How to exfoliate your body We often think of exfoliation as being just for the face, but the rest of your body needs exfoliation too. The question is what to use: is an exfoliating body scrub the answer? A loofah? A body brush? Below, we go over the DOs and DON'Ts of body exfoliation and explain why the best body exfoliator is the one you leave on your skin. What you can expect: Benefits of exfoliating your body What is the best way to exfoliate the body? How often should you exfoliate your body? Are body scrubs bad for your skin? Benefits of exfoliating your body You might wonder why we should exfoliate the body. The skin’s natural ability to invisibly shed dead surface cells becomes faulty with age, accumulated sun damage and other skin concerns. Sometimes this ability stops altogether! The result is a build-up of dry, ashy-looking skin that can make your arms, elbows, legs (pretty much everywhere) look dull, uneven and older than they really are. What is the best way to exfoliate the body? The best body exfoliator comes in the form of a leave-on exfoliant, like an AHA or BHA. When well formulated, a chemical body exfoliant gently dissolves the bonds holding dead skin to the surface – revealing smooth, glowing and bump-free skin. Be sure to use an AHA body exfoliant that contains glycolic or lactic acid to improve the look of dry, crepe-like, sun-damaged skin. AHAs also help enhance the skin’s ability to hold onto vital hydration and promote visibly firmer skin, in a way that body scrubs just aren’t capable of. If your skin from the neck down often experiences clogged pores, blemishes, redness or is rough and bumpy, look for a BHA body lotion that contains 2% salicylic acid. Research shows salicylic acid is soothing and oil soluble, which allows it to penetrate pores and clear up these skin issues. Note: BHA and salicylic acid are just different names for the same ingredient – they are the exact same thing! BHA is an acronym for beta hydroxy acid, which is more commonly known as salicylic acid. How often should you exfoliate your body? Our bodycare selection has different options to match each skin type but we still recommend starting slow and building up your tolerance gradually. Plus, don’t forget to protect with SPF every day – even on your body! Once you know that the formula suits your skin type and tackles your skin concern, you can try daily application of chemical exfoliation for the body. This will deliver the best results. For stubborn skin concerns like bacne, bumpy arm skin and rough skin on your elbows and feet – you can try twice daily application if you aren’t seeing the results you want from once-a-day use. Are body scrubs bad for your skin? With only a few exceptions, body scrubs are too abrasive. They exfoliate at the expense of your skin, causing tiny micro-tears which gradually erode the skin’s protective barrier and lead to dryness, sensitivity and other skin concerns. Body scrubs can also be highly fragranced, even with essential oils. This causes further issues that can trigger irritation (though they do smell good, which makes them tempting). This goes for body scrubs that contain all different types of exfoliating ingredients, from polyethylene (also known as plastic microbeads which are being phased out due to environmental concerns) to walnut shells, pumice, volcanic ash, sugar and sea salt. If you’re now thinking, what can I use to exfoliate my body if I don’t want to try chemical exfoliants and I can’t use scrubs? You can find a gentle scrub that contains environmentally friendly materials (such as jojoba beads) that naturally dissolve as you massage them in. But keep in mind that even these types of body scrubs aren’t going to be as effective as leave-on AHA and BHA body exfoliants. Loofahs and dry body brushes are no better. In fact, their rough, too-firm textures and mode of use can make them even worse than scrubs, leaving skin redder and rougher than before. If you want to give this form of exfoliation a try, dermatologist Dr. Corey L. Hartman recommends “a brush with silicone bristles that is more gentle than other options.” References for this information: Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology, August 2015, pages 455-461 IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2022, ePublication