from my understanding, slough = remove dead skin manually You can slough off your dead skin with a loofah or sponge. shed = remove skin or fur/hair naturally A snake sheds its skin. My cat sheds everywhere. Hope this helps :)

When you slough off your skin, it comes off a bit at a time, usually over a longer time period. When something sloughs off, it may come off in layers, or come off in different places. This verb is especially used to describe the process of a woman’s body letting go of unnecessary blood cells during the monthly cycle (because the blood sloughs off a bit at a time, over multiple days). The space shuttle has a special kind of armor or shielding called ablative shielding, which sloughs off as the shuttle re-enters the atmosphere. It is a specialized armor intended to break off in pieces and get removed. Sloughing off often means that something is rubbing against the surface, causing pieces to come off. When you shed your skin (if you are a snake) this means to cast off or to discard, and you usually shed something you don’t need anymore. A snake sheds its skin usually in big pieces, not a bit at a time. To shed something means to be rid or it very quickly. You can shed your winter coat if you go into a warm house. You can shed pounds by exercising. To shed something often means to take something off intentionally, with unlike slough, it is with no rubbing. This was a good question! It made me really reflect on the nuances of meaning!