning sensation at first, but my skin got use to it, if someone who is new to salicylic acid this high concentration is not advisable. I use it as a spot treatment on my occasional acne, whiteheads and blackheads).

Step 5. Moisturizer ( De Tuinen aloe vera hydraterend Day & Nacht, bought this from Amsterdam, and I love it, its light and moisturizing)

Evening (before bed time):

Step 1. Face wash

Step 2. Toner

Step 3. Glycolic Acid Ointment (Glyco-A*, its glycolic acid 12%, to be used on entire face. I don’t see a lot of difference with this product but other products better in conjugation with this one).

Step 4. Benzoyl Peroxide Ointment (Persol Forte Cream*, this is 10% benzoyl peroxide with added benefits of Sulphur 5%, to be used as spot treatment on acne, I used this over my open pores and whiteheads, this caused me extreme peeling and dryness, but when the dead skin peeled off, it reduced the appearance of open pores by 90%, blackheads too are totally eliminated, but whiteheads still persist but have reduced to an extent. I have stopped using this product after two week exactly and I don’t have any breakouts later. But again it is a very high percentage for new users or one with sensitive skin).

Step 5. Hydroquinone Ointment (Lomela*, this is 2% concentration ointment, it has reduced the mosquito bite scars, but I guess I need a higher percentage to get rid of them. I scrub my hands and feet mildly with a pumice stone while in shower to remove the dead skin. And have used Glycolic Acid peel 35% twice in past one month, I haven’t used it on my face, but I guess it’s good to use on acne scars as well, but u have to be very careful with this, it should not be used on open wounds or sensitive skin. Plus it should not be used along with Benzoyl peroxide as it can cause extreme burning, redness and peeling).

Other Skin care stuff I use:

1.  Lakme Winter care lotion and Botique Morning Nectar Lotion as my body lotion.
2. I have used Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules Intensive Treatment and loved it, but can’t afford it usually.
3. I have used H2O Plus Sea Results Overnight Perfecting Peel, it was the first product which introduced me to Glycolic acid, loved it, but it’s kind of mild for me now.
4. I occasionally use Biotique Fruit Face pack and Biotique Milk Protein Face pack.
5. Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream (not available in India) is the best cream I have ever used; I have asked a relative returning from US to bring it for me.
6. I don’t use any fairness product and I am strictly against it.
7. I have given up on treating my dark circles as they are hereditary, I still use Biotique Almond undereye cream before makeup if my skin is very dry. 

P.S. Anyone who wants to try the above stated products should try it on their own risk, this post is solely my skincare routine and i don't advice anyone to follow it blindly. 

* marked ointments are prescribed by my Doctor and can be found only in medical stores.

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta 

Solutions for Skin Problems

First and foremost, I will really recommend visiting a dermatologist before trying any of the higher concentration of the ingredients mentioned below.

With that been said, I would like to introduce the chemical exfoliants. Chemical exfoliants are skin care products that are applied to the skin to help dissolve away extra dead cells that have accumulated that should have fallen off long ago. They work by chemically dissolving the glue between those cells. You see, your skin cells are a little bit like a brick wall, where the bricks are the skin cells and the mortar holding the bricks together is like the glue between the skin cells, and the chemical exfoliants dissolve either the glue, so the cells fall apart and fall off, or it actually dissolves the cells by themselves. These are helpful in treating major skin problems like Open pores, Acne, scaring and hyperpigmention.  The most important types of chemical exfoliants are Glycolic acid and Salicylic acid. Lower percentage concentration of these “acids” can be applied on regular basis and are outstanding in treating all major skin issues. Higher concentrations are used by the dermatologists  in their offices as chemical peels.

The most Important Active Ingredients to look for in skin care products while fighting Open Pores, Scaring, Hyperpigmentation, Acne, BlackHeads and WhiteHeads are

• Glycolic Acid
• Salicylic Acid
• Benzyl Peroxide
• Hydroquinone

First three of them are excellent exfoliators . Esp. first two are the very helpful to all skin types and can solve most skin related issuestreatment of fine wrinkles, areas of dryness, uneven pigmentation and acne.  Benzyl Peroxide is an exfoliator, Antibacteria (in a sense), and a bleach. Hydroquinone is used for depigmentaion.

Glycolic Acid: 

Glycolic acid is AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid). Glycolic is water soluble, it’s very effective at gently and smoothly dissolving the excess dead cells on the surface of the epidermis. Glycolic acid is used to improve the skin's appearance and texture. It reduces wrinkles, acne scarring, open pores and hyperpigmentation and improves many other skin conditions.

Once applied, glycolic acid reacts with the upper layer of the epidermis, weakening the binding properties of the lipids that hold the dead skin cells together. This allows the dead cells to be exfoliated, exposing live skin cells. By removing the dead cells, we increase the cell turnover and it reduces the appearance of scars and pigmentation.

