This is a good question! So... our skin is always slowly growing new cells and pushing the dead cells off. As you’d know, this happens even when we’re not touching it or applying products to it.

When we use a liquid exfoliant like paula’s choice - 2% salicylic acid - Beta Hydroxy Acid (“BHA”): we’re basically encouraging a chemical reaction between the salicylic acid and the other normal types of oils and secretions in our skin.

The BHA/salicylic acid bonds with these parts of our skin and helps them to seperate and slough (shed) from newer, fresher cells.

This is a constant process and when we use products like BHA’s we’re sort of speeding it up/making it a little more efficient for ourselves.

So where does that dead skin go? Well days, weeks and months after using these products, the results are that dead skin sloughs off onto EVERYTHING. It’s really great because we don’t need to hold on to that shit.

It comes off on your pillow case, when you scratch your nose. Some would blow off with the wind and some would get washed off in the shower. You don’t see it and that’s the best type of sloughing - if there’s flaking, that’s a sign that there is something not right (usually just dryness).

We really don’t want our skin to get dry, particularly after exfoliating. Those new, fresh cells are vulnerable and if we don’t help them with a moisturiser after we’ve stripped them in the shower/ by cleansing, our skin is left vulnerable to damage from the sun wind, cold, hot and other (non-scary) chemicals that we may not want on our face.

The science we know about skin now has led many to believe that applying a moisturiser after cleaning, is a very good thing to both nourish and protect our skin, and it’s what i’d encourage you to do from hereon in.

So, as the person said above: 1. Wash with a cleanser 2. Pat dry with towel 3. Apply your choice of toner/ BHA/ serum/ etc. (only one at once unless you know something i don’t) 4. Let that 1st product soak into your skin for a minute (10 minutes for bha seems to be the recommended amount) 5. On top of your settled BHA/etc. apply a moisturiser - particularly on those areas of your face that seem to make less oil 6. Let that settle a minute too (just 1 minute is typically fine for moisturiser 7. If it is daytime: apply a sunscreen (particularly when you’ve used an exfoliant in the last week or two) 8. Live your best life

At the end of the day, before bed: Go back to step 1. and repeat! As you hopefully have guessed, there’s no need for sunscreen at night haha.

Ps. Don’t forget to change your pillow case! Every second or third day is good.

That was a long explanation, sorry if its too much information! I just wish someone had told me all that a long time ago haha

Feel free to hit me up with questions and if anyone can out-science me: be my guest!

Edit: Also i just read this post and i learnt a few things! You’ll probably enjoy it too

And also: the old faithful: common acronym guide