So why do we exfoliate? And how much?
Think of the skin you can see on your face as the shingles on a roof of a house. They’re in place to slough off water and protect. However, when those “shingles” stack up over time (because they're almost TOO good at protecting) nothing else can penetrate them.
We WANT our serums and moisturizers to penetrate through the tiny tiny gaps in the the "shingles" so we have to exfoliate off the stuff that's just building up and hanging on.
What I DO recommend:
Seeing an esthetician for professional level exfoliation every 4-6 weeks.
Using a gentle (VERY GENTLE) powder scrub with your cleanser every few days. (Amber Budd Skincare "Exfoliate // Polish" was made specifically for this purpose.)
What I DO NOT recommend:
a coarse scrub (ahem! rhymes with quaint lies) that creates micro-tears in the surface of the skin, potentially causing more harm than good by spreading bacteria around and causing unnecessary irritation
a washcloth - not strong enough - UNLESS your skin is super sensitive. And by sensitive I mean your skin turns red or blotchy with the smallest touch to the skin - THEN I would say a washcloth is a good option for you. Maybe. Let's talk before you do that. :)