Learning how to exfoliate is a surprisingly complex topic. We simplify the important step, explaining how to do it safely and how to incorporate it into your daily routine.
Enhanced radiance, smoother and more even-toned skin, and less visible fine lines—all are possible with exfoliation. While it might sound too good to be true, the method has decades of research and scientific studies to back up those major claims. However, knowing how to exfoliate your face can be a tad complicated – AHAs, BHAs, PHAs, polishes, scrubs, and also how much exfoliation is too much… – which is why we are here to help. Here is everything you need to know about how to exfoliate, from the difference between physical and chemical exfoliation and which method is best for you, to how often to exfoliate and incorporate it into your daily skincare routine. Consider this your go-to guide on how to properly exfoliate your face.
How Exfoliation Works
First thing though, what actually happens when you exfoliate your skin? Skin is brilliant, constantly repairing and regenerating, which pushes old (aka dead) cells to the surface. This process of replacement leaves layers of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, which can clog pores, give skin a dull appearance, and make skincare products unable to penetrate. This is where exfoliation steps in to save the day.
Exfoliation is the process of removing these dead skin cells from the surface of the skin using a chemical or physical exfoliant. Chemical exfoliants are acids that dissolve the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. The most common types of chemical exfoliants are AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) and BHAs (beta hydroxy acids). Physical exfoliants, or exfoliating scrubs, mechanically buff off dead skin cells. They often contain, as the name suggests, physical ingredients, like sugars or rice bran, to manually remove dead skin.
How to Exfoliate
The first rule of exfoliation is to do no harm—be incredibly gentle to your skin. When adding an exfoliant to your skincare ritual, consult the product packaging for usage tips.
Steps of Proper Exfoliation
In general, exfoliants are best used in this order:
- Cleanse (or double cleanse in the evening)
- Exfoliate (frequency depends on skin type and intensity of formula)
- Treat (with an Essence or Serum)
- Moisturize
- Protect with SPF (in the daytime )
Exfoliate on freshly cleansed skin, either morning or evening exfoliation is entirely up to you. After exfoliation, follow with the rest of your skincare routine, whether that’s an essence, a serum, or just a moisturizer. Exfoliation can sometimes be drying to the skin at first, says the AAD, so apply the best moisturizer for your skin type immediately after exfoliating to keep your skin healthy and hydrated.
Here’s more information on how to properly use each type of exfoliant.
How to Use a Face Scrub
For physical scrubs, use a dime-sized amount and apply it to the face using small, gentle, circular motions. To carefully exfoliate your face, keep your movements light—treat your skin to a beautiful caressing movement, similar to the care and preciousness of how you would cleanse a delicate silk garment. Rinse your skin with lukewarm water to avoid irritation.
How to Use a Chemical Exfoliant
When using chemical or liquid exfoliators, apply on freshly cleaned, dry skin. Dry skin absorbs less product than damp skin, making the dry-skin application more of a gentle and controlled process. To properly exfoliate your face, use a dime-size amount of product in the palm of your hand or apply it on a cotton round. Press onto the skin and allow it to dry, ideally 30 seconds.
Do I Need to Exfoliate?
The short answer is yes. While everyone’s skin is unique, exfoliation benefits every skin type. Which type of exfoliant and how often you use it will depend on your specific skin type. Which leads us to…
How Often to Exfoliate Your Face
Incorporating regular exfoliation into your skincare ritual will assist you in maintaining healthy-looking and radiant skin. While exfoliating is an essential part of your skincare routine, if done too often, it can lead to irritation, noticeable dehydration, inflammatory breakouts, and a potentially compromised skin barrier. This is why finding the best type of exfoliation for your skin is not only important, but additionally, discovering the right schedule is also half of the battle. How often you exfoliate also depends on your skin type and texture, says the American Academy of Dermatology. But when in doubt, ease in slowly, consult the product’s guidance on frequency, and do a patch test first to ensure there’s no chance of irritation. Once a week is usually a good starting point, however, some individuals can tolerate more frequent exfoliation, but it’s best to start slowly and gauge your skin's tolerance. Here’s a general guide on how often to exfoliate the face, based on your skin type.
