Beauty School, a series from T Magazine, answers common beauty questions with help from creative people who’ve become experts on the job. Sign up here to find us in your inbox once a month, and send any questions of your own to tmagazine@nytimes.com.
If you don’t already have an exfoliation routine, spring — when the weather warms up and skin gets naturally oilier — is a great time to start one. “Exfoliating helps get rid of all the dead cells sitting on the surface of the skin,” says the aesthetician Shani Darden. “Without removing that layer, the skin can look dull, and it’s difficult for other products to penetrate,” plus your pores can become clogged, potentially causing acne. Below are tips for a gentle yet effective approach, from Darden and two other experts: the chef Imogen Kwok, who exfoliates regularly to keep her pores clear after long days in hot kitchens; and the florist and gardener Kitten Grayson, who’s figured out the best scrubs to slough off dirt and sweat.
Imogen Kwok, 33, food artist and chef
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The weather can be quite brutal to my skin in the winter. I get dry skin around my nose and mud on my face, and a weekly scrub helps to get rid of it. I’ve never really gone the chemical route — I’m an old-fashioned girl — but I scrub gently to prevent any damage to my skin.
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I usually exfoliate on Sunday nights, massaging a scrub into my skin using small circular motions, before I get into the tub. Then I’ll wash it all off during my bath. Exfoliating away the dead skin feels like letting go of the past week; it prepares me for the week ahead.
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These interviews have been edited and condensed.
