Beginner’s Guide to Exfoliation + Best Exfoliators

With so many different skincare products to choose from, designing an effective skincare routine can seem daunting.

Once you've picked out the products you want to integrate, you may still be confused about when to use them.

So, if you're here to find out when to exfoliate in your skincare routine, if you should use a chemical exfoliant or physical exfoliant, if you should exfoliate or cleanse first, or even just how to use an exfoliator, keep on scrolling!

But, before we get into that, make sure you're choosing the right exfoliant for you with this helpful video...

You should absolutely use an exfoliator after cleansing and never before.

Cleansing directly afterwards would wash the exfoliant from your skin before it has a chance to work.

The biggest risk would be to your wallet, as you'd be wasting money by adopting this skincare strategy.

However, exfoliation can be particularly confusing because some cleansers already contain exfoliating ingredients and cleansing and exfoliating both remove unwanted substances from your skin.

A chemical exfoliant is a mild acid or enzyme that penetrates the top few layers of skin to soften and dissolve dead cells. 

For example, Cosmedix Pure Enzymes Cranberry Exfoliating Mask contains salicylic acid and cranberry enzymes.

Chemical exfoliants are formulated to penetrate the top layers of skin over several hours, which is why they're often leave-on formulas.

A physical exfoliant gently abrades the skin and rubs away dead cells with grains or microspheres. 

Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub accomplishes this task with corncob meal. 

Using a physical exfoliant without first removing your makeup could actually encourage cosmetics to penetrate more deeply into your skin.

As with physical exfoliants, chemical exfoliants used before removing your makeup encourage impurities to penetrate your skin—in theory. 

Although it's actually unlikely the chemical would do much of anything.

Chemical exfoliants work very effectively when left on the skin. However, cleansers are quickly rinsed off. Therefore, the amount of exfoliant that can penetrate your skin during cleansing is very limited.

Allowing the cleansing product to remain on your skin for a little longer may help. But this may seem counterintuitive, as the main point of a 2-in-1 product is to speed up your skincare routine.

Exfoliating granules work just as effectively in a cleansing product as they do in a separate facial scrub. Alpha-H Micro Super Scrub with 12% Glycolic Acid 100ml  combines gentle cleansing with biodegradable jojoba beads for added physical exfoliation.

The downside of scrub cleansers is their potential to cause irritation, particularly if you have acne, by rubbing impurities into skin. For this reason, we recommend using these products as part of a double-cleanse routine.

First, remove makeup and impurities with a mild, non-exfoliating cleansing oil or cream. Quickly follow this step with your choice of cleansing exfoliant.

Since you're still following two steps, you may prefer to simply use a separate cleanser and scrub. Ultimately, it's up to your personal product preferences.

Not sure how often to exfoliate your face? We've all been there. Exfoliation can impart both positive and negative effects on your skin. Exfoliate too little, and results will be extremely gradual. Exfoliate too much, and you'll find yourself with dry, sensitive skin that's prone to reactivity. Here's how to find that sweet spot when it comes to exfoliation frequency. Knowing how often to exfoliate your face depends on two key points

As you have read, there are two types of exfoliants, physical and chemical. If you are using a physical exfoliation generally you can use it daily, or to be on the safer side, once every other day. If you're using a chemical exfoliant you need to be more careful. As a chemical exfoliant can remain on your skin for longer and are active on a deeper level, we recommend only using them 2-3 times per week. If you're just starting out with a chemical exfoliant start with once a week and build up to see your skin's tolerance to exfoliation products.

Skin type will play a role in how often your skin will be able to handle exfoliation. In general, dry/dehydrated and normal skin types fit nicely with the frequency of product use already discussed. Whereas for oily/combination and mature skin types, the frequency of using chemical exfoliants can be increased to say 3-4 times a week. However as we stated before start slowly and build up your exfoliation routine, so you can see how your skin reacts.

Before we round up our best exfoliation products we need to have a quick chat about neck exfoliation. Our poor necks often get forgotten during the skincare routine, but the skin on your neck is super important to look after. After all, what's the point of putting in so much effort on your face if the rest of your body's skin doesn't look the same? Neck exfoliators will help your skin absorb products better and appear brighter and firmer. So next time you're exfoliating your face, don't forget to exfoliate your neck!

You don’t want to use anything wildly harsh on your thin neck skin. A classic body scrub is too abrasive and could create microtears, particularly on more mature skin. There are a few different types of exfoliants you can use on the neck without damaging the skin. The best neck exfoliators are enzyme exfoliants, acid exfoliants, and physical exfoliants .Trying to get more bang for your buck? Buy an exfoliant you can use on your face and neck, or if you're a little bit bougie you can buy one for each.