Body Care Tips: how often should you exfoliate your body?

Have you been using the exfoliation for the skin and lemmatized it to just your face? But the fact is that you can exfoliate your whole body as your body needs it. You have been familiar with the process of exfoliation. It is done to peel the dead layer of skin to make it glowing and shiny. So, you can exfoliate your whole body. But how often you should exfoliate and with what product? Should you use a body brush? In this guide, you will get expert tips and suggested products to exfoliate your body.

What are the Benefits of Exfoliating your Body?

You might have observed that with age, your skin looks dull, uneven, and patchy with some darkened areas. This happens when the skin's natural ability to shed off the dead cells either stops or becomes restricted. When the skin regularly sheds off the dead cells, pores become clean, the skin soothes out, reduces wrinkles and fine lines, and also minimizes the acne breakouts. So, exfoliating the skin will help you to achieve all these benefits: brightening skin tone that skin naturally could not do.

How Often Should You Exfoliate your Body in a Week?

The answer depends upon the type of your skin. The frequency of the exfoliation is directly related to your skin: how often your skin needs it. If you have oily skin, you need frequent exfoliation, and it also varies with different body parts.

Experts recommend exfoliating your skin at least 2 to a maximum of 4 times a week. But for oily skin, you can exfoliate your body on a daily basis. Use a scrub for oily skin exfoliation. For dry skin, use chemical-based exfoliants as they will remove the dead cells of the skin. You can use natural products to prevent the skin's itchiness or dryness after exfoliation for sensitive skin or a combination of skin types.

 

What is the Best Method of Exfoliating the Skin: Physical or Chemical Exfoliants

Regular exfoliation is the key to get a brighten skin, but which method should choose for exfoliation depends upon the type of skin and body part. Basically, there are two types of exfoliants: chemical and physical.

Chemical exfoliants contain AHA, BHA, lactic acid, and salicylic acid as primary ingredients to peel the skin's buildup and dead cells. But the chemical exfoliants do it at the expense of the skin's natural ability. These scrubs are mostly harsh or abrasive and lead to dryness of skin, irritation, or itching.

Physical exfoliants are the products that mechanically remove the dead cells by rubbing or scrubbing the skin. These include brushes, loofah sponges, or muslin washcloths. These physical exfoliants have a rough texture, and their mode of exfoliating makes the skin dry, rough, or red.

When Should You Exfoliating your Skin?

You should not go for exfoliating methods unless your skin becomes dull or too dirty. The scrubs remove the natural sebum of the skin, leading to dryness or redness. If you observe redness after exfoliation, quit using the scrub. You should wait for breakouts, irritation, itchiness, and burnt skin to go down before using a scrub since exfoliating burnt or irritated skin can worsen the situation. When there are darkened areas and too much dirt on the skin, it is the best time to exfoliate your body as the exfoliation will explore the shiny, clean, and glowing skin.

Possible Side Effects of Too Much Exfoliation

First, never make the exfoliation, either physical or chemical, a part of your daily skincare routine. These are possible signs or side effects of too much exfoliating your body: peeling, redness, itchiness, inflammation, or sometimes infection. If you observe these signs, don't continue exfoliation anymore and consult your dermatologist for advice. Physical exfoliants have a rough surface and sharp edges that peel the skin and cause severe redness or infection. If you want to use a physical exfoliant, choose the exfoliant, including the word polish, because they are made up of clay to prevent skin rupturing.

The possible side effect of exfoliation includes dryness of the skin. To lock in hydration to your skin, you  must use a moisturizer after exfoliation to prevent dryness.

What is the Best Scrub For Exfoliation

Which scrub is best to exfoliate your body and which method you should choose depends upon your skin types. The frequency of exfoliation also varies with skin types. Dry skin type needs scrubs for exfoliation with emollients, as they prevent water loss from the skin. The more concern is with the sensitive skin. The best method for sensitive skin is to use a gentle chemical exfoliant. Experts recommend using this product for sensitive skin.

Avène Gentle Exfoliating Gel for Sensitive Skin

Avène Gentle Exfoliating Gel for Sensitive Skin is specifically designed for deeply cleanse and refine sensitive skin. With a combination of jojoba wax beads, alpha, beta-hydroxy acids, and soothing agents, it effectively removes the body's dead cells and soothes the skin. It also has anti-irritating agents to prevent inflammation and dryness and it’s suitable for all skin types. Apply it on the face, gently massage with fingertips and wash with lukewarm water. It is dermatologically tested so that you can use it without any fear.

Which Exfoliation Method is Best For You?

If you have excessive buildup and dirt on the skin, you can first use physical or mechanical exfoliants. The physical exfoliants have a harsh surface and use beads for exfoliation. It would be best to use a physical exfoliant when you use retinol and don't have sensitive skin. But the most reliable method is chemical exfoliants which can provide deeper cleansing. Chemical exfoliants break the bond between the dead cells and causing them to peel out. After a gentle exfoliation, you will get fresh, shiny, and youthful skin with a natural glow.

In short, you should start your exfoliating routine with just one to two days per week and then working your way up to no more than four days per week. From there, you can daily exfoliate your body, but only if your skin doesn’t become too dry or irritated.