How often should you exfoliate your body? My honest answer
I get asked this more than anything else, and my honest answer is that most people are doing it too often.
Our label says two to three times a week. That's a ceiling, not a target. I'd rather you started at one.
And if you are at the earlier question of what a body scrub actually does, start there and come back.
Start at once a week
Do it once. Wait two or three days and look at your skin. If it's happy, add a second.
I know that's slower than you wanted. But I can't tell you what your skin will do, and neither can anyone else who has never seen it.
The number depends on what you're using
This is the part nobody says. "Exfoliating" covers our scrub, a gritty salt scrub, a dry brush, a rough mitt and an acid lotion. Those aren't the same thing and they shouldn't share a number.
The American Academy of Dermatology puts it simply: the rougher the method, the less often you should use it. Two to three times a week suits a finely milled scrub suspended in oil. It's far too much for a coarse one.
Your legs are not your face
Shins, elbows, knees and heels can take more. Chest, inner arms and the backs of your knees, much less. You don't have to do everywhere at once.
Legs are their own question, particularly if you shave them, so I've written about how often to exfoliate your legs and why the order matters separately.
If your skin is dry
Please don't scrub harder. I know the flakes look like something to lift off. But scrubbing thins the barrier, and a thinner barrier means drier skin and more flaking next week.
If you're dry, sensitive or acne-prone, the AAD's view is that a physical scrub may not suit you at all. A washcloth and a gentle acid may be kinder. I'd rather tell you that than sell you a jar you'll resent.
If you're dry but fine with a gentle scrub:
- Once a week, or less
- Keep the shower to five or ten minutes, warm not hot
- Pat dry rather than rub
This is where ours works differently from most. Rice bran and sweet almond oil come before the walnut shell in our formula, with shea butter and jojoba behind them. It's an emulsion, so it leaves something behind on your skin instead of stripping it. Most people step out and don't reach for anything else.
If your skin is very dry, still put something on while you're damp. A scrub once a week isn't daily care.
You've overdone it if
- You're red or irritated
- Your skin feels tight, or looks shiny rather than smooth
- Your moisturiser stings when it didn't last week
That last one is the one to watch. It means the barrier is damaged. Stop for a week or two and let it settle.
And scrubbing harder doesn't work better. Heavy hands with a mild product do the same damage as a harsh one.
Don't exfoliate
- Over cuts, broken skin or sunburn
- On skin that's already irritated
- While you're using retinoids or anything else that makes you peel
If you have a deeper skin tone, go gently. Aggressive scrubbing can leave dark marks that outlast whatever you were trying to fix, and the AAD advises avoiding strong exfoliation if you already notice spots.
How I use mine
Twice a week.
On dry skin, before the water goes on. This is the bit people get wrong, and it's the opposite of what most scrubs tell you. Wet skin dilutes the oils and washes half of them down the drain before they've touched you. Dry skin lets them go on neat.
Light pressure, small circles, about thirty seconds. Then rinse warm and pat dry.
Body only. We don't make a face scrub.
If once a week is enough for you, stop there. Nobody's keeping score.
Holly