Glycolic acid is available in various forms like Face wash, ointments and peels. Its strength varies from 2% to 70%. The milder strengths are available in over-the-counter products while higher percentages are used by dermatologist in their offices as chemical peels.

Salicylic Acid:

Salicylic acid, the most common BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid), is lipid or fat soluble so it can penetrate deeper into the epidermis and exfoliate slightly below the surface of the epidermis. It is a little more brittle; it has a narrower therapeutic range because it only becomes effective at about 1 ½ or 2 percent it tends to be a little irritating. However, salicylic acid is the old workhorse for the treatment of all types of acne (including blackheads and whiteheads) and open pores.

Lower percentages of Salicylic acid works best in conjugation with Glycolic acid, as glycolic acid exfoliates the dead cells, so it’s easy for salicylic acid to penetrate deeper in the pores and unclog them.

Benzyl Peroxide:

It helps removing clogging dead cells which contribute to causing both white heads and black head. As an exfoliant it removes the oil, dead cells and clogs, after they form. It also helps healing all the inflammatory acne by increasing the turnover of the cells on top of the pimples. Benzyl Peroxide has antibacterial activity against acne causing bacteria. P. acne, the acne causing bacteria is an anaerobic (which means it needs an oxygen free environment to grow and multiply). But the oxygen that benzyl peroxide makes inhibits P.Acne’s ability to cause pus pimples. 

At concentration of 2.5% to 10% it can be used as leave on spot treatment to heal individual pimples. It can be used as a preventive treatment when used in a cleanser.

Benzyl peroxide, because it’s a peroxide have bleaching properties, it can bleach certain colored hair and certain colored pillowcases, so one needs to be a little careful.

Hydroquinone:

Hydroquinone is often called a skin “bleach” but it really doesn’t bleach skin, when you put it on your skin it doesn't dissolve pigment, hydroquinone is really a very effective ingredient at making the bodies pigment cells, the melanocyte,  stop making new brown pigment. So, it doesn’t really drive the old pigment away, in a condition where you’re making too much pigment it just stops the body from making excess brown pigment. If you want the brown pigment you already have to go away, that has to come off the skin as the skin cells that have the extra pigment fall off. That naturally occurs on the twenty-eighth day of any skin cells life and that’s called exfoliation and you can actually accelerate exfoliation with glycolic acid and retinoids and make those cells come off sooner to help take away the darkness. Hydroquinone is available over the counter at 2% and by prescription up to 4% and when it’s used as directed it’s a very safe and effective way of helping reduce excess pigmentation. 

Precautions: 

• Consult a dermatologist before using any skincare product. 
• Patch test to check for allergies.
• Skin irritation, mild stinging, redness, flaking, and dryness can be caused. 
• If any of the above stated problems increases immediately wash the product and apply a calamine lotion and consult a doctor. 
• Sun sensitivity is one major effect of these. Sun screen use is a must. 
• Don’t use for more than two weeks in continuation. After two weeks take a break for two weeks and can be reused later. 
• Don’t apply on cuts and open wounds. 
• Don’t apply near eye and mouth. 

Concentrations and Reactions:

• Glycolic acid and Salicylic acid are generally safe, can cause some flaking or mild flushing. Sunscreen use is a must. Starting concentration for Glycolic can be from 2% and can be taken upto 10-12%. For Salicylic 2-2.5% are ideal for use, if tolerated can be used upto 12%. 
• Benzoyl peroxide may cause redness or irritation when first applied to skin, though the skin does become acclimated to it. Start with 2.5 % concentration, and then move upto 5% and then 10%. Benzoyl peroxide may cause dryness of skin; you can remedy this effect by using moisturizing facial products. It may also cause reddening of the skin, which can also be alleviated by calamine lotion. It is a powerful bleaching agent that can leave stains on your clothing, towels, and sheets. Be sure the benzoyl peroxide is completely dry on your skin, before it comes into contact with anything else. It may also bleach your hair, so keep your hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes from making contact with the acne product. Benzyl peroxide works best in conjugation with glycolic acid. Sunscreen use is a must.
• Hydroquinone like most other skin care ingredients can under some circumstances cause a little bit of irritation and if that happens if you stop using it the irritation goes away. Used best with glycolic acid, which accelerates exfoliation process of the darker skin cells. Sunscreen use is a must.

Afterword:

These chemicals are generally very safe effective treatments. These are extensively used in the skincare products available over the counter. Just a little awareness and time is needed to understand these miraculous products. always read ingredients list before buying any product.  

List of products and a proper skin care regime will be in another post.

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta

What is acne?

