Women who purchase and use skincare items spend more than $3,500 a year on products in the United States. 

Skincare products can consist of lotions, makeup, and washes. These products help by improving the appearance and moisture of the skin.  

Body scrubs are a fun and helpful product that can get rid of dead skin and keep you vibrant. But what happens when you over-exfoliate?

Continue reading to discover the best tips for avoiding over exfoliated skin so that you can glow all year long! 

Natural Skin

1. Let It Happen Naturally

Many people try to control their appearances with skincare products and makeup. 

Using skin exfoliators is another way of improving the appearance of the skin but did you know that your skin naturally does this? That’s right — you no longer need to spend hundreds of dollars on sugar and salt scrubs to help smooth your skin.

Typically, people use exfoliants to get rid of dead skin cells. However, about every 30 days, your skin will naturally exfoliate itself. If you want to avoid over exfoliated skin, you should let nature take its course every so often and exfoliate itself. 

2. Do a Patch-Test

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine how a product will work on sensitive skin.

If you have sensitive skin and want to avoid over-exfoliating, try doing a patch-test! Use a small amount of the product on a particular section of the skin to ensure that you won’t have any weird reactions before using it everywhere. 

Many people recommend doing a patch-test 24-48 hours before using the product. At this time, you will discover if you should use the products or not. 

3. Limit Sun Time

Resting under the warm sun or tanning bed can feel good at the time, but it is not recommended if you want to avoid over-exfoliating your skin.

The harmful UV radiation from the sun can cause damage to the skin over time and make it more likely to dry out when using exfoliators. Limiting your time in the light can help keep your skin from drying out and becoming painful. Tanning can also burn your skin cells and leave you vulnerable skin. If you love that summery glow, consider a spray tan instead of a tanning bed.

4. Get the Right Ingredients 

Everyone has different skin that requires different ingredients to support health. 

When searching for an exfoliant you need to consider your needs and what your body negatively reacts to. Be sure to read the label thoroughly so that you can avoid unpleasant symptoms from harsh chemicals and scrubs. 

Those will oily skin tend to have a higher skin lipid count that can benefit from charcoal and coconut exfoliants. People with dry skin should use exfoliants sparingly and be made with natural ingredients, such as sugar. 

5. Only Exfoliate a Couple of Times a Week

If you want to avoid over-exfoliating your skin you should only do so once or twice a week, at most.

Exfoliating more than twice a week can eventually burn and damage your skin from abrasive scrubbing. You shouldn’t use face exfoliant washes each day, or your skin can become dry and shiny. 

6. Talk to Your Dermatologist

If you are concerned about over-exfoliating your skin, you may want to consider talking with your dermatologist. 

Speaking with a skin care professional can help you discover the treatments that you need. It can also introduce you to properly exfoliate and moisturize. Dermatologists have a lot of experience with products and tend to know the best ones for certain types of skin. 

Don’t be afraid to open up to them about your concerns. They may be able to give you a product referral or teach you about correctly using skincare items. 

7. Read the Directions 

This is one of the most important tips to follow if you want to avoid making your skin dry, shiny, or oily. 

Reading the directions on the exfoliant that you buy can help you prevent harming your skin. In the directions, you may discover that the product is not meant for your skin type. Getting the correct product is important so that you don’t overstimulate the area and dry it out even more. 

8. Be Sure to Moisturize

If you are someone that regularly exfoliates the skin, you must be aware of how important moisturizing is. 

To avoid the unpleasant effects of over-exfoliating, you must create a protective barrier of moisture. Lotions can help protect the skin and keep it glowing. Using body creams every couple of days and an SPF moisturizer on your face daily can help keep your skin from reacting to abrasive ingredients.

You should limit the use of scented lotions that are made with many fragrances and chemicals. Scented lotions can irritate skin that was recently exfoliated. The chemicals can seep into open pores and cause swelling. 

9. Use Sparingly on Your Face 

Exfoliating skin can help you appear younger and more full of life, but not if too much of it is used.

Applying exfoliant to your face can be a dangerous game, especially if you have dry and sensitive skin. Avoiding face scrubs may seem like the best solution, but as long as you use them sparingly, you should be fine. 

The face is much more sensitive to products when compared to other areas. Just remember, a little can go a long way.

Never Deal With Over Exfoliated Skin Again

If you are a fan of the skincare industry and love to try out the newest products, you must keep your skin healthy. 

Using too many products with harsh chemicals or ingredients can leave you with over exfoliated skin that hurts. Utilizing this guide can help you avoid this pain and get back to having glowing and soft skin.

Properly using exfoliants and limiting exposure to the sun can help prevent unpleasant symptoms. You should talk to your doctor about the best treatment and always keep your skin moisturized to prevent it from drying. 

Be sure to check out our blog for more articles with skincare tips that can help give you more confidence!