Exfoliation Tips for Every Skin Type
Exfoliating Sensitive & Mature Skin
The best skincare routine for sensitive skin and aging or mature skin should include a mild exfoliation step. Ensure that you are extra gentle, exfoliating carefully with a wet, clean washcloth or mild exfoliant. Once a week is a good starting point, increasing frequency to potentially twice a week as skin adjusts and shows no sign of discomfort or irritation.
Exfoliating Oily Skin
Those who are prone to oily skin will bask in exfoliation's benefits. Adding an exfoliation step to your oily skin skincare routine will enhance your skin’s receptiveness to oil-controlling ingredients and minimize dulling skin cells, resulting in a clearer, more balanced appearance. Oily skin will likely be able to tolerate more exfoliation, depending on the formulation and product suggestion. Some formulas and products for oily skin thrive with daily use, while others (more intense versions) can happily be used three to five times per week, depending on how well the skin tolerates it.
Exfoliating Combination Skin
Combination skin can achieve a more balanced level with exfoliation, helping to address excessive dryness and oiliness. Some formulas can be used up to three times per week, but, of course, consult the product’s usage suggestions and assess how skin feels after each session.
Exfoliating Dry Skin
Dry or dehydrated skin thrives with consistent exfoliation, ideally once or twice a week. The regular exfoliation of a skincare routine designed for dry skin will help slough off excessive dead skin cells, allowing skin to better absorb the skincare products formulated for dry skin and the beautifully hydrating ingredients that follow, including line-reducing serums and replenishing moisturizers.
Benefits of Exfoliating Your Face
The benefits of exfoliation are plentiful. When you exfoliate your skin, the process of desquamation—aka your skin’s natural exfoliation process—accelerates. By using an exfoliant to remove the dulling, dead skin cells, you remove the stubborn outer layer, thus allowing for a handful of scientifically proven benefits—here are a few of the most notable.
Softer, Smoother Skin
As we age, it’s been shown that the epidermal cellular turnover rate slows down, resulting in even more dead skin cell buildup, which can give skin the appearance of roughness, dryness, enlarged pores, and dullness. Sloughing off dull and rough skin via exfoliation promotes cellular renewal, notes one academic paper. This process naturally promotes softer, smoother, and even more “translucent” looking skin.
Increased Hydration
Aggressive exfoliation can damage the skin and its barrier. But thoughtful exfoliation actually can increase the skin’s hydration levels. Some exfoliants can even help to strengthen and repair the skin’s barrier function altogether.
Reduction of Fine Lines & Wrinkles
It’s been shown that exfoliation can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, too. Not only by eliminating layers of dead skin cells for a more rejuvenated appearance, but some exfoliants can stimulate elastin and collagen production, minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Brightening
Exfoliation has been linked with an overall brighter complexion and a reduction of hyperpigmentation, but has even shown promise in more stubborn cases of melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Decreased Blemishes
Chemical exfoliation has especially shown benefits in unclogging pores and addressing blemishes. They can be “very effective” at minimizing acne because, as research has shown, certain chemical exfoliants can weaken acne-causing bacteria by disrupting bacterial cell membranes. Some exfoliants can also help address the appearance of acne scars over time, too.
Your Skincare Works Better
If all of these benefits weren’t impressive enough, exfoliation also helps the active ingredients in the rest of your skincare routine to work more efficiently and penetrate the skin more deeply. This is because it clears away the debris and dead skin cells, allowing the formulas to be more readily absorbed.
Finding Your Ideal Exfoliant
Now that you’re practically a master at carefully incorporating exfoliants into your skincare regimen, learn which specific formulas are right for you. Whether that’s an AHA-powered liquid exfoliant, a rice bran-boosted powder, or a matcha-infused gel cleanser—your ideal exfoliant is waiting.