Normal Skin


If you are one of the few lucky people who are blessed with perpetually “normal” skin, then it may seem as if you can skip exfoliating your skin – why risk drying or irritating skin which is otherwise healthy and unblemished? However, normal skin needs just as much as TLC as other skin types in order to keep it at its healthy homeostasis. But how should you exfoliate normal skin without making it becoming too dry or irritated?

Exfoliate Once Per Week

Whereas people with oily and acne-prone skin need to exfoliate multiple times each day, those of us with normal skin can usually exfoliate once a week without issue (American Academy of Dermatology) Anymore might risk over-drying the skin and causing it to overproduce oil/sebum as a compensation for lost moisture. Exfoliating less frequently runs the risk of letting skin become contaminated with dead skin cells, germs, debris, and environmental pollutants. If that isn’t enough to make you skin crawl, these contaminants often play a part in acne development and skin discoloration/dulling.

Additionally, even though it may be tempting to scrub every inch of your skin clean of potentially damaging materials, make sure not to over scrub your skin. This can result in irritation and sensitization, and repeatedly agitating already raw or exposed skin can sometimes lead to scarring. Even worse, lesions or cuts caused by excessive scrubbing make welcoming portals for bacteria to enter the skin.

Use the ViaBuff Level 2 Exfoliating Puff

If you have normal skin, don’t bother with scrub brushes, loofahs, or nylon puffs – the ViaBuff Level 2 Exfoliating Puff is the answer to your skin’s needs. The ViaBuff Exfoliating Puff is designed with a durable open-cell polyurethane structure, which means that it lasts up to three times longer than most standard puffs (90 days!). The puff is also designed to be abrasive enough to dislodge stubborn patches of dried skin and dirt without scathing the health and vulnerable layers of skin beneath. Even better, the ViaBuff puffs limit water retention, thereby creating a less hospitable environment for bacterial colonization.

Use a Gentle Exfoliating Serum Containing Salicylic Acid

In case you couldn’t tell, we at ViaBuff love salicylic acid – it’s a gentle exfoliator that is believed to be skin care’s most potent keratolytic agent. Salicylic acid works its magic by more or less disintegrating horny cells’ intercellular bonds so that they may be more easily scrapped from the skin’s surface. (Archives of Dermatological Research)Even better, one research study from the journal Clinical Therapy suggested that salicylic acid may be even more effective than benzoyl peroxide in treating acne lesions! There is also evidence that salicylic acid may play a role in treating signs of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and hypertrophic scarring, though this needs to be validated by further studies before it can be confidently attributed to salicylic acid (Dermatologic Surgery, Journal of Burns and Wounds)

Bottom Line

Exfoliating normal skin isn’t a mysterious conundrum. In fact, those with dry skin have a fairly easy exfoliative routine. You should begin by exfoliating only once or twice per week, so as not to overdry your skin. We suggest using the ViaBuff Level 2 Exfoliating Puff, which was designed specifically for those with normal skin types. For the best results, pair this with an exfoliating serum containing salicylic acid, which would gently exfoliate your skin of dry skin and debris.