Here i want to explain in detail what is acne and how it is caused. This knowledge is particularly helpful for you to pick up a correct treatment for your acne. Did you know that blackhead and whiteheads are acne too ??

The skin has three layers :

• Top most layer, Epidermis
• Middle layer, Dermis
• Fat cells layer, Subcutaneous tissue.

You can identify the hair follicle, Hair shaft in the diagram. The trouble maker is the oil gland near the hair follicle. This is also called the sebaceous gland. That’s where skin makes its oil. When oil gland makes the oil, through a little duct it conducts the oil into the shaft of the hair follicle, it comes up the shaft and onto the skin.

The real problem here is the oil, because if you don’t have the oil, you can never have the acne. But we all do have oil, this oil combined with bacteria will cause inflammatory acne (i.e. pus pimple, red tender pimple and cysts) down in dermis ( place in Dermis marked as circle in diagram). The oil when moves up in the epidermis combined with the dead cells from the hair shaft will cause non- inflammatory acne which is blackheads and whiteheads( place marked in green circle in Epidermis layer).

The bacteria in the dermis split the oil and make a compound called free fatty acid. Free fatty acids are very irritating to the skin and cause an accumulation of pus in the dermis, and this where red tender pimple, pus pimple and cysts come from.

On the other hand, having nothing to do with bacteria, the lining of the hair shaft (mostly in the epidermis) has dead cells which fall off, and as they fall of they are conducted out of the shaft by the oil onto the surface of the skin. What if this mix of oil and dead cells make a mix like cement and gives you a clog?  That clog doesn't knows that more oil is being made in the gland below the clog, and body doesn't knows that there is a clog in the shaft, so it makes more oil below the clog and that’s how we get a blackhead or a white head.

Basic Solution:

• Antibiotics kill bacteria that are acting on the oil; you will not get pus pimples and cysts.
•  Exfoliation will remove the dead cells in clog and allow the oil to flow, this will help treat blackheads and whiteheads.

Now that we understand what are different acne and how they are formed we can opt for correct way to treat them.

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta

Reasons for Exfoliation

Hi,

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Do you have anyone or more than one of the given problems?

• Skin looks dark and tiered; it has lost its glow and luster
• Doesn't looks smooth
• Uneven coloring
• Spots on face
• Visible Large pores
• Black heads and white heads
• Pimples and blemishes
• Lines & Wrinkles 
• Makeup doesn't goes on evenly
• Makeup makes u look dull instead of making it look smoother

If you have these problems than you must resort to exfoliation. It is the single most effective treatment for all (well most) of the skin problems. 

Try products with Glycolic Acid. Start with lower strength like 10-12%, then move on to higher strengths like 25-30%. Unfortunately, in India, most of us are not aware of Glycolic Acid. Well, to introduce you to this product in short I can say that this is THE gold standard in skin care.  I'll do a detailed post if request.

In India, 10-12% creams are easily available at the pharmacies. Although I would suggest to consult your dermatologist before use.  Glycolic acid is the product which is used for chemical peels by all the dermatologists and skin care institutes world wide.

For any reason if someone doesn't wants to use glycolic acid, they can stick with physical exfoliation.

But the bottom line is, Exfoliation, no matter which product is being used, is the single most important step in skin care.

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta  

Open Pores

Many of us have this problem of "Open Pores". But what is actually these open pores and how can we remove them? I say the answer is very simple, Please let me explain .. 

A normal pore on skin is very tiny, you can barely see it. If there is a clog in the pore the actual size of the pore will become larger depending on the size of the clog. A program of regular exfoliating and cleansing can actually shrink and dissolve the clogs, and if the clog dissolves, the pore size gets small. As a matter of fact when people use steam in shower or steaming that temporarily increases the size of the pore a little bit, so at this point of time you can use your granule cleansers to get the granules into the clogged pores to help them clean them out much better.

So, do the pores actually open and close, the answer is No! it is just the size of the pore which changes due to the clogging in the pore. It gets bigger if there is clog in the pore and it can get smaller when the clog is cleaned out.

What causes Clogging of the pores?

Clogged pores look like dark dots or light dots. The real reason you see enlarged pores is because they cast shadows as there are little holes in opening of the pore. Those enlarged pores are caused by oil trapped inside. The round circle you see is the end of a tube which comes from the oil gland below the skin( the tube comes upto the surface of the skin). The purpose of the tube is to conduct the oil up from the gland and out to the skin. That tube has inner skin which has dead cell too. And as the oil comes up through the tube, it mixes with these dead cells. If it mixes with too many dead cell you get a clog. This causes enlarged pores.

What can we do to get rid of these clogged pores?

Simple exfoliate! Steam your face for about 2-3 minutes or may be take a hot shower. The steam will help you loosen up the pore. Take a gentle granular scrub and massage gently for no more than a minute, wash off and pat dry.

