Do you actually need to buy the best exfoliator for legs or can you skip on exfoliating your body? The short answer is that most of us most probably need to for various reasons: ingrown hairs, dry/dull skin, etc.
I have been using some of the best exfoliators for legs for about 15 years or so. I have gone through everything: exfoliating gloves, body scrubs, and chemical exfoliants for the body.
What I don’t use are body brushes because my skin is very sensitive. Nevertheless, body brushes can absolutely be the best exfoliator for legs for those with normal skin.
Why would you need to know how to exfoliate your legs? Simply put, it’s one of the most important aspects of one’s skin routine.
It’s not only the solution to preventing or getting rid of ingrown hairs but it’s also the best way to ensure that you have an amazing healthy-looking skin all year round. Plus, I’m not only referring to our legs but other areas as well, like the back or the face.
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Best Exfoliator for Legs: Top Favorite Exfoliants
1. Exfoliating Gloves: EvridWear Exfoliating Gloves
They’re pretty affordable, easy to use, gloves don’t harm the skin even when they’re used daily and you should definitely use them after your daily shower, the silky feeling is addicting.
2. Body Scrub: Tree Hut Sugar Scrub
Huge quantity, low price, a wide variety to choose from, one of the most popular body scrubs on the planet.
3. Body Brush: Metene Shower Brush
Those who like a more rigorous exfoliation for their body, should definitely pick something like this.
4. Cheapest Chemical Exfoliator: Tend Skin Care Solution
This is one that men rely on to prevent razor bumps and ingrown hairs on the face but it works for women after hair removal and it has the best price if you want to prevent and remove ingrown hairs on the legs and intimate area.
5. Top-Rated Chemical Exfoliator: Pfb Vanish
A bit pricey but totally worth it if you suffer from serious ingrown hairs on legs or any other part of the body, very easy to use and can be used even twice daily.
6. KP Chemical Exfoliator: Paula’s Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA
It’s a fantastic exfoliator for the whole body not only for the legs, many use it for preventing back acne, ingrown hairs on the legs, and for KP.
Best Physical Exfoliators for Legs: Gloves, Scrubs, Brushes
These are different ways to exfoliate legs:
- exfoliating gloves
- body scrubs, which you can even make at home
- body brushes (not for those with sensitive skin under any circumstance)
- chemical exfoliators for those who have stubborn ingrown hairs, they work wonderfully
In this post on how to exfoliate your legs, I’m going to talk about how you can use scrubs, exfoliating gloves, body brushes or chemical exfoliators. The latter can also be used on the bikini line and the underarms.
Body Exfoliating Gloves: My Favorite Best Exfoliator for Legs
There are many products for exfoliation and I’ve tried a bunch. Which is why I’m able to write so much about them even though, truthfully, choosing the best exfoliators for legs is not exactly the most interesting subject to talk about.
If I were to pick just one, I would pick this one: exfoliating gloves. Thankfully, I don’t have to do that because I like combining different exfoliating products for legs.
Exfoliating gloves are my favorite and they’re really efficient in removing the dead skin cells.
It’s a pretty affordable solution and the product is quite long-lasting.
You just have to wash them after each use and let them out to dry completely. That will prevent mold and any smell from entering the fabric.
If they smell, it’s definitely time for a new pair.
Glove don’t wear out too easily, considering that I’m using one almost daily. I say almost daily because there are days when I get too lazy or I’m too tired.
I use them daily but you can use them once every 2-3 days if you don’t have the time or energy.
The main reason why I prefer them:
The gloves are not harsh on the skin and a minute at the beginning and end of each shower is all the time they require.
Even those with sensitive skin won’t feel any discomfort.
The best part is that they don’t redden the skin so, you can use the gloves just before going out without bearing a trace of irritation.
I also moisturize immediately after because the pores are open and the lotion is easily absorbed by the skin.
1. EvridWear Exfoliating Dual Texture Bath Gloves
These ones are not exactly cheap but they’re very good and durable.
You only get a pair but you can use just one glove until it’s worn out and then switch to the other. That will make them last for many months.
It’s money pretty well spent, which is why they are my first recommendation as the best exfoliator for legs.
However, those who are not into gentle exfoliation should first consider body brushes. I’ll talk about one in a moment.
They’re also machine washable but you can quickly wash them by hand after using them and then leave them to dry.
There are 3 types of EvridWear exfoliating gloves:
- white for light exfoliation
- blue for moderate
- gray for heavy exfoliation
If you have really sensitive skin, try the white ones first.
They’re 100% nylon fiber.
