One of the first signs of over-exfoliation is redness and irritation. 

When your skin has been exfoliated too much, it’ll tingle and feel more sensitive than usual. This is because your skin is trying to compensate for the lack of coverage and blood flow is increased even more. 

Dryness and flaky skin is another sign of over-exfoliating. But don’t fret, you can still save your skin. 

All you have to do is stay away from exfoliating and continue to moisturise your skin. Plus, remember it’s not wise to exfoliate your already flaky skin to get rid of it. 

This one is a no-brainer! Dry skin will always feel tight and if certain areas of your face start to feel that way, you know it’s because your skin is dry and you’ve been a little too enthusiastic with your exfoliating routine. 

While exfoliating is a great way to get rid of excess sebum and prevent your pores from clogging, over-exfoliating can cause skin to produce even more oil than it needs to. 

Why is this so? That’s because, whenever your skin feels like it’s getting too dry, it’ll try its best to make up for the dryness with more oil production. 

Finally, when over-exfoliating gets too much for your skin to handle, you break out. When your exfoliate too much, you’re essentially breaking down the skin’s barrier and preventing it from defending itself. 

How do you counter this? Treat your acne first and worry about exfoliating later on. Go back to toning your skin and moisturise it so it doesn’t get irritated anymore.