How do you exfoliate sensitive skin?

How do people with sensitive skin exfoliate? Maybe it's because of the dry weather, but these days, my makeup keeps flakes off. I used to apply an exfoliating serum containing PHA two to three times a week to keep my skin from getting irritated, but these days, even that isn't enough to remove the dead skin cells. I had no choice but to use a peeling gel, but even with gentle exfoliation, my skin felt irritated and dry. It even started to itch a little, like the early symptoms of contact dermatitis. How should I exfoliate my puffer-like skin?