How To Exfoliate Your Skin Type

Every skin type responds to exfoliation differently, so how you exfoliate your skin will be unique to you.

If you are new to exfoliating, use the following guidelines to help you determine how best and how often to exfoliate.

How To Exfoliate Normal Skin

Normal skin can be exfoliated 2-3 times a week without causing any irritation.

If you have normal skin you can also use any type of exfoliant you want, such as chemical, enzyme, scrub or combination exfoliants.

How To Exfoliate Oily Skin

If you have an oily skin type you may be tempted to exfoliate every day, thinking that it will help you to control and reduce your oil secretion.

However don’t make this mistake because if you exfoliate too often, you will overstimulate your skin and it will become oilier.

Oily skin should be exfoliated a maximum of three times a week, leaving at least one days rest between each exfoliating treatment.

Any of the following facial exfoliants are suitable for oily skin:

Clay Mask

Cleanse your face and neck and then apply the mask to your face. Leave on for 10-20 minutes, or as directed, and then wash off.

Salicylic Acid

Look for an exfoliant containing salicylic acid for a deep antibacterial cleanse.

Cornmeal

You can buy facial exfoliants containing finely ground cornmeal which are very gentle on the skin, or you can buy some in your local health food or grocery store.

To make your own cornmeal exfoliant mix some cornmeal with a bit of warm water and then use it to massage your skin, rinsing afterwards.

Polyurethane / Silicone Beads

Polyurethane or silicone beads are very gentle exfoliants that effectively remove dead skin cells from your skins surface without overstimulating your skin.

Enzymes

When using enzyme exfoliants or home made fruit exfoliants, make sure you wash your face properly afterwards because the enzymes will continue to work for a long time.

A good idea is to take a shower and wash your face thoroughly.

How To Exfoliate Sensitive Skin

If you have sensitive skin you need to be very careful about how you exfoliate and how often you exfoliate.

Because your skin can sometimes react badly to certain skin care products, try to avoid using chemical exfoliants because these more often than not will leave your skin looking red and inflamed.

Instead opt for a more natural and gentle product such as rice powder or oatmeal.

You can make your own oatmeal exfoliant for sensitive skin at home. Simply mix 1 or 2 tablespoons of oatmeal and rice powder together with water, put it on the skin for 15-20 minutes and afterwards rinse it off.

Oatmeal will help to soften dry, patchy areas and soothe inflamed skin, while the rice powder will remove dead skin cells without causing any irritation.

Alternatively, polyurethane or silicone beads can be used as a gentle yet effective facial scrub exfoliant for sensitive skin types.

Sensitive skin should only be exfoliated once a week.

How To Exfoliate Oily-Dry Skin

Oily-dry skin benefits from regular exfoliating because it helps to stimulate oil production in the skin, thereby causing it to become less dry.

If you have rough dry patches of skin on your face, you may find stronger exfoliants such as enzyme exfoliants will provide you with better results.

A good exfoliation technique for oily-dry skin involves alternating the exfoliants you use. For example, using glycolic acid, facial scrubs and exfoliating enzymes on different days.

Just apply these to a clean face, allow the exfoliant to do its work, rinse off, tone and then moisturise.

Oily-dry skin should be exfoliated a maximum of 3 times a week.

How To Exfoliate Acne Skin

Acne skin tends to benefit most from salicylic acid exfoliants, because this helps to kill the acne bacteria which cause skin to become inflamed and breakout.

In addition to salicylic acid, acne skin also benefits from clay masks and enzyme exfoliants.

To exfoliate, cleanse your face, apply the exfoliant, rinse off, tone and then moisturise.

Be careful not to exfoliate your skin more than 3 times a week, because you could end up overstimulating your skin causing it to become inflamed.

People with acne skin should avoid using facial scrubs because they are too harsh and can inflame the skin.