Keeping your skin, hair and body fit, healthy and youthful is an ongoing process throughout your life. It cannot be stressed how important a set skin and body care routine is to keep your skin firm and silky. Ongoing aging without the right care can take a toll on your body and you can look incredibly aged without a good daily and weekly regime. If you currently do have a daily routine that you don’t feel is working, you could be missing out one or two simple steps. You could also just be using the wrong products for your skin which could land up doing more damage than good.
We thought we would delve into a great body care routine that you can start doing weekly to keep your skin and body healthy and youthful. With these few simple techniques, you will find that your skin will be firmer, more radiant and have less unsightly cellulite after only a few weeks. If you need to adjust your daily routine too, you can swap out your products for more natural choices, reduce the frequency and intensity of the exfoliation and focus on cleansing, toning and moisturising.
Start with Natural Body Washes
The best-kept bathings secrets go back to ancient times and have one simple formula; natural is best! Body tonics can be sourced directly from nature which do wonders for the skin to keep it supple, silky, and fresh. One of the most luxurious types of body washes is a milk body wash or a milk bath.
Milk baths are synonymous with Cleopatra and have been credited for her flawless, skin tone and complexion. Although it hasn’t been scientifically proven, milk baths and washes can leave your skin with a natural silky feeling from the natural fats and lactic acid. Lactic acid, especially those found in soured milk, cling to dead skin cells and allow them to easily come away leaving the younger, fresher skin cells.
Other natural body washes can include coconut oils, honey, essential oils, citrus extracts, green tea, shea butters vitamin oils or a combination of these. You can purchase the products from a specialized outlet, or you can mix them up yourself. It is advisable, if you are doing your own, to test each ingredient to see if you are allergic to it, and to look up a few recipes before you try it out. Getting the portions right is important to get it smelling good while actually cleansing your skin.
Move onto a Gentle Exfoliation
Once you have cleansed the skin of any sweat, dirt, and excessive dead skin, it’s time to do a deeper exfoliation which will leave your skin feeling baby-soft and smooth. Once again here, you can purchase an exfoliating product that may come with an applicator like a brush or stone, or you can make one.
Some of the most effective and rejuvenating skin exfoliators contain brown sugar or coffee grounds. Not only are those ingredients natural, and they can be used on the whole body, including your face.
Apply exfoliators using small circular motions, making sure that you do not rub too hard, especially on sensitive areas like your face. You can rub the exfoliator on for around 30 seconds and using warm water, gently wash it off. Make sure you avoid any cuts, open wounds or sunburn.
Our favorite exfoliator is I&I Botanicals coffee scrub that contains CBD and fair-trade Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee which provides anti-inflammatory benefits.
Try Out the Dry Brush Technique
This is an old practice that seemed to have disappeared for a while, but luckily it can make its way back into your body care routine. Dry brushing is done with a (you guessed it) brush that is specially crafted for this particular practice. The bristles are firm, but not too hard and made of natural fibers and come with long handles to be used all over your body. It is great to reach those hard to reach spots on your neck and back and rids the skin of dead skin cells that are still clinging to your body.
The brushing motion helps stimulate normal lymphatic flow in the body, exfoliates the skin and helps in reducing cellulite. A good rule of thumb, especially for the flow of energy in the body is to always brush toward the center of the body. Start with your feet and slowly move up your legs. Use around five brush strokes on each area before moving on to the next. Use long, smooth strokes, and be gentle on your skin.
Remove the Fuzz
A healthy body care routine is nothing without the all-important hair removal for silky smooth legs. This can be done before the start of your routine, or at this stage, where all of the dead skin has been removed. Hair removal techniques have evolved over the years and now include chemical removal as well as laser removal, which you will need to have done professionally. It is important to have the area cleaned and clear before you start your removal.
A great hack, if you have chosen to shave, is to use a hair conditioner instead of shaving foams or creams. Not only does it protect your skin from the blades, it reduces post-shaving rashes and irritability and moisturizes your skin. If you have chosen to go with the home waxing route, make sure you test the temperature of the wax before applying it. Hot wax can scald bare skin and ripping it off will cause damage and be exceptionally painful. Have a warm, damp cloth to press on the area as soon as you have ripped to soothe the pain.
We also recommend that you use a post-shaving product like Completely Bare Calm Down to reduce ingrown hair, eliminate razor bumps and avoid redness.
Get Your Glow On
The last step of your body care routine is optional, but will certainly give you that glow up that you need if you are very fair. There are some great products on the market that will allow you to slowly develop a healthy, natural glow instead of an instant, Trump-orange eyesore. Make sure you are shaven, exfoliated and clean before bringing any self tan near your body, and invest in a good self tanning mitt if you are going to be doing it frequently. Not only will the mitt allow the lotion to be applied evenly, but it will stop any streaking. Don’t forget any parts of the body, otherwise you are simply going to look patchy and fake. Remember your heels, elbows, feet and hands. Also, don’t forget your face, but apply it carefully to your face and try to use a lighter colour if possible.
Last Thoughts
A great weekly body care routine can leave you feeling refreshed, energized and more beautiful with only a few minutes added to your normal routine. Not only will you be able to work on your more problematic areas and slowly get rid of cellulite, but you will also keep your skin young, healthy and firm for much longer. Let us know what your body care routine is in the comments below.
