There are so may different ways to exfoliate, from at-home peels and over-night gels to traditional grains and creamy scrubs, we are really spoilt for choice. It is no wonder that we love to exfoliate, but did you know that you can exfoliate too much?

Apparently, a lot of us are getting too much of a good thing and over-exfoliating our poor complexions. When you over-exfoliate, you are drying out skin and stripping off the top layer.  This top layer is protective and keeps moisture in the skin, as well as keeping pollutants out. When this is damaged our skin responds as if it were injured and produces more oil, this in turn can lead to acne.

I know about over-exfoliating all too well. After a long day or a night out of wearing a full face of make-up, it feel so purifying to exfoliate the skin. But really, you should only be doing this once a week, unless you use a very mild formula.

It is also something of a vicious circle – the more we slough away those skin cells, the oilier skin becomes and the more we want to carry on scrubbing.

Remember, your skin i s a sensitive organ. Let’s be nice to it and treat it with the care it needs – but let’s do it gently. Save the scrubbing for once or twice each week and use a gentle cleanser the rest of the time.