How often should you exfoliate your face?
Exfoliating your face is such an important step in your skincare routine in order to achieve a healthy and glowing complexion..Skipping this is like skipping SPF - you just don’t do it. Whichever method you prefer is up to you and your skin type but there’s nothing better than getting rid of that dullness we sometimes might get and then seeing our skin become much more radiant.
Exfoliation has amazing benefits for our skin, it has the ability to make our complexion clearer and it can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. One of my favorite things that exfoliation does is getting rid of all the dead skin cells, this then makes our skincare products much more effective. Plus I get a little satisfaction from physically seeing the dead skin cells come off, always makes the skin look brighter!
So how often should you exfoliate your face? Well, it’s dependent on a few different things - let’s get into it!
Benefits of exfoliating
Gets rid of dead skin cells
Evens and brightens skin tone
Enhances skincare products to penetrate deeper
Unclogs pores
There are different ways to exfoliate your face and deciding which form of exfoliation to use usually is down to preference and skin type. The million dollar question - how often should you exfoliate your face?
As a general rule of thumb I’d day about two to three times a week unless your skin is prone to redness or irritation then I’d say to exfoliate once or twice a week instead.
 | Different types of exfoliation |
|---|
Physical exfoliation - face scrubs and clay masks
Chemical exfoliation - acid serums and peels
Some skin types like oily skin are normally more able to tolerate stronger chemical exfoliants multiple times a week, rather than someone with sensitive skin may only be able to tolerate a chemical exfoliant once a week. With any skin type, don’t over exfoliate, if you do you can end up causing more damage to your skin, it can cause redness and dryness.
Age also plays a part in how often we exfoliate our face. This is because the older we get, the slower cell turnover becomes. This means our skin relies quite a bit on the power of exfoliating to keep it bright and renewed.
Everyone’s skin tolerance is at a different level so it’s about knowing your skin and really understanding its needs. Chemical exfoliants that contain AHA and BHA can be used multiple times a week, as long as your skin has built a tolerance to it slowly.
Quite often, most toners are formulated to be used everyday so if it suits your skin then great! If it doesn’t agree with your skin just reduce how many times per week you use it.
With a mask for example, they can sometimes be more powerful than a daily exfoliant and in this case I would only use it once a week - the effects will last! Please bear in mind, if you are using a retinol, which also speeds up cell turnover, using it in the same night as an exfoliant can cause irritation - so use retinol on different days. See my blog on skin cycling to see how to alternate between the two!
 | Ingredients you should look out for when exfoliating |
|---|
Glycolic acid - works well for acne-prone skin
Salicylic acid - really good for oilier skin types
Lactic acid - great for sensitive skin
Can you exfoliate too much?
Absolutely! You can also tell if you are not exfoliating enough. If your skin is looking a bit on the dull side and not looking so bright, it’s likely that the dead skin cells sitting on your beautiful face are keeping your skin from looking radiant.
If you exfoliate too much it can leave your skin crying out for a break, your skin can end up red and feeling like it just needs a time out. That’s exactly what it needs if you exfoliate too much. It needs to calm down and your skincare routine needs to be stripped back to the basic skincare routine of cleanser, moisturizer and SPF. Only once your skin has calmed down you can reintroduce exfoliation.
Alexa Tip 💡
Don’t layer too many different acids on your skin as this can cause unwanted and unnecessary damage to your skin.
How often should you exfoliate your face conclusion
Exfoliating improves the appearance of our skin, it even helps to prevent blackheads and spots. I recommend that if it isn’t part of your skincare routine already then…what are you waiting for?! The benefits are amazing and your skin will love it. I personally prefer a chemical exfoliant because I’m not a huge fan of the physical scrubs but whatever your preference is, as long as those dead skin cells are removed off your face, then we’ve all achieved the same result.
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