How Often Should I Exfoliate?

Exfoliate with Dudu Osun Soap and apply F&W Aha 2 lotion.

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Face exfoliation has always been challenging for me, because I have dry skin. It gets flaky around my nose and forehead, and I'm tempted to exfoliate more often to remove the flakes, but this can have the reverse effect.

So, I stick to exfoliating once a week. I also apply a good moisturizer to my face right after exfoliating.

I exfoliate less in winter than I do in summer. In winter, my skin is rather dry and needs to hang onto its natural oils. In the summer, I need to exfoliate in order to fully cleanse my skin.

I wear spray-on sunscreen whenever I spend time outdoors in the summer. This stuff is impossible to remove with just soap and water, so I have to use an exfoliating scrub all over my body.

I can't use the scrub if I've gotten burned at all through the sunscreen. This doesn't happen very often, because the stuff works well, but if I am even a little bit pink from the sun, I have to skip the scrub.

@Perdido – I tried an at-home chemical peel, but it made my skin really red and tight. My face actually hurt!

I have found that using an exfoliating facial sugar scrub is best for my skin. It's definitely grainy enough to remove dead skin, but it also has a lot of soft, gooey filler that keeps it from feeling too rough or rubbing too much skin off.

@ddljohn – I use a chemical peel to exfoliate my face. It does a much more thorough job than a scrub, and as long as I'm careful with it, I won't get red and irritated skin.

I bought some exfoliating pads saturated with the chemical and stacked inside a jar. I wipe one over my face once a week, wiping no more than twice in any given spot.

I can feel a tingling sensation right away, and within half an hour, my skin looks so much smoother and fresher. I don't even have to wash or rinse afterward, because the chemical cleans up the debris for me.

@anon267665-- Physical exfoliants (any product which requires physical movements to exfoliate) are usually rough on skin. I don't think this type of product should be used more than once a week.

Overuse can result in broken capillaries. Capillaries are the smallest of blood vessels located near the surface of the skin. Exfoliating too often can break them, making them visible. You can look up real close to your face with good lighting and see them with the naked eye.

There are also chemical exfoliants such as salyclic acid (BHA) and glycolic acid (AHA) that exfoliate without requiring massage or the application of rough products on the skin. These are usually safer to use more often. I use a toner with 2% salyclic acid everyday, but I use a face exfoliation cream with cornmeal only once a week in the shower.

I have combination skin. Those with dry skin should exfoliate less often than me.

@vigilant-- Oatmeal and corn meal are good natural exfoliants for people with oily skin. You can also use coarse sugar or coffee grounds.

I usually pick one of these ingredients and add it to my face cleanser or mix with something like plain yogurt and massage it into my face.

There are also exfoliating products on the market made with these ingredients if you prefer that.

How often do you folks exfoliate your body?

I exfoliate about three times a week. I have these weird bumps on my arms and if I don't exfoliate, it looks very bad.

What is the best natural exfoliant for a person to use that has oily skin?

I have a coarse wash cloth that I use to basically exfoliate my whole body. I do it every day, but if I do my face more often than once a week I find it gets dried out and looks kind of rubbed raw. I guess the rag is strong enough for my arms and legs but too strong for my face.

Most exfoliants with small granules were too rough on my dry skin. I got a professional facial to help with my dry skin and they recommended the Made from Earth Rooibos Tea Face Scrub that will dissolve dry skin without being so rough. Of course they wanted me to purchase an incredibly expensive product, but I decided to do some looking on my own.

I settled on this Made from Earth Rooibos Scrub and have been very pleased. I can use it daily without it being too harsh on my skin. Even using it daily or every other day, the product has lasted a while (bought it in mid-August and still going here at Thanksgiving). It smells pleasant and feels soothing on my skin.

It is important to exfoliate before applying makeup, and exfoliating after removing makeup is excessive. A normal washing of makeup is sufficient to clear the face.

I have heard that certain makeups can have a harmful effect on the skin. Should people exfoliate more often if they regularly use makeup?

Your skin needs to be refreshed and cleansed every day. Exfoliating is of equal importance but too much of a good thing will cause problems. The outer layer of your skin forms a barrier against environmental hazards. If you remove too many of those cells, you increase skin sensitivity, moisture loss, and dryness. I exfoliate twice a week with good results.