Exfoliate your body one to three times a week, not every day. Use either a gentle scrub, mitt or washcloth (physical exfoliation) or a lotion with an exfoliating acid like lactic acid (chemical exfoliation). Do it on warm, damp skin, go easy, and always moisturize afterward. Skip broken, sunburned or irritated skin.
Dry, rough, flaky skin on your legs, arms and heels is one of the most common things people ask me about, especially once the weather turns cold. Exfoliating helps a lot. But I've also seen plenty of people scrub so hard they make things worse. Here's how to do it well.
What exfoliating does
Your skin sheds dead cells all the time. Sometimes, especially when skin is dry, they build up and leave skin looking dull and feeling rough. Exfoliating helps clear that buildup, so your skin feels smoother and your moisturizer can do its job.
The two ways to exfoliate
Physical exfoliation
This means rubbing the dead skin away: a scrub, an exfoliating mitt, a textured washcloth or a dry brush.
- Good for: people who like the instant smooth feeling, and thicker skin on legs, elbows and feet.
- Watch out for: scrubbing too hard, and scrubs with large, sharp particles. Gentle circles are enough.
Chemical exfoliation
This uses mild acids that loosen dead skin cells so they shed on their own. For the body, the common ones are lactic acid and glycolic acid (called AHAs) and salicylic acid (a BHA). They usually come in a body lotion or body wash.
- Good for: very rough or bumpy skin, and people who find scrubs irritating.
- Watch out for: stinging on freshly shaved skin, and more sun sensitivity. Use sunscreen on exfoliated skin that sees the sun.
How often?
For most people, one to three times a week. Dry or sensitive skin does best with once a week. If your skin starts to feel tight, stings when you put lotion on, or looks shiny and red, you're overdoing it. Take a week off.
The right order in the shower
- Warm up. Let the warm (not hot) water soften your skin for a few minutes.
- Wash first with a gentle soap.
- Exfoliate with light, circular motions. Spend more time on rough spots like elbows, knees and heels, and go easy everywhere else.
- Shave after exfoliating, if you shave. Exfoliating first can help the razor glide and may help with ingrown hairs.
- Rinse, pat dry and moisturize right away, while your skin is still damp. This step matters most of all.
Mistakes to avoid
- Exfoliating every day.
- Scrubbing hard enough to turn skin red.
- Using a scrub and an acid on the same day.
- Exfoliating sunburned, broken or irritated skin.
- Skipping moisturizer afterward.
- Using a harsh, drying soap the rest of the week, which undoes all your work.
Smooth skin isn't about scrubbing harder. It's gentle washing every day, a little exfoliating each week, and moisturizer on damp skin every time.
What we use in our house
The Routine
Goat’s-milk body bars with no SLS, plus a face bar and a shampoo bar. Handmade on our farm in small batches.
See the Routine →
Lauren Stewart makes Tyme Soap by hand on our family farm in Idaho, with milk from our own goats.
