“How often should I exfoliate my Face?” and (ii) “What do I do after exfoliation?” These are two questions that many people keep asking me.

In this article, you will learn how often you should exfoliate your face in a week and what you should do after exfoliation.

How Many Times Should You Exfoliate Your Face?

Over-exfoliation is a skin-care mistake that we should avoid. If you exfoliate too often, it’s sure to backfire. Your skin can get irritated, inflamed, develop rashes, and your complexion can turn splotchy and red.

Why People Tend To Over Exfoliate?

We often hear experts say that exfoliation leaves your skin smoother, provides a glow to the skin, and maximizes beauty products’ absorption, like serums, oils, and creams. Unfortunately, many people follow this advice fanatically and experiment with exfoliating their skin 5-6 times a week; even some people start doing it daily. And that’s a grave mistake!

So, how often you should exfoliate your face is important.

Face Exfoliation Guidelines

# 1

Exfoliating Daily Is Bad For Your Skin

Exfoliating daily can strip off the natural oils from the skin, leading to breakouts. It can also result in irritation since it removes the top layer of your skin before it heals.

Over-exfoliation can make your skin thin over time, causing it to wrinkle more easily.

Moreover, the skin is a smart organ that sheds dead skin cells as a natural process; over-exfoliating can slow cell turnover.

Exfoliating too often can lead to chronic skin inflammation & irritation, which can speed up the skin’s aging process.

Another expert says too much exfoliation will likely create teeny cracks in your skin barrier that can cause increased loss of hydration.

The bottom line is: “Whereas you think that you are fixing the problem, but in fact, you are making it worse.”

# 2

How Often To Exfoliate?

For most skin types (including oily, dry, normal, or combination), exfoliating the face 2 to 3 times per week is recommended. The outright maximum is three times per week. More than three times a week is too much exfoliation.

Exception: The only exception here is sensitive skin. Individuals with sensitive skin should exfoliate their face once or, at the most, twice a week.

For your reference, combination skin is oily on the T-zone (T-Zone is made up of the forehead, nose, chin, and area circling the mouth) with dry cheeks. Normal skin has almost the same amount of oil all over the face, and sensitive skin is prone to redness and irritation easily.

# 3

What Should You Do After Exfoliation?

Exfoliation alone won’t help you keep your skin looking healthy and radiant. After every exfoliation, you should apply a good quality hydrating moisturizer and an effective sunscreen to ensure your skin is well-hydrated and shielded from environmental damage. Read on to find a few ways that you can use to get maximum benefits of exfoliation.

(i) Apply A Moisturizer: You should follow up with a moisturizer to replenish the moisture lost during exfoliation. Though exfoliation won’t completely strip the moisture from your skin, but frequent exfoliation without following up with an ultra-hydrating moisturizer can leave your skin super dehydrated and utterly sensitive. We suggest applying products containing super-hydrating oils and humectants.

Glycerin is a good choice because it retains moisture locked deep in the lower layers of skin.

Useful Article: How to moisturize your face correctly?

Jojoba oil is another great option because it provides deeply penetrating moisture that closely mimics the skin’s natural oils. This mimicry property makes the jojoba oil good for both oily and dry skin.

A third option is the potent antibacterial agent coconut oil because of its significant moisturizing properties.

(ii) Apply an Ultra-Protective Sunscreen

It is recommended that you apply a broad-spectrum, high-SPF sunscreen after exfoliating because, after exfoliation, your skin can become raw and vulnerable. No doubt, sun-protective moisturizers provide some protection, but it is recommended that you apply a real sunscreen along with the moisturizer to protect your skin from UV damage.