You can also use a body scrub in combination with the gloves: spread out scrub on your legs and massage it into the skin with the glove.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
2. Dermasuri Deep Exfoliating Mitt
Some users mention in their reviews that this Dermasuri exfoliation mitt works better than anything they’ve used. And those are the kind of reviews left are multiple, frequent uses.
We can be confidant that this one very good pair of exfoliating gloves. The price is not too bad, either.
According to the manufacturer, the advantages that we can get after using this best exfoliator for legs are: removal of deep layers of dead skin, glowing, healthy-looking skin, smooth skin surface, stimulating collagen, reducing ingrown hairs, bumps and clogged pores, better absorption for skincare products (moisturizer, body lotion).
First, soften the skin for 5-10 minutes under warm water.
Dampen the mitt but make sure to squeeze excess water.
Exfoliate using vigorous upward and downward strokes.
Moisturize after.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
Body Scrubs: Easy-to-Use Exfoliator for Legs
An exfoliating scrub for legs would be the second option. I have really sensitive skin but scrubs don’t damage it at all. You’re safe to use them and they work really great if you find the right one.
The good news is that you can make also make body scrubs at home. There are a lot of easy recipes on the Internet, the most simple consisting in adding kosher salt to your shower gel.
Or make a combination between salt and oil, whatever type of oil you prefer.
You can also make at home a banana sugar body scrub, you can find the whole recipe here.
Or this one that offers you the perfect solution to what to do with the coffee left after your daily brew, find the whole recipe here.
If you don’t feel like putting in the little effort required for making these exfoliating scrubs for legs, simply buy one. It’s not expensive.
3. Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub, 18 oz
A good body scrub is the Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub. It’s pretty cheap, especially if you get it on sale.
The 18 oz quantity is huge. I don’t think that there are any other body scrubs that comes in such a big container. For that reason alone, I consider it this Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub to be the best exfoliator for legs in the scrubs department.
It’s not only excellent at removing dead skin cells but it also contains shea butter and a bunch of oils: sunflower seed, avocado, sweet almond, macadamia seed, and orange oil. These are for moisturizing the skin.
They also have the Tree Hut Sugar Body Scrub Vitamin C but that’s a bit more expensive than the usual ones to which we have been accustomed to for years.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
4. Oleavine Tea Tree Oil Exfoliating Scrubs for Body & Face, 6 oz
This scrub is both on the face and the body. Many people buy it as a product for their facial breakouts. But it can also work as a scrub for legs, chest, back, arms, etc.
The exfoliating ingredients that it contains are: micro volcanic pumice and white willowbark. These two work to gently exfoliate and remove dead skin, while smoothing rough skin and calluses.
Bamboo charcoal powder is another interesting ingredient. It helps draw out dirt, impurities and makeup from the skin surface and pores.
Next come the essential oils and botanicals for soothing skin discomfort and for moisturizing the skin. It also seems to work for battling foot and body odor.
Last but not least, tea tree oil is used for reducing skin discomfort and irritation on face, body, butt, chest, feet, back, etc.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
5. OGX Coffee Scrub and Wash, 19.5 oz
If you’re more into chemical exfoliators for legs and body, you can still incorporate a bit of scrubbing into your routine by using this coffee scrub body wash.
This is definitely more of a body wash with a few coffee grounds peppered here and there among the liquid body wash.
Still, it’s a nice wash with a bit of scrub. The smell is wonderful and the price is quite affordable.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
6. Body Brushes as the Best Exfoliator for Legs?
Body brushes can be used either wet or dry.
If you want a really deep exfoliation, use it on dry skin, while the bristles are also dry. It’s dry on dry.
Use short upward movements starting from the ankles. Passing more than twice over each area is overdoing. It can easily lead to scratches on the legs.
The easier method for exfoliating legs with a body brush is to use in the shower, let the bristles soak a bit in the warm water and pour body wash on them.
This body brush has actually two sides: natural bristles on one side for a deeper exfoliation and a soft nylon brush on the other side.
It’s a cheap method of exfoliation and it can be used on the entire body.
It’s great for the back too, it has a long wooden handle with a non-slip rubber patch.
To keep it for a long time, make sure to wash it every time after you use it and hang it to dry.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
Best Chemical Exfoliators for Legs
Chemical exfoliators are great for serious ingrown hairs that have plagued us for months or even years.
These are powerful exfoliators that can cause the skin to dry out. For that reason, it’s good to apply a body lotion on top after the exfoliator has been absorbed by the skin.
You can also use a scrub or a glove to remove the layers of dry skin. If that happens, know that it’s completely normal and nothing bad is happening to your legs.
