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exfoliating?

post #1 of 18
1/22/07 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
when is the best time to exfolitate... is it when u shower before your day starts or when u shower late at night when u get home? and how often are u supposed to exfoliate your face? (1x a week, everyday...??) just a curious question.
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post #2 of 18
1/22/07 at 6:05pm
I find the best time to do it is before shaving. Without taking shaving into concideration, I would say in the morning so that your skin looks it's best in the daytime. You should not exfoliate more than 3x a week. If you insist on using something ridiculously harsh like St. Ives apricot scrub then I would say once a week.
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post #3 of 18
1/22/07 at 7:33pm
I exfoliate twice a week, but I'd probably be fine with just 1x per week tbh.
I just like the freshly scrubbed look it gives me

I certainly do it "after" shaving though. I don't really see how you could get enough skin contact through the stubble doing it before shaving?
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post #4 of 18
1/24/07 at 3:57pm
If it's an acid exfoliant, at night, because it makes skin more sensitive to the sun. Some such exfoliants are safe to use daily.
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post #5 of 18
1/24/07 at 8:42pm
I scrub my face with a wet washcloth before shaving, which exfoliates and helps soften up the stubble. It is also free, which is a bonus compared to expensive fruit-and-nut concoctions. I would not do it after shaving when my skin is already at its limit of irritation, and at bedtime I don't like to do much of anything but brush my teeth and go to bed. I also don't like having any products on my face at bedtime.
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post #6 of 18
1/30/07 at 3:05am
my brother has started using my facial scrub [at our prompting]. He was impressed by the effect hehehe awkward teens

Exfoliating scrub is best after hot showers because the steam helps your skin. If you use a particlarly harsh one, it's best to wash with cold water after as this closes up your pores once again.
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post #7 of 18
1/30/07 at 1:56pm
Keep in mind over-exfoliation can prematurely age the skin. I do it once every 5 days.
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post #8 of 18
1/30/07 at 9:33pm
Just experiment with time of day and frequency to see what works best for you. For most people, it's once or twice a week. And remember that a scrub shouldn't leave your skin feeling tingly or raw or otherwise irritated. If it does, switch to something gentler.
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post #9 of 18
3/22/07 at 4:41am
You should exfoliate once or twice per week (max). It's best to exfoliate in the shower just before shaving, when using a 'mechanical' exfoliant (such as a scrub) as it helps to shed the dead skin cells and prepare the hairs for shaving. Chemical exfoliants (like AHA/BHA or retinol) should be used at night unless they're a light concentration, and if used during the day should be followed by a light-weight moisturizer with an SPF of atleast 15 (but of course, you're already using a daily SPF 15+ moisturizer anyways, right?)
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post #10 of 18
3/22/07 at 6:30pm
Um, you should NOT exfoliate your face (cheeks, chin, etc) b/c when you shave, the blade takes off a layer of skin cells, thereby exfoliating it. Adding St. Ives to this is over kill. I exfoliate the "t-zone" (forehead and nose) twice a week.

I used to like St. Ives, and then I tried John Allan's face scrub. It's like Aldens vs. Kenneth Cole. I'll never go back to that apricot garbage.

Upstarter
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post #11 of 18
3/22/07 at 6:44pm
I exfoliate every day, with an exfoliating facial sponge and Pears soap. Afterward, I use a honey and oatmeal facial exfoliant, with walnut powder. My face is probably full of microlacerations. But for fifty-one, I have hardly any wrinkles, and very small pores. Exfoliation helps to produce a persistent glow, too.
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post #12 of 18
3/22/07 at 7:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatty View Post
If you use a particlarly harsh one, it's best to wash with cold water after as this closes up your pores once again.

I'd say if you use a particularly harsh one, it's best to switch.

I was using the St. Ives apricot for a while (mild version), then recently tried Clinique: big improvement, much less abrasive than even St Ives mild.

I'm curious about this John Allen stuff now, though - where do you find that, upstarter?
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post #13 of 18
3/22/07 at 9:55pm
Can I ask, what is the point of exfoliation? I really don't know.
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post #14 of 18
3/22/07 at 10:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by texas_jack View Post
Can I ask, what is the point of exfoliation? I really don't know.

The point of exfoliation is to slough off dead skin cells which can block pores and make skin look dull. Exfoliation helps to brighten the skin, give a youthful glow and the act of doing a mechanical exfoliation also tends to help improve circulation in the face. Also, studies and experience suggest that regular (not too regular) exfoliation can help reduce or prevent fine lines and wrinkles.
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post #15 of 18
3/22/07 at 10:06pm
texas_jack, think of an onion. You start out with this rather dry, withered looking orb, then you begin to unpeel its layers. Ahhhh . . . moist, smooth, elegant looking contours. That's what happens with skin, as it's exposed to the elements. It resembles a callous. So unless you penetrate those many outer layers of deadened, leathery, discolored skin, you are looking at a callous in the mirror. I once saw Dean Martin, up close. His face had turned into leather. It was a mask. Not a face.
Moreover, unless those outer layers of leathery skin are eradicated, any cosmetic preparation you may use, does no good. It slides right off.
There are negatives to exfoliation, though. Once you start, you can't stop. If you do, the leathery skin will grow back twice as fast as it did before. That has been my experience, at least. I've had doctors tell me the same thing. Also, your skin may become more sun sensitive, and more sensitive to cold, too. I know mine has. But once you've removed that leathery shell on your face, you can't stand to look at that callous, ever again. It's bad enough without it.
I like exfoliating body washes, too.
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