Exfoliating and best practices for skin care?

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TopHatFox
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Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:07 pm
Location: FL; 25

Exfoliating and best practices for skin care?

Post by TopHatFox »

Ever since I was a kid I've experienced a mild dry scalp with tiny little "snow flakes" that fall whenever I scratch my head vigorously.

It's interesting. I do enjoy having short hair as a result--.5' at the sides & back, and 2-3 inches on top!

Do you "exfoliate" your skin? I believe that means rub it with something until all the dead skin cells flake away. It'd be cool to hear other dry scalp folks' solutions; the internet has failed me with its suggestions thus far.

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In general, over the years and decades, what are your best practices for taking best care of your skin?

For example, I've ran into conflicting evidence that says to use sunscreen all the time, whereas others that say to only use it if you know you'll be out longer than your skin is acclimated to. I aim for the latter. I also almost always take cold (to almost freezing--oh the excitement!) showers, use baking soda as deodorant, and simply use vigorous hand-brushing and water as cleaning (no soap or shampoo required over time). In fact, I found Head and Shoulders dry scalp shampoo made dry scalp more present.

JL13
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Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 7:47 am

Re: Exfoliating and best practices for skin care?

Post by JL13 »

This is all based on the individual right? I would say allow for a wide latitude in experimenting

When I was a teen I had bad bad skin, it didn't clear up until I went to college and coincidentally stopped washing my face with mass-market facial cleanser. I didn't think much of it, considering the conflation of the end of puberty and the change in product. In my mid-twenties, I started using facial cleaner again and had horrible breakouts. After I stopped I cleared up in short order.

If I could have gone back in time and thrown away the Noxzema I think I would have been so much more confident and happier in high school!

I also had a spell of eczema that only appeared after frequent showering in winter. I had no idea what was happening and the doctor diagnosed me with psoriasis until the biopsy came back negative. That was a stressful couple of weeks!!!

So turns out my skin is especially sensitive to soap. I wouldn't be surprised if dandruff is related to too frequent washing. But then again, that might just be me extrapolating my personal experience.

bradley
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Location: NYC Metro

Re: Exfoliating and best practices for skin care?

Post by bradley »

Like J_L13 said, it may very well depend on the individual. If you have dry scalp (and not dandruff, which is caused by a fungus) then it may very well be that your scalp is dehydrated. Therefore, Head and Shoulders and other commercial shampoos/conditioners will do more harm than good. They all dry your skin/hair out more, especially if it's already prone to dryness.

Wetting your hair with only water and then rubbing a bit of oil (almond, raspberry, what have you) may help. The oil will help trap the moisture and is a better bet than moisturizers with three dozen ingredients. This definitely works for curlier hair, which dries out more easily, but it may work for straighter hair as well.

What can I say, try it out?

JamesR
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Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 9:08 pm

Re: Exfoliating and best practices for skin care?

Post by JamesR »

I've noticed that if I happen to scratch my head vigorously one day, I'll start getting dandruff over the next 3-4 days. Try being less aggressive with your scalp and see how it's doing a week later.

I don't bother with exfoliating or whatever.

BTW, some 5+ years ago, the skin of the sides of my nose ended up getting really sensitive and started flaking like crazy anytime I scratched the sides or even washed it with water. I tried fighting it with creams and other products, but gave up on that and just stopped touching the nose and just being careful about not overdoing washing the nose in the shower. It probably took 2-3 months before it stopped flaking all the time and went back to normal.

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GandK
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Re: Exfoliating and best practices for skin care?

Post by GandK »

My hair and skin get dry when I am either not drinking enough water, or not consuming enough fat in my diet. It's worse in the winter, for obvious reasons.

Assuming no other health problem is going on, topical application of a small amount of coconut or olive oil should alleviate the problem until the dietary issue is resolved.

Also, don't wear hats indoors. Let your scalp breathe.

llorona
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Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2012 11:44 pm
Location: SF Bay Area

Re: Exfoliating and best practices for skin care?

Post by llorona »

Exfoliation is one of my favorite topics.

Head: Google scalp brushing. Works for me and my lustrous locks.

Body: Can't live without my kessa glove. Best thing ever for smooth-as-a-baby's-bottom skin. Moroccans have made hammam into an entire institution. They don't mess around when it comes to exfoliation!

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