That intensive peel is what makes even the nastiest ingrown hairs come out to the surface.
I’m going to talk about what I consider to be 3 of the best chemical exfoliants for legs. The first two work great for razor bumps, too. All three can be used on the bikini line and underarms.
7. Tend Skin The Skin Care Solution, 8 oz
This is one of the most affordable chemical exfoliators for the whole body and face, it works great for preventing razor bumps, too.
And one of the best.
It can be used both before and after shaving, waxing, epilation.
Before shaving to prevent ingrown hairs and after shaving to avoid getting razor bumps. It soothes the skin.
After you’ve waxed/epilated, wait a few days, up to a week, before returning to using the Tend Skin Care solution and continue using right before removing the hairs from the root.
Use it right after waxing/epilation to reduce redness.
Don’t forget about moisturizing the skin, this is a chemical exfoliator after all. The rule is that chemical exfoliators should always be followed by a hydrating product.
The skin must be completely dry before applying the Tend Skin Solution.
It’s true for all chemical exfoliators that are not used in the shower.
It can be used daily, even twice daily.
The main ingredients that makes the Tend so efficient and pretty much amazing is acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). It’s not the same with salicylic acid.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
8. PFB Vanish, 93 grams
The Pfb Vanish is an excellent chemical exfoliator with powerful actions and it’s pretty well-known for drying out the skin.
The reason for mentioning the Pfb Vanish second after the Tend Skin Care Solution is the price.
It’s quite expensive.
Try first the more affordable options, like the Tend and see what effects they have on your body. You might end up sticking with them and not have to spend a lot more on the Pfb Vanish.
What makes the Pfb Vanish so good?
Besides acetylsalicylic acid, it also contains willow bark extract, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and camphor oil.
It’s a lot more complex.
Some people apply it twice daily if they want to speed up the process. Always use it on dry skin.
The skin is not harmed but it requires rich moisturizing.
It can be used on the entire body, not only for exfoliating legs.
The Pfb Vanish is really easy to use because it’s a roll on.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
9. Paula’s Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA, 7 oz
I think that it wouldn’t be a complete how to exfoliate legs guide without mentioning this body treatment from Paula’s Choice.
It’s a good product, praised by many. It works for Keratosis Pilaris, too. And for ingrown hairs.
Paula’s Choice Body Treatment 2% BHA is quite the complete treatment for the body, it works for back acne, as well. It’s, overall, one of the best chemical exfoliants for legs and body.
It’s not really cheap but it can be worth a try if nothing else has worked for you.
The 7 oz. quantity is not huge but it’s quite satisfactory.
It’s a lotion, apply it on clean dry skin and leave it on throughout the night. Layer on a body moisturizer if you have dry skin.
Its effectiveness is guaranteed by the 2% BHA (salicylic acid). Other ingredients include vitamin E, chamomile, green tea, and willow herb.
It works for all skin types. And it can be applied daily.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
10. First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser, 2 oz
The 2 oz. quantity is not the biggest, especially when we consider how much skin we have to cover when we’re looking for the best exfoliator for legs.
Other than that, the First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser is a pretty fantastic body exfoliator.
It’s a combination of body scrub and chemical exfoliator for keratosis pilaris.
The main ingredients for the First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser are: pumice, glycolic acid, lactic acid, glycerin, colloidal oatmeal, tocopherol (vitamin E), feverfew extract, tea leaves extract, licorice root extract, willow bark extract, bisabolol.
What I absolutely love about this scrub + chemical exfoliant for legs is that all the ingredients are absolutely perfect for achieving smooth skin on the body.
These kind of ingredients are meant to remove dry, rough bumps. The skin will feel so smooth after.
It’s perfect for “strawberry skin” or “chicken skin” on legs and arms but it can also work as an exfoliator for the back. I definitely recommend trying out this First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser if no other product for back acne has worked for you.
I also love the use of pumice buffing beads for the scrub part. These are not microplastic, which is lovely.
It’s also free from: alcohol, artificial fragrance, lanolin, mineral oil, parabens, petrolatum, etc.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
11. Differin Body Scrub with Salicylic Acid, 8 oz
With this Differin body scrub we get another best exfoliator for legs that’s a scrub + chemical exfoliant combination. It’s very good for back acne, too, thanks to the fact that it contains salicylic acid.
The 8 oz. quantity is really good. And the price is one of the cheapest, especially given this quantity. I actually don’t think that you could get a better deal when it comes to shopping for the best exfoliators for legs.
