As a direct result of this blog I have discovered enzymatic exfoliators and made a conscious decision to reduce to a minimum manual exfoliation. Not only does it involve more effort, the chances of over exfoliating are high and as someone who is generally quite heavy handed with product, it makes more sense for me to put a product on, leave it and then take it off with a flannel then to scrub my face to within an inch of its life.
Dr Bragi was a biochemist whose research focussed on marine enzymes which are utilised in this Icelandic skincare range. Generally I am a fan of ‘Dr’ ranges so I was keen to find out more. Diatomacious earth is the abrasive in the product it is earth made from fossilised diatoms (algae). In conjunction with the Sea Water and Witch Hazel in the product, this was lining up to be an interesting experience for my skin.
When I saw the amount of product in the small sample sachet, I thought, how stingy are these guys with product? It is very hard to read the writing gold writing on the sample but I did discover that there is so little product in the sample that it does not even say how many grams there are in the packet. Then I looked up how to use the product and I began to understand.
This exfoliator is to be used on dry skin – yes really. The instructions tell you to use a really small amount – but I did not realise how small an amount was needed until I started to use it. The texture is like finely milled sand, in quite a thick paste, and on dry skin it feel quite rough. It smells a bit like cod liver oil which to be honest is not my favourite smell in the world! When you apply it to the skin, it is like a lightly refined version of St Ives Apricot Scrub. If there are any irritations on your skin I would not suggest you use this product, no spots, no sensitivity, no open skin as even with the lightest touch it may irritate. I tried it on west skin and the sensation was not much better. Now I understand why you get so little in the sample. You really don’t need a lot and if you are going to use it, it has to be with the lightest touch. I did not enjoy using it and I did not like the way my skin felt afterwards. For me, this would be an elbows knees and feet only exfoliator.