Exfoliating before a shave is a really wise choice, too, to lift dead skin that might otherwise clog the razors or get dragged into your freshly opened pores.
West Skincare face scrub
As for face exfoliation, everything else should be avoided at home. If you want a peel for example, then visit an esthetician or dermatologist, and have it professionally done. Also, if any of these methods proves too aggressive for your skin, stop immediately and consult with a doctor. It could be that your skin is simply too sensitive, or it might be that you’re using a product in tandem with a prescription or other product that leads to irritation.
How to exfoliate your scalp
By giving your scalp a good scrub down, you provide two key benefits: For one, you lift the dead cells that clog hair follicles or even lead to more aggressive dandruff down the line. Secondly, you stimulate circulation at the base of these hair follicles, which ensures effective nutrient delivery to each one. With or without a scrubbing agent, scalp massages are an important habit to maintain, and are easy to do while showering.
And don’t worry about excess hair fall while you do this. The truth of the matter is that, yes, by scrubbing the scalp, hairs will come free, but it’s only the ones who were nearing the end of their growth cycle, and were ready to fall in the first place. If they are strong and meant to regrow, they will do so, promptly. And just remember the benefits to the hairs that remain—you’re fortifying them with better blood flow, and doing your part to keep them thicker, healthier, and stronger.
You can do a lot of exfoliation with the gentle scratching of your own fingernails, but a designated hair scrub will also do a lot to polish your dome, even if you have long hair in the way. Just target small spots on the head by parting the hair and very gently rubbing the exfoliant with your fingertips within a close radius. Then rinse, repeat, et voila.
OUAI scalp and body scrub
How to exfoliate your body
Scrubbing your body is straightforward. Get a gritty product, scoop a nickel of it into your fingers, then massage each area. You’ll use a lot of product on each go, as you hit the arms, legs, torso, butt, and maybe even your feet. But it’s an oddly therapeutic process, and perfect for a mid-bath, on-your-feet scrub down, only to submerge after and rinse it all free. Do this once a week, or twice at most.
Be sure to avoid using body scrubs on your face. They are often tougher and less formulaic, taking less account for sensitivities. The same goes for an exfoliating bar soap—a nice gentle daily cleanser that helps buff away dead cells in the process. It’s not intended for facial use, and should be limited to the body as such.
Oh, and having a bath towel with some plush piling doesn't hurt either.
AHAVA body scrub
Baxter of California body exfoliating bar soap
How to exfoliate your lips
Exfoliating your lips is the easiest of all. Simply by a lip scrub, and gently massage it over your lips. It’s great for winter when your lips have dead flakes, but you need to be careful not to scrub chapped lips and further irritate them.
ChapStick lip scrub
An at-home scrub is easy to make, too. Just drop a pinch of coconut oil into a teaspoon of brown sugar, until you have a gritty-but-sappy consistency. Scrub it over you lips, and you can even ingest it if you wish. But don’t apply it anywhere else, because coconut oil on its own can easily clog the pores on your face.
How to exfoliate your feet
It’s smart to have a standalone foot-buffing plan, independent of whatever body scrub you use. That, or just dedicate a lot of product to your feet, since they are much more prone to accumulating dead skin (in the form of calluses) that need to be buffed away.
