I have been experimenting for about 2 weeks with completely eliminating exfoliation from my skincare routine.

I have very dry, dehydrated, and extremely sensitive acne-prone skin. I used to mistake it for very oily skin until I quite using harsh acne cleansers and benzoyl peroxide.

I used to exfoliate at least twice a week, very gently, with a washcloth or crystallised raw honey. I've tried quitting before and it has only made my skin worse, lots of dead skin cell build up and drier and drier skin - this time I did something different.

I read this article about using facial oils [Edited link out] - I switched to 100% organic, cold pressed facial oils when I started to follow a natural skincare regimen. But this article showed me that lots of skin types can't just use oil to moisturise because it is not the complete picture. They may be natural but there is no water in oils, they are 100% active ingredients and very potent.

During my skincare experiment I have been washing my face with only luke warm water, once per day, and liberally applying a moisturiser to my (still very damp) skin. Making sure to apply another layer of moisture before taking a hot shower or bath (hot water can be very drying for the skin.)

At first my skin felt the same as always, dry and scaly, especially on my cheeks, my worst problem area. But slowly over the course of the last few days my skin has actually become soft and hydrated, I have not broken out, it doesn't feel tight and my rosacea has calmed down substantially.

It is possible that I was over-exfoliating, even though I was being gentle.

The answer to dry skin is not always to scrub the skin off! You could be making things much worse and creating a vicious cycle of skin-stripping.

And oil is not the complete picture for moisturising! I spent years terrified of moisturiser, thinking that creams would only clog my pores and break me out, but I was wrong. My dry skin contributes to my extreme sensitivity - and messing with my skin's natural barrier leads to acne.