Looking for a daily exfoialator for dry, sensitive skin ...

[#1]

My skin is forever dry and sensitive. I tend to stay with a certain line until it stops working for me, which is the boat I'm in now. I've been using Sephora's cleanser, serum, eye cream, day cream and night cream (I think it's the anti-aging line). I also use Fresh's Sugar face scrub/mask once or twice a week, according to the directions. For awhile the Sephora stuff wasn't giving me enough moisture, but now that it's getting warmer, it seems to be working much better. Even so, I still have patches of dry, flaking skin (which is mostly unnoticeable until I start applying makeup after very liberal serum, eye and day cream application ... which is SO frustrating, because the more makeup I apply, the worse it gets and if I start over (fresh, clean face and reapplication of skincare), it's even more dry. The only days I'm good are the days that I use Fresh's Sugar scrub/mask. I would LOVE to be able to use it on a daily basis, but the directions say to only use it once or twice per week .... PLUS it's spendy at $55 for not that big of a product (this is less of a concern for me if it's something I love), and I HATE, HATE, HATE the product design ... I typically lose about a half to full teaspoon of it each time I use it because it gathers under my long nails when I'm trying to scoop it out of the jar in the shower. SO, any recommendations for a daily scrub for my dry, sensitive skin? I've been eyeing Peter Thomas Roth's laser free line and I noticed it includes an exfoliant, but I can't find any information about how often I need to use it. I definitely need something daily to get the sloughing skin off my face. Would PTR's work for that? Do I need an additional cleanser or is there a daily cleanser that's also an exfoliant that I haven't discovered yet? Oh, also, I can NOT use any of the Philosophy line because of a really bad skin allergy to something in their products.

[#2]

Philosophy's Microdelivery Exfoliating Cleanser is awesome!  Very gentle, yet effective.  Doesn't really smell like much, and rinses well (no grainy residue left behind).  Leaves skin feeling clean and smooth, without that "tight" dried up feeling.  Definitely doesn't strip my skin of its natural moisturizers.  Overall excellent product!

[#3]

Hi!

 I also have dry sensitive skin and every morning I use sugar, honey, and olive oil as a scrub. It is gentle and gets rid of all flakeyness and gives you amazing moisture. I know that it isn't a Sephora product but it's very easy and cheap to make at home. Look for products with these ingredients in them especially the olive oil. I hope this helps you!

[#4]

I would recommend Philosophy's Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash. It is a very gentle wash with tiny smooth beads in it that is intended for daily use and mild exfoliation for all skin types. I use it every morning to remove any flakyiness left behind from my night time retinol treatments.

http://www.sephora.com/the-microdelivery-exfoliating-wash-P184109?skuId=976399

[#5]

If you have sensitive skin and you can invest in the Clarisonic with a sensitive brush or the acne brush, that would be great. Not only does it help with smoothing your skin, it helps with unclogging your pores and evening your skintone. If you're afraid to shell out that much money for something to exfoliate your skin, you should try using olive oil and sugar as a scrub. Since you have dry skin, this homemade scrub may be a better alternative to some scrubs with a lot of chemicals. A tip, if you use the olive oil sugar scrub is to cleanse thorougly, because although olive oil is a healthy oil, you don't want that stuff resting on your skin. I hope this helps and good luck!

[#6]

I was going to suggest the Clinique 7 day scrub too....

It's definitely exactly what you're looking for.

Have you thought about getting a Clarisonic? It's so worth it! My skin looks and feels like a million bucks

<3

Brenna

[#7]

Daily exfoliation is the cause behind the dry patches and more sensitivity.  It is too harsh on dry skin.  Even on combination skin, more than twice a week could be overkill.  

Over exfoliation can make the problem worse.  Makes the skin drier resulting in over production of oil.  Which usually results in more dry patches along with blemishes/sore spots, etc.  Another side effect is developing sore raw (peeling, not patches) spots that will need more medicated and topical treatments to heal.  There is also the fun cycle of always having patches, especially the ones that adhere to the skin. Peel type masks as Beautytester mentioned are better at removing those but they are not too friendly on a frequent basis (once a week). 

A lot of times dry skin can also be sensitive. Items with particles can exacerbate dry issues and may bring on another problem: redness (and not the temporary I just washed my face type that goes away in a few minutes). It takes time for dry patches to resolve. It may take up to a week or two and a change in habits and skincare routines to see results. 

Look at the current other skincare products in use.  It could be a certain product behind the cause. 

Otherwise, see an esthetician and have them evaluate the issue. 

Personal recommendation is to stay away from Clinique.  Some of their products have menthol which will dry out the skin even more. 

[#8]

Officially, flaky skin after exfoliation is due to over exfoliation so you should exfoliate less or use a gentler exfoliator. Personally, the best way to get rid of the flaky skin I get every change of season is a peel-off mask (not a peel). For me exfoliator just loosens the surface skin, not necessarily get the flake off my face. A peel-off mask is like putting scotch tape on your flaky skin, and when you peel it off, you can see the dead skin you peeled off with it. I do not recommend tape however, and peel-off masks does a better job anyways. Sephora carries Boscia black mask. However, it have a strong perfume and made my eyes water and sting. My can't-live-without is Sekkisei Kose Mask White (supposedly whitening but really, a better/earlier version of Boscia) and it is cheaper.

p.s. You can't completely hide flaky skin, but here's something that might help. If it's a small spot of flaky skin, I actually rub some lip balm on the spot. After I finish make up, I do a couple spritz of facial spray. Then the dry spot isn't as noticeable.

p.p.s. supplementing what ran said, peel mask and harsh peels should be occasional treatment, use as needed preferably not more than once a week, and not as part of your regular routine. Also, I second the Clinique 7 day scrub cream, which does not contain menthol. If you want to avoid menthol, avoid all Clinique toner, mask/exfoliator for oily/acne skin (like Clinique exfoliating scrub). However, Clinique does make great non-irritating basic moisturizers, and I always use them after a harsh treatment or serum with special ingredients.

[#9]

Hey! Well you can use an exfoliator daily but not just any exfoliator! The one l personally like and recommend is Clinique's 7 day scrub cream rinse off formula. It's gentle enough to be used everyday yet powerful as an exfoliator to really get deep into the skin and leave it polished and cleansed. It also provides moisture and I find that it doesn't leave the skin dehydrated like some other exfoliators do. Also it's safe enough to use because it's hypo-allergenic so safe for sensitive skin like yours and it's not expensive..like 18$ ?!

Hope this helps and good luck!

xox