How to Exfoliate

Want to know how to get glowing skin? It's all about exfoliation.

According to skin care experts at St Ives, "Regular removal of 'skin debris' is essential to aid the secretion of sebum, which provides fatty acids that the skin needs to fight harmful germs and infections. It also gives a shine or glow. Even the ancient Egyptians knew about facial 'peels' - they used salt, alabaster, and pumice stones to smooth the skin's surface and make them more attractive."

Here are the best ways to shed dull, dead skin cells, deep-cleaning the skin and revealing a smoother, fresher you.

Exfoliating the Body

Loofahs, bath brushes, body scrubs, or exfoliating gloves are all good options for exfoliating your body in the bath or shower.

A loofah looks like a hard sponge, but is in fact a dried plant with a rough surface. Use it to buff and massage your body, but be careful on sensitive areas - loofahs soften over time, but can be pretty brutal if you're too vigorous. Wear yours in gradually by concentrating at first on the toughest areas of skin.

Bath brushes (pictured above) are often softer, with a long handle to allow you to scrub your back.

An exfoliant that you apply with your hands can offer more control over how hard you scrub and where you use it. Body scrubs are generally gels containing grains or salts to buff off dead skin. Just apply to your hands or sponge and massage over your skin, concentrating on the rougher parts of your arms, elbows, legs and feet.

Alternatively, exfoliating gloves or mitts can be used with your usual shower gel for the same effect.

> Make Your Own Body Exfoliator

Face Scrub

Regularly using an exfoliant on your face can leave you looking healthier and your skin feeling softer. It can also help to prevent blocked pores and blackheads, though if you suffer with skin problems you should use only very gentle products.

There are numerous face scrubs available at every price level, from budget buy Neutrogena's Multi-Defence Gentle Purifying Scrub to pricey treat Dr Sebagh Deep Exfoliating Mask. 4Beauty make-up artist Lauren Dunn recommends Dermalogica Microfoliant: "It's gentle enough to use on a daily basis and even after one use, you'll see the difference in your skin."

You can also try applying your usual face wash with an exfoliating sponge or simply giving your face a good scrub with a warm, wet flannel.

> Make Your Own Face Mask

Exfoliating Feet

Your feet are likely to be the biggest problem area for rough skin. That thick skin is there to do a job - protect your feet as you walk - but if you've got a beach holiday or strappy-sandal event coming up, you might want to smooth them out a bit. The NHS also recommends you exfoliate your feet regularly to remove calluses, which can become painful.

This area is where more heavy-duty exfoliators come in handy, so try something specifically designed for feet: a foot scrub, or for more drastic results, a pumice stone. Soak your feet, then gently rub the stone backwards and forwards across the skin. Avoid using it too vigorously, and never apply a pumice stone to broken skin as this can cause bleeding or infection.

The Ped Egg is also designed for feet - it's a file with its own container to catch the dead skin as it comes away, so it's a tidy tool to add to a home pedicure kit and minimises the 'ick' factor.

You can find more tips on softening the skin on your feet in 4Beauty's budget beauty tips.

> How to Do A Home Pedicure