If you’ve stopped exfoliating, or never started, you need to start. We obsessed, and for a good reason. Editor Trudi Brewer why.

Why you need to exfoliate the skin.

As we age, our skin becomes less efficient at naturally shedding. By this, I mean the regeneration of new skin cells. The shedding process happens every 28 days in our 20's and early 30’s and slows down dramatically each decade after that. Skin is dynamic and changes with age and lifestyle and is affected by what we eat and drink. Turns out gentle, weekly exfoliation boosts circulation and encourages natural cell turnover, increasing lymphatic drainage as well as getting rid of those built-up toxins.

For the face

Avène Gentle Exfoliating Gel, $34. Pure Fiji Exfoliating Scrub, $50. Natio Gentle Face Scrub, $21. Ultraceuticals Ultra Gentle Exfoliating Gel, $75.

How to exfoliate the skin

Exfoliating can be done anytime and anywhere. In the morning while showering, a grainy scrub applied to clean, damp skin works wonders. Or at night after a double cleanse, within weeks your skin will start to glow. Also, the skincare you apply such as serums and moisturisers penetrates quickly and works much more efficiently.

Don't stop at the face

Add body brushing to your weekly skincare routine, and it will improve the look of your skin within weeks. It helps prevent ingrown hairs post waxing and unblocks pores. Beauty experts swear by body brushing for supporting the immune system and improving digestion. If you spend most of your day sitting at a desk (like me), your system does become sluggish, which can cause breakout affecting the way the skin looks. We body brush on dry skin, starting at the feet and working upward towards the heart, and then step into a warm shower.

For the body

Freeman Pomegranate Sugar Body Scrub, $19. Kiehls Grapefruit Body Scrub, $59. Grounded Coffee Scrub in Grapefruit, $25. AROMATHERAPY ASSOCIATES Polishing Body Brush, $56.