Exfoliation: The Good, the Bad, and How to Do It Right

Exfoliation, when practised with restraint, is a rite of renewal — not a daily ritual, but an occasional clearing away of what no longer serves.

When done correctly, it can leave your skin brighter, smoother, and healthier. When done too often or too harshly, it can cause irritation, breakouts, sensitivity, and long-term damage to the skin barrier.

So let’s break it down: what exfoliation actually does, why less is more, and why gentle exfoliants – like bamboo fibres – are a skin-loving choice.

The Science of Skin (and Why It Needs a Little Help)

Your skin is constantly renewing itself. In the deepest layers of the epidermis, new skin cells are formed and slowly travel upwards. Eventually, they reach the surface, where they die and form the stratum corneum – the outermost protective layer of your skin.

Under ideal conditions, these dead skin cells naturally shed on their own every 28–40 days (depending on age, hormones, and skin health). But things like pollution, sun exposure, dehydration, and slower cell turnover can cause dead skin cells to build up instead of shedding properly.

That’s where exfoliation comes in.

What Exfoliation Actually Does

Exfoliation removes excess dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. When done gently and occasionally, this can:

• Improve skin texture and smoothness

• Brighten dull or uneven skin tone

• Help prevent clogged pores and breakouts

• Allow moisturisers and serums to absorb more effectively

• Support healthy cell turnover

In short: exfoliation helps your skin function at its best — when it’s not overused.

The Problem With Over-Exfoliation

More is not better when it comes to exfoliating. Your skin barrier exists for a reason: it protects you from bacteria, pollution, moisture loss, and irritation. Exfoliating too often or using harsh exfoliants can strip away this barrier faster than your skin can repair it. Signs of over-exfoliation include:

• Redness and inflammation

• Stinging or burning sensations

• Increased sensitivity

• Dry, flaky patches

• Breakouts and irritation that won’t calm down

When the barrier is compromised, your skin can actually become worse over time — even if it looks temporarily smooth.

How Often Should You Exfoliate?

For most skin types, 1–2 times per week is plenty. This gives your skin enough time to regenerate naturally without being constantly disrupted. If you have sensitive, dry, or reactive skin, exfoliating every once per week or once every second week is often ideal. Oily skin types may tolerate slightly more frequent exfoliation 2-3 times per week, but daily exfoliating is never necessary.

Think of exfoliation as a gentle nudge, not a scrub-it-raw situation.

Physical vs Chemical Exfoliation (A Quick Note)

Exfoliation generally comes in two forms:

• Chemical exfoliation, which uses acids or enzymes to dissolve dead skin cells

• Physical exfoliation, which uses fine particles to manually buff the skin

Both can be effective, but the key is gentleness. Large, jagged particles or aggressive scrubbing cause micro-tears in the skin, leading to irritation and inflammation. Harsh chemical exfoliation can cause serious irritation for those who overdo it, don't follow instructions or have sensitive skin.

This is why the choice of exfoliating material matters.

Why we use Natural Fibers and Powder

We choose natural fibres and finely milled plant and mineral powders — bamboo, clay, arrowroot, seaweed, super fine pumice, and turmeric as our exfoliants — for their quiet, deliberate touch. Each carries its own wisdom and skin-loving virtues (stories we will share in time), yet together they serve a single purpose: gentle renewal that works.

These powders glide across the skin, lifting away what is ready to be released, polishing rather than scraping. The result is skin that feels smooth and comforted, never raw or inflamed. This is exfoliation guided by restraint, a soft clearing, not a forceful stripping.

A finish that is calm, balanced, silky smooth, and quietly radiant. - With a new product stirring in the apothecary, watch this space and find out what we do with these ingredients...

If you would like to know more about our ingredients and why we use them, have a wee look at our Ingredients Almanac - including research papers...

If you would like to know more about the ingredients we don't use and why, including the research, have a wee look at Our Ethos...