Exfoliation is an essential step in your skincare routine to keep the pores clear and your skin smooth. And there are many ways to exfoliate, depending on your skin type. It’s a step I cannot skip, especially since I live in a polluted city with a complexion that can easily get spotty. If there’s one key thing to remember with exfoliating, it’s that slow and steady wins the race. No matter which product you choose, give your skin adequate time to adjust to avoid doing any damage you’ll need to correct later.

To help narrow down all of the options out there, keep these five things in mind when shopping for an exfoliator:

1. Check in with your skin.

Before adding any new product to your routine, you need to first assess where your skin is right now. Do you have clogged pores or bumps, or is your texture smooth? Is your skin looking dull or uneven? Is your skin red and sensitive, or is it balanced? Knowing your skin type and taking stock of the current state of your skin can help you decide what to add to your product lineup.

2. Examine your current routine.

Exfoliators can be very strong and it’s easy to overdo it. Before choosing a product, take a look at all the products you currently use and compare the ingredients. Exfoliating ingredients like glycolic acid, salicylic acid or fruit enzymes may already be present in your routine. And don’t forget to check your cleansers as well—those ingredients may only stay on your face for a few minutes, but they can still make it more sensitive to what you apply after.

3. Choose your formulation.

Based on your skin type, you should choose the formulation for your exfoliator: physical or chemical. Physical exfoliants are scrubs with beads or sugar, brushes or even washcloths. These can be very effective at removing dead skin cells quickly but can also can be abrasive and make breakouts worse. Chemical exfoliants are typically toners or serums. They don’t necessarily provide the immediate effect of a physical exfoliant, but they too need to be applied carefully. Since these products stay on your skin, you have to make sure they play along with the other ingredients in your routine, including vitamin C or retinol.

4. Start gradually.

When adding a stronger product like an exfoliant to your routine, it’s always best to start gradually. Use it once or twice a week for the first two weeks and scale up from there, depending on the type of product. Pay attention to how your skin looks and feels, keeping an eye out for signs of increased sensitivity like persistent redness, peeling or cystic acne.

5. Plan what comes after.

What you follow your exfoliator with is key. Your skin will need hydration first and foremost, so choose a moisturizer that suits your skin type and is noncomedogenic—you don’t want to clog up those freshly cleaned pores. If you’re using a physical exfoliant and can apply a moisturizing mask afterward, that’s a nice way to pamper your complexion. And always, always be sure to apply sunscreen during the day to keep your skin protected.

Want more tips? Learn how to shop for an accent mirror here.

In case you missed it …

MIDDI

2022 Beauty Gift Guide

I can hardly believe it’s already the holiday season. Maybe it’s the lack of snowflakes or the fact we eat roast dinners all year round in the UK, but if there weren’t twinkle lights hanging outside, I wouldn’t have guessed it was nearly December. Alas, we find ourselves at the start of the annual shopping marathon to find som…

Read more

3 days ago · Petra Canan Trudell

MIDDI is a weekly roundup of mid-priced beauty, fashion and home buys released every Monday. Have a product you’re searching for? Leave your suggestions in the comments.