I read recently that men exfoliate every time they shave. As there was some discussion about this topic in a broader beauty and fashion forum, one respondant stated the following:
So, assuming the latter has more merit, because no chemicals are involved, it seems that I may be better off skipping the exfoliation process.
Some recommend using the "Face Scrub" to exfoliate *before* shaving. Since I shave almost every morning, I was a little concerned about adding an exfoliation, by face scrub, into the shaving routine, since I naturally exfoliate while shaving.
Other feedback I've received on this topic were:
and,
I recently starting using the Clinique Face Scrub on the neck only while showering followed by shaving at the sink. I started with the neck area as that's different from the face above. This certainly provided a smoother shave on the neck with little-to-no cuts. Therefore, I beleive that exfoliating the problem areas before a shave certainly helps. Lately, I've been lightly using the face scrub on my face as well covering the whole face before shaving.
Questions
I'll get around to posting my unique shaving routine here in the near future, but for now, I wonder what the consensus is here about using a face scrub to exfoliate before shaving?
Also, if this exfoliation works for some, is it over-doing to use face scrub every day, or, every time before shaving?
Adam
On the other hand, someone responded to the above follows:"You shouldn't exfoliate every day; 2-3 times a week is enough. Your skin needs time to recover. Just be sure you moisturize after you exfoliate so the newly exposed skin won't dry up."
"Lots of men shave daily and I've read that shaving *may* be one of the reasons why men's faces typically age better than womens (because of the gentle exfoliation aspect)
It's fine.---don't worry about it at all.
Exfoliating too often via chemical treatments is a whole different thing than a man shaving."
So, assuming the latter has more merit, because no chemicals are involved, it seems that I may be better off skipping the exfoliation process.
Some recommend using the "Face Scrub" to exfoliate *before* shaving. Since I shave almost every morning, I was a little concerned about adding an exfoliation, by face scrub, into the shaving routine, since I naturally exfoliate while shaving.
Other feedback I've received on this topic were:
My significant other exfoliates BEFORE shaving. He's got a heavy beard that sometimes doesn't break through the skin fully by shaving time (he lets it grow for 2-3 days between shaves) so the exfoliating is to make sure all the hairs are through the surface.
I bought him the Clinique for men exfoliant and since then his shave has been much better- the hairs under the skin were kind of like speed bumps before, and he would end up cutting himself a lot instead of shaving the hairs off. Most of these hairs are the ones on his neck area.
and,
It depends on your skin. Some men who get ingrowns find relief if they use a scrub before shaving. If you don't have a problem with ingrowns then you probably don't need to scrub the area, although really, it's probably not a bad idea to do it because it helps remove just enough dead skin and smooth the surface for a smoother shave. I believe it also helps lift up the hair follicles before shaving as well.
Now, I would not sit there and scrub the crap out of your face... just gentle scrubbing for 30 seconds or less should do the trick. Also keep in mind that you should exfoliate the parts of your face that you don't shave, so spend a little more time gently scrubbing those areas.
I recently starting using the Clinique Face Scrub on the neck only while showering followed by shaving at the sink. I started with the neck area as that's different from the face above. This certainly provided a smoother shave on the neck with little-to-no cuts. Therefore, I beleive that exfoliating the problem areas before a shave certainly helps. Lately, I've been lightly using the face scrub on my face as well covering the whole face before shaving.
Questions
I'll get around to posting my unique shaving routine here in the near future, but for now, I wonder what the consensus is here about using a face scrub to exfoliate before shaving?
Also, if this exfoliation works for some, is it over-doing to use face scrub every day, or, every time before shaving?
Adam