How often should you exfoliate?

All things skincare at times can be a bit of a mystery. But exfoliating shouldn’t be one of them.

Have you ever stopped and thought how soft beautiful skin is wasted on babies? You might be right, small children have a rapid cell turnover. Their dead skin cells are replaced every few days. As you grow older this process slows down dramatically.

Because our dead skin cells hang around longer it can give the appearance of a dull and lifeless complexion. Exfoliating speeds up the process by manually removing these dead skin cells thus improving the tone and texture of your skin.

But that’s not the only benefits-

1. Exfoliating fades age spots by removing the pigment in dead skin cells.
2. It unclogs pores which enables the release of natural skin oils.
3. It minimizes acne scars and large pores.
4. Because newly exposed skin reflects light better it gives the appearance of less lines and wrinkles.
5. By removing the top layer of dead skin cells it helps the skin to absorb moisturizer and serums better. This also helps with acne creams or any other atopic skin condition medication.

Whether it is shop bought or a homemade exfoliator, how often should you be exfoliating your skin?

It is fairly universal for all skin types, you should exfoliate two or three times a week. Some might say once a week is enough but studies show for most skin types a little more often is more beneficial. We lose 50million skin cells a day, leaving them on the skin can make the skin look dull and lifeless so every second day will make a big difference and give you an instant glow.

The only exception is if you have hypersensitive skin or you are prone to irritation. Once or twice a week is ample.