When we think about skincare we all usually hyper-focus on the skin on our face. It’s true that figuring out the perfect facial skin care routine can be a major task and is often our number one priority. However, this means that the rest of the body ends up being neglected or not receiving as much love as it should. While your body may not be exposed to as much sun, pollution as your face it still faces similar issues like dullness, discolouration and sagginess too! Honestly, this neglect doesn’t always make sense because the majority of our skin is on the rest of our bodies. In fact, you might not even realise that looking at or focusing on the rest of your body might be affecting your self-esteem if it’s not being taken care of.
If you don’t already have a good body care routine in place take this as a sign to up your game and give it some much needed TLC. After all, you wouldn’t be very happy with a glowing face but dry and rough skin on your hands, legs and all over would you! Unsure where to start? Well, we’ve got you covered. Ahead, we’ve broken down all the tips you need and what you should be doing to take care of your skin.
Keep scrolling to discover what you need for an ideal body care routine.
1. Gently cleanse
Of course, the first step up is keeping your body clean. For your body, this means using a cleanser meant specially for washing your skin. Many of us just end up picking the cheapest item from the market or one that smells good. But we’re here to tell you that you need to take a better look at the label. Many body washes have a host of terrible ingredients like Perfumes, dyes and sodium lauryl sulphate that are very harsh and can dry out the skin. This is especially terrible if you’ve got sensitive skin and might be the cause of your irritation.
Ideally, you should always look for a gentle and hydrating body wash. Think of the moisturising ingredients you find on your facial skincare and look for those, like shea butter, plant oils like argan, avocado and olive. If you’re struggling with body acne look for ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil, or salicylic acid. And most important of all, stay away from products with alcohol.
2. Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate!
Its’ time to shed those dead skin cells! While exfoliating with face scrubs you need to be careful and gentle but scrubbing your body on the other hand is something you need to do regularly. The skin on your body is a bit tougher than your face so you don’t need to worry about scrubbing it down. Exfoliation doesn’t only slough off dead skin but helps free ingrown hairs, and helps to keep your skin feeling super soft. Use a body scrub like sugar-based ones that dissolve slowly on your wet skin, this helps to prevent over-exfoliation.
Alternatively, there are also exfoliation products with alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta hydroxy acid(BHAs) that exfoliate the skin surface to improve its texture. Sometimes better than traditional scrubs, they can even help out with your body acne and clean out excess sebum from the pores, reducing oiliness. Be sure to focus on your elbows, knees, and heels, which are more likely to have rough patches that need extra attention. But like when dealing with new products always do a patch test first, especially if you have sensitive skin. And always make sure to follow up with SPF if you’re out in the sun.
3. Shaving the right way
We all know shaving isn’t the most fun activity when you’re in the shower. Not to mention even if you’ve been shaving for years the process isn’t completely foolproof. To minimise any unpleasantness it’s always best to first prep the skin. This is done by first exfoliating, which lessens the risk of ingrown hairs as the hairs move completely out of the follicles. Next up, you want to soften and hydrate said hair. Spend a little time in the tub to helps move this process along before picking up that razor. When you do start shaving, apply shaving gel to your skin and take it slow, going with the grain instead of going against it. Remember to always moisturise your skin immediately after.
4. Power up your skin
When it comes to skincare on the face, antioxidants like Vitamin C and retinoids are fantastic ingredients. Our skin is constantly being bombarded by inflammatory influences and oxidative damage. These ingredients help to prevent damage from a multitude of things like ageing, pollution, the sun and more. Luckily all these are now also available in our body treatments too. Even retinol, or Vitamin A, which is another potent rejuvenating ingredient is becoming widely available in body skincare. So next time pay close attention to the label and use products with powerhouse antioxidants to help preserve skin’s resilience.
5. Moisturise from head to toe
Moisturising your body is just as important as moisturising your face. So it might be time to upgrade your cream if your current lotion isn’t cutting it. Look for creams with proven hydrating ingredients like coconut or almond oil and hyaluronic acid or ceramides, which work to help to seal in hydration. To get the best results, moisturise right after showering. Applying moisturiser after a bath is absolutely key because it provides an artificial barrier that can help prevent water loss and also keep out agents of bacteria, viruses, and irritants that we don’t want to get into the skin.
Gently pat the skin but leave the skin feeling damp so that you’re not totally stripping off the moisture that comes from the water. If you’re a bit lazy we suggest using an in-shower moisturising option. But nothing can really replace a traditional body cream so if you struggle with very dry skin you may want to use both types.
What does your body care routine look like? Let us know your recommendations in the comments below.
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