Exfoliating can also be done with a rough washcloth. A natural bristle brush makes for a good alternative, particularly while scrubbing the backs of arms or legs. If you’re the do-it-yourself type, you might look into making your own loofah from home.
If you’re exfoliating your entire body, make sure to give extra attention to your heels, elbows, and knees. These are generally considered to be the driest parts of one’s skin, and should be given greater attention accordingly.
Be forewarned: Using sand in the bath can cause a bigger mess than more common exfoliants. Although it is recommended to try it out at least once, it may not be the best course of action if you don’t have the added time in your routine available to do a bit of cleaning up afterwards. Getting sand down a drain could completely ruin the plumbing pipes if done often. If using sand, it should be cleaned, even bleached, because getting it from outdoors could introduce bacteria and using that to exfoliate would do more harm than good. Choose sand with small granules, not big, because the smaller granules are more gentle on the skin. Focus on the tougher skin of the arms and legs because sand can be more intense than exfoliating scrubs.
Applying a moisturizer or shea butter following your rinse, even following an otherwise purely ‘mechanical’ cleanse, will help your skin better retain moisture.
Many exfoliators are relatively affordable and readily available at your nearest supermarket.
When exfoliating your face, take proper care to focus on the central area of your face, from the forehead to the nose to the chin. Collectively, this is referred to as the ‘T-Zone’, and is notorious for its oiliness. If you’d rather not use a commercial product, you can make your own body scrub by mixing Epsom salt or Himalayan pink salt with olive oil, which you can buy in a grocery store where you’d buy commercial products. You can also mix together sugar and an oil (like olive or coconut) for a DIY face scrub. [8] X Expert Source Melissa JannesLicensed Esthetician Expert Interview. 30 August 2019. Always be gentle when you apply an exfoliator. [9] X Expert Source Paul Friedman, MDBoard Certified Dermatologist, American Board of Dermatology Expert Interview. 8 April 2020.
