Exfoliate before shaving?

[m139]

I know this has been asked before and I read the thread but I'm still unsure.

Currently, my morning routine is to shower & exfoliate my whole face using MS face wash and a facial brush for about a minute. After showering, I proceed to my shave.... wet face, use Neutrogena as a pre-shave and then lather with either TOBS, Proraso Red, or AOS soap. Whether I use cream or soap, I usually lather my face for at least a minute or so using a badger.

I usually get home at around 5:30pm and I wash my face with MS face wash but no scrubbing... just by hand.

At night, my bedtime routine is to exfoliate with MS face wash and gentle brush, then apply witch hazel, then followed by MS moisturizer.

The reason I exfoliate at night (before bed) is that by this time my facial hair has started to poke through and I exfoliate to make sure I mitigate or prevent ingrown hairs.

The question is whether exfoliating again in the morning (in the shower) is doing more harm than help since I'm exfoliating again by lathering and by scraping a blade across my face (two or three times).

Sorry if this is repetitive, but your help is really appreciated. Thanks.

 

[KCee]

I found exfoliating too much was bothering my face even though I struggle with oily skin and ingrown hairs. I exfoliate at night now, but maybe every other night. I read somewhere not long ago that you shouldn't exfoliate in the morning, but instead do it at night...can't remember exactly why that was though. I doubt you should do it at night and then again in the morning as that seems like it would be too much, but everyone's needs are different. I was recently trying to use less aggressive (more natural) cleansers and less exfoliating, but my face started breaking out again so I'm back to what was working.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

You can exfoliate whenever, but the reason why some people say to do it at night is because your skin heals itself while you sleep, so if you overdo it, you'll repair yourself overnight.

To the OP:

If something is working for you, don't change it.

That said, I think you're washing your face too frequently. Twice is what is usually recommended. I would suggest that instead of washing your face when you get home from work, just splash it with warm water.

If MS stands for Men Science, that stuff has salicylic acid and glycolic acid in it and is pretty potent.

As far as exfoliating, I would say once a day at most. But, again, if your routine is working for you and you're happy with it, don't change it.

 

[franz]

That seems excessive to me, but I suspect I have different skin than yours. All that washing and scrubbing would give me issues.

I don't exfoliate before shaving per se; or rather I think of face lathering as the right amount of exfoliation.

 

[Kostas1]

I can exfoliate regularly, but never right before shaving. Shave in the morning, exfoliate in the evening seems to work best for me.

 

[smalltank]

exfoliating your skin is different than a pre shave..which raises the whikers...

 

[Early Morning]

Sounds to me like doing it at night is the best choice if one also intends to face lather and shave in the morning.

 

[ZZ Hop]

Everyone's different, YMMV, but I usually exfoliate in the shower once a week with St Ives Apricot scrub just prior to shaving. I also generally face lather 90% of the time.

 

[jesseix]

I tried exfoliating face soap a couple times before shaving and didn't like it much, face felt too raw after the scrub and the shave. I end up using an exfoliating soap about once a week but not right before a shave, and like SalvatorMontenegro (or rather, the artist who's name isn't really SalvatorMontenegro) said above I prefer to just splash the mug with warm water at night rather than wash again, and then use some witch hazel or light skin cream

 

[the gato]

I feel like the razor does enough exfoliation for me.

 

[VerbaVolant]

...The question is whether exfoliating again in the morning (in the shower) is doing more harm than help...

I use a face scrub the night before the shave, weekly. At the most use the facial scrub twice per week. I tried shaving right after the scrub and came to the conclusion it was not a good idea. But if done once a week and the night before shaving, it works for me. As in getting a closer shave, with minimum effort within two passes. I use RSC since I like the tea tree oil. RSC uses walnut shell "powder" (more like crumbs, believe me, it is rough) so be aware.

 

[Cuttingboard]

Shaving is exfoliating, i.e. removing dead skin cells on the surface. I usually exfoliate my forehead twice a week (Sunday and Wednesday).

 

[m139]

Well, I took some advice here and tried it out.... I washed my face last night with the Menscience face wash using a soft facial brush (i.e. exfoliating) and moisturized as usual. This morning, however, I just showered and washed my face with MS but just using my hand (no brush). I then proceeded to my normal shave routine and I could tell a significant difference in how my face felt after shaving. I did my normal two passes followed by cold water, alum block, WH, A/S. I can tell that my face was not irritated because a) there were no nicks or redness, and b) the alum block did not sting at all. Going forward, I'll skip the morning "double" exfoliation and stick to just doing it at night.

As for my afternoon face wash, my face gets pretty oily during the day and using some sort of cleanser really makes me feel better when I get home. Perhaps I'll try just a warm water rinse followed by a wipe of WH and save the MS soap for evenings and mornings.

Thanks again for the good advice. I can't help but smile every time I visit B&B and think that there are other guys out there who truly care about their skin as I do... I can't even share this stuff with my own friends... they think it's unmanly! Maybe they're just too insecure to say that they too care about their skin! Thanks Gents.

 

[franz]

Well, I took some advice here and tried it out.... I washed my face last night with the Menscience face wash using a soft facial brush (i.e. exfoliating) and moisturized as usual. This morning, however, I just showered and washed my face with MS but just using my hand (no brush). I then proceeded to my normal shave routine and I could tell a significant difference in how my face felt after shaving. I did my normal two passes followed by cold water, alum block, WH, A/S. I can tell that my face was not irritated because a) there were no nicks or redness, and b) the alum block did not sting at all. Going forward, I'll skip the morning "double" exfoliation and stick to just doing it at night.

As for my afternoon face wash, my face gets pretty oily during the day and using some sort of cleanser really makes me feel better when I get home. Perhaps I'll try just a warm water rinse followed by a wipe of WH and save the MS soap for evenings and mornings.

Thanks again for the good advice. I can't help but smile every time I visit B&B and think that there are other guys out there who truly care about their skin as I do... I can't even share this stuff with my own friends... they think it's unmanly! Maybe they're just too insecure to say that they too care about their skin! Thanks Gents.