I shave every day, do I need to exfoliate too?

Our skin cells are constantly replacing themselves. It takes about 2 weeks for a baby skin cell to move from the bottom layer of the skin up to the top, where it is shed. When extra cells build up on the surface of the skin, it can give a dull and lusterless appearance. Exfoliating is the process of removing those dead cells, leaving the skin looking fresher.

In general, exfoliating once or twice a week is enough to keep your skin looking healthy. So if exfoliating a little is a good thing, is exfoliating a lot much better? No! Overexfoliating can actually be problematic. Removing too much from the surface can leave the skin unprotected from the environment. It can lead to become redness and irritation, and you could look a lot worse than you did originally.

You may not consider your daily shave as doing any more than trimming your beard, but shaving actually helps exfoliate the skin as well. Besides cutting hairs, your razor blades help remove those surface dead cells. So if you shave every day, do you need to exfoliate too? The answer is likely no. Shaving can leave your skin sensitive, and exfoliating on top of that can make matters worse.

So leave your scrubs and loofahs where they are, because your razor is all you need! However, don’t forget about them altogether. You can still put them to good use on areas you don’t shave, like your forehead and nose.