It's really simple. First, don't exfoliate more than twice a week. Second, wash your face first. Preferably with a face cleanser that not only takes the dirt and grime off your face, but also hydrates and rejuvenates it so your skin doesn't feel dry and tight after you wash.
There's no hard and fast rule to whether you should scrub or cleanse first. We recommend trying out both orders and then going with what suits your skin best. Either way as long as you are cleansing and exfoliating according to your skin type, you can achieve a deep clean for your most beautiful skin.
Cleaning the face before exfoliating allows you to start with a fresh slate. Exfoliation dives into the pores, more so than a mild cleanser. It's important to remove your makeup and clean your face on a daily basis. It's not always necessary to exfoliate with the same frequency.
DON'T rinse off a chemical exfoliant
After exfoliating, don't wash it off right away - the active ingredients take time to absorb into your skin and work their magic! Leave your exfoliant on for about 15-30 minutes to ensure the ingredients dissolve and remove all dead skin cells.
You do not need to wash off exfoliating serums or similar skincare products. Serums generally benefit the skin the most when they are remaining on the skin for the longest amount of time.
Your skin needs moisture, especially after you exfoliate. Using a super-hydrating facial moisturizer after you exfoliate helps replenish any moisture loss from exfoliating. Apply sunscreen.
You can test this yourself with a well formulated exfoliant: at night, apply your AHA or BHA as usual after cleansing and toning, and do a "split-test." Wait 20 minutes before applying your serum and/or moisturizer to one side, but the other side of your face, apply those next steps immediately.
According to dermatologists, you should exfoliate first, then wash your hair, and then wash your body. This will ensure that each shower product you use has time to work. If you have concerns about your skin, you should follow this order as closely as you can. This will help prevent acne, razor burn, or dry hair.
Most experts advise that you exfoliate two to three times per week — as long as your skin can handle it. Chemical exfoliants tend to be fine to use more regularly. Physical methods, on the other hand, may be too abrasive to use multiple times a week.
When it comes to morning versus night exfoliation, you're going to reap the best benefits from exfoliating in the morning time. This is due to the oils your skin produces overnight. You'll be able to more smoothly remove all impurities, dead skin, and oils, when you exfoliate in the morning, rather than at night.
Regardless of the formula, apply your toner or serum after cleansing, preferably at night, since exfoliating can make your complexion sun-sensitive. Stick with gel or foaming cleansers rather than oils and balms, which leave a residue that can prevent toners from absorbing, says Mattioli.
The order should be: wash, cleanse, exfoliate, tone, face mask, moisturiser. By following this order, you'll be able to remove all the dirt and impurities from your face, and you'll be on your way to a clearer, healthy-looking skin.
Exfoliate for about 30 seconds and then rinse off with lukewarm — not hot — water. Avoid exfoliating if your skin has cuts, open wounds, or is sunburned. Apply moisturizer with SPF after exfoliating.
"If the base is more foamy or gel-like, wet the skin first. If the base is oil like that of an oil cleanser, it'll work better on dry skin because water repels oil." This, it's worth noting, holds true for both face and body exfoliation, so before you do either, be sure to check your ingredients list.
Whether your acne is mild or more severe, regular exfoliation will smooth and soften the skin and brighten your complexion. It also helps reduce breakouts by keeping the pores from becoming clogged with the pus of dead cells and sebum (skin oil).
Lack of exfoliation leads to build up of dead skin cells, and could result into dry, dull, patchy, flaky skin, clogged pores, with uneven skin tone.
For example, Palm warns against using an exfoliant more than once per week for folks with a balanced skin type (and recommends using only physical exfoliants that have a very fine and gentle texture). Those who have combination or oily skin can exfoliate “up to three times weekly,” according to Marchbein.
Have no fear – we've done our share of research, and the answer is clear: post-shower is definitely the way to go. Sure, washing your face in the shower saves time but it can also do more harm than good – like, clogging pores with other products (gross) or drying out skin with hot water (ouch).
You can use almost any rinse-off skincare product before or during your shower. I personally use all my rinse off steps during my shower while I wait for my conditioner and shampoo to work their magic. The one exception to this is with chemical peels and chemical exfoliants that need to be rinsed off.
“Immediately after your shower is the best time to apply moisturiser to your face and body.
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Apply Moisturizers
While one exfoliation won't completely strip your skin of all of its oil, it will remove most of it, leaving the surface dry. Therefore, exfoliating without applying a good moisturizer is guaranteed to leave the face drier than it was before exfoliation.
Ultimately, using a cleanser before an exfoliator will likely be better for most people. This allows you to clean away more dirt and debris than the other method on average.
Exfoliate Weekly
While we advise against exfoliating immediately after your facial (ouch!), we do recommend adding this step to your weekly skin care routine. Continuing to exfoliate at home will keep your skin soft and smooth as well as prevent oil and dead skin from building up and dulling your complexion.