The active ingredient is the salicylic acid 2%. This is a BHA that is frequently used for calming breakouts and for removing dead skin cells. Thus, you can use it on the whole body, including for back acne.
The inactive ingredients for the Differin Body Scrub with Salicylic Acid are: aloe vera, shea butter, coconut acids, glycolic acid, kaolin, mannitol, sweet almond oil, retinyl palmitate, silica, cocoa seed butter, vitamin E.
Where to Buy?
Check Price & User Reviews Here
Types of Exfoliators for Legs
Facial exfoliation can be somewhat difficult because there are so many products on the market. From those thousand of products, might take a while until you find the right one for you. Facial skin is also a lot more sensitive.
The skin on our legs doesn’t even come close to that level of sensitivity, even for those who have sensitive skin. There are plenty of options for exfoliating legs. I reviewed some of the best products above, including a couple of chemicals exfoliants for legs.
Two types of exfoliating products for body and face
- physical (mechanical) exfoliation includes scrubs, exfoliating gloves, body brushes – all these are products the slough off dead skin cells at the surface of the epidermis
- chemical exfoliation is represented by products that contain acids (apha hydroxy acids AHAs and beta hydroxy acids BHAs) – these products actually penetrate the skin reaching the dermis and they remove the dead skin cells by breaking the bonds between the cells, which are eventually sloughed off
Since chemical exfoliators penetrate the skin more deeply, these are the products to go to if you suffer from ingrown hairs that have been in your skin for quite a while.
Physical exfoliators are much better at preventing further ingrown hairs from appearing because they continuously keep the skin smooth and soft, free of dead skin cells.
Physical exfoliation is also great for those with dry skin. It will replace the dry scaly skin look with a healthy glowing appearance.
To achieve that, you absolutely need to follow each shower with a moisturizer/body lotion.
Moisturize after
I moisturize my whole body every day and in the summer I only take lukewarm showers. It’s the only way to keep my skin from getting flaky or from looking like I have dandruff all over my body.
Also and this is very important: always exfoliate your legs before hair removal, whether you shave, wax or epilate.
It will help you get smoother legs and also prevent ingrown hairs. Exfoliate between hair removal sessions as well if you want to keep ingrown hairs at bay.
When I exfoliate my legs, I combine two physical exfoliators: gloves on dry skin before a shower and scrubs on wet skin at the end of the shower. I always rinse the scrub with lukewarm water.
After epilation, I wait for about 2 days until I start exfoliating my legs again because the skin is more sensitive, it has suffered from the shock of an epilator removing hairs from the root. The same is true for waxing.
Shaving is completely different, you don’t have to wait, you can continue exfoliating your legs the next day after shaving because this method doesn’t cause trauma to the skin since no hairs are pulled from their roots.
Benefits of Using the Best Exfoliators for Legs
Exfoliation is the removal of dead skin cells.
When our body produces new cells that can make our skin look younger, smoother, and rejuvenated, the old cells are pushed to the surface, becoming what we call dead skin cells.
These dead skin cells make our appearance dull.
However, more than that, these dead skin cells need to be removed via exfoliation because they block out pores, which can lead to breakouts on the face.
Remove dead skin cells
On the legs, the dead skin cells can block off the path for hairs that are starting to grow back after being removed through waxing, epilation, or shaving.
Since the hairs can’t break through the skin, they grow back underneath the skin where they are trapped. That’s how ingrown hairs appear.
Therefore, one of the most important benefits of legs exfoliation is the prevention of ingrown hairs.
Chemical exfoliators for the body are also powerful that they can help remove existing ingrown hairs although, it might take a while.
If you are looking for ingrown hair removal methods, exfoliation in its various forms is the only answer.
Our bodies shed off dead skin cells every day. But our bodies cannot do it all by themselves. That’s where we come in with various exfoliation products.
After exfoliation, the skin glows and it feels so silky. If you also moisturizer after, the look will be complete and you will be completely satisfied with how your legs look.
Exfoliation is recommended for those who have dry skin on their legs, as well. Nourishing body lotions will be able to deeply penetrate the skin more easily.
What Not to Do when You Exfoliate Your Legs
Don’t be over-zealous.
That’s pretty much the only thing that comes to my mind that you shouldn’t do when you exfoliate your legs, body or face.
You just need to remove the dead skin cells not an entire layer of healthy skin.
When you’re using a scrub or a glove, it should feel like a nice relaxing massage, not like torture.
That’s why you should also follow precisely the instructions that come with a chemical exfoliator so that you don’t end up doing more harm than good.
And that’s about everything you need to know about how to exfoliate with the best exfoliator for legs for amazing skin all year long.