There is one more step you can take after this, take a glycolic acid based cream (strength 8-10%) or salicylic acid based cream (strength 2-3%) and apply on your face and leave it. These two acids are the chemical exfoliants. These work better than the granular exfoliators.

Do this step everyday for two weeks and you will notice the pores get back to normal. 

Product to use?

Please refer to my earlier post Troubleshooting Exfoliation  

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta

What is exfoliation?

This is one skin care step I swear by, other than using sunscreens. Here is my secret for my skin .

Exfoliation sheds the extra dead cells from the skin. By exfoliation we can remove the unwanted, dulling dead cells from our skin. It not only helps to rejuvenate the skin but also adds the much needed glow. It thickens the underlying layers of the skin and makes it healthier and even looks better. 

There are many misconceptions regarding Exfoliation, let me try to clear them out.

• Exfoliation doesn't make your skin sensitive to the sun. But you have to use an effective sunscreen and you should not over exfoliate.
• Exfoliation doesn't cause skin thinning. It only removes the dead cell which ready to fall off.
• Exfoliation doesn't irritate the skin. This is subject to the fact that one uses an exfoliant according ones skin type. If using physical exfoilant, try not being very abrasive.
• Exfoliation doesn't cause breakouts. Rather it removes any impurities, dust, and germs from the skin.

Enough said no what exfoliation doesn't do. Now let’s talk about what it actually does for our skin.

• Exfoliation makes your skin healthier, more radiant and younger looking.
• It helps prevent acne breakouts.
• It helps remove early abnormal cells, that go on to form precancerous growth.
• It helps other skin care products penetrate better into your skin.
• It helps moisturizers work better.It helps remove unwanted brown discoloration.
• It helps treat and prevent ingrown hair.  

So, now you know why i love exfoliation and why it is important.

Read more about exfoliation HERE

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta 

Troubleshooting Exfoliation

Exfoliants are the second most important skin care product we need to use and obliviously the first is sunscreen.

So when can we start using exfoliants?

Teenage is the rite age for start using exfoliants, start around 15-16.

Why so early?

Exfoliation is removal of dead cells from the skin. These are dead cell which have been accumulated over years, and they really should have fallen off. They can be either on the surface of the skin, where it affects the texture of the skin making it rough and uneven or inside individual pores, where it contributes to acne.

By teenage year exfoliation is important because they remove the dead cells which are actually clogging the pores and by the doing that it not only prevents acne but it can also cure it. When you enter twenties, the dead surface cells are started to be retained and that contributes to the dull texture and uneven skin tone.

When can i exfoliate?

Everyday!!Do u brush your teeth every alternate day? No!! Then why remove dead skin, dirt and pollution every alternate or twice a week! But using an exfoliant everyday comes with a tag line. Use a gentle scrubber and exfoliate with love.  

The degree of  exfoliation will be directly proportional to how long you do it, how much pressure u apply and how abrasive the exfoliating instrument is so go easy and never overdo it. Please remember “less is more”.

What is the best time to exfoliate?

Typically in evening, after you return home. All the dirt, pollution and debris needs to be cleaned so that skin can breathe in the night. 

What if i have not exfoliated that early or that regularly?

Better late than never. Start exfoliating as soon as possible and see your problems scrub away.

How to choose an exfoliant?

There are generally four types of physical exfoliants .

• Loofah & wash cloth: Try a gentle massage with a loofah type sponge or even a wash cloth. Try circular motions with gentle pressure for few minutes. Using a body wash and water will help avoid irritation. Try Vega Basic Hand Loofah, Bare Essentials Oval Loofah Pad, Vega Soft Sponge.
• Plant Based Granules: Try using a cleanser with exfoliating granules, make sure u choose one with round and smooth granules, not one with sharp, hard and angular particles. This can be too sharp and abrasive and can actually damage you skin. Choose sea salt, sugar, jojoba or apricot based cleanser rather than hard walnut shell based cleanser. Try Biotique Bio Papaya Smoothing & Revitalizing Scrub, Lotus Herbals Fresh Apricot Scrub, H2O Plus Sea Minerals Scrub, Herbal Glow Jojoba Scrub.
• Polyethylene: Another can be cleansers with Polyethylene beads, which are round and smooth. Try Clean & Clear Blackhead Clearing Daily Scrub , Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Scrub or Nivea Gentle Face Scrub. 
• Waxing and shaving: Yes they are a form of exfoliation too. Don’t you feel soft and smooth after you've just waxed or shave?  They not only remove the unwanted hair, but also unwanted accumulated dead skin.

I believe that exfoliation is part of everyday normal hygiene just like brushing your teeth.

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta