Decide what your skin can tolerate

Reminder: You absolutely should not be using an exfoliating glove if you have sensitive skin or inflammatory skin conditions (like psoriasis, eczema, or active cystic acne) since the abrasive material can trigger even more inflammation and flare-ups. Exfoliating gloves should also not be used on your face or on skin that’s covered in acne, folliculitis, or cuts, says dermatologist Karan Lal, MD, because they can easily spread bacteria and/or result in infection.

This being said, if you have relatively ~chill~ skin (i.e., you have none of the conditions above), you can try using an exfoliating glove on your body once a week. Yes, just once a week. Even if you don’t have sensitive skin, over-exfoliating can still cause irritation, dryness, inflammation, and even rashes, says Dr. Lal. So if you're someone who has a bad habit of going overboard with skincare, store your mitt or glove in another room so you're not tempted to use it every time you're in the shower.

Be realistic about how often you’ll clean them

FYI: The dead skin cells, old oils, product residue, and gunk that you exfoliate from your skin can get trapped in fabric-based exfoliating gloves, which is why they must be cleaned so frequently. So if you know you're someone who can't be bothered to wash a reusable glove on the regular, skip them altogether and instead try one of the silicone exfoliating brushes or disposable exfoliating gloves on this list. Yes, they’ll still need to be washed with antibacterial soap and water, says Dr. Lal, but less frequently than reusable alternatives.

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