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| Don't we all walk around like Ivana here? |
So as much time as everyone spends talking about skin care,
most of the time people forget to mention the other 90% of the skin- your body!
As a person who has suffered with eczema, and other itchy skin conditions I
have a deep respect for my body skin. I think Canadians especially don’t talk
about it because a) it isn’t nearly as fun about talking about makeup or latest
fabulous cure all and b) because we have the advantage of being curled up in
sweaters 90% of the year. But don’t ignore it! Pamper yourself a little and you
will be rewarded with not having to worry about prepping your skin for a beauty
emergency.
Exfoliate
Just like your face, it is important to exfoliate the body 1
to 3 times a week especially in the winter when it is prone to dry scaly bits.
It also helps the moisturisers you apply after work better. In the winter I
prefer a salt scrub with oils in it because it exfoliates effectively while not
drying me out too much. Plus they smell heavenly and are very spa like. My
favourites are the Verbena salt scrub from L’Occtain and the Tonic scrub from
Clarins:
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| L'Occitane Verbena Body Salt Scrub Smells Amazing! |
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| Clarins Toning Body Polisher Very Spa-like |
Body Oil
Is quite optional. I like to use body oil on the days that I
don’t use my oily scrubs. It is just that little extra bit of lipids and
nutrients that gives you that extra softness. Think of it like serum for the
body. They absorb in well, and I find in the summer I can get away with just
the body oil and it gives my skin an extra sheen (Spoiler: Clarins is coming
out with shimmering body oil in its summer collection!). Apply them right in the shower to wet skin. I use the Clarins
Tonic Body oil which has toning and firming properties and is also 100% natural
oil for you granolas out there. They
also have one for water retention (the contour oil) but I am more concerned
about the state of my belly.
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| Clarins Tonic Body Treatment Oil Firms and Tones |
Obviously. But like your face, it is important to use a descent moisturiser on your body; it is the other 90% after all. Most people are a lot drier
on their bodies, the amount of oil glands decreases the further you go down to
the toes. Look for a body moisturiser that has Shea Butter as one of the first
three ingredients to put lipids back into the skin (Also look at my post How
to: Choose a Moisturiser- An Ingredients Breakdown). Mineral oils or Petroleum can be a smaller part of the mix to act as a barrier but like I said they don’t
give back to the skin and shouldn't be the largest component. Moisturise right after you get out of the shower and have patted yourself dry (as not to rub off all the oily goodness you just put on).
I prefer to have a chemical exfoliate portion to my body moisturisers as well to keep the flaky patches away. They help to further even
out the tone and the texture of the skin. I use a very mild Urea based one from
La Roche Posay:
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| La Roche Posay Iso-Urea Lait come in 200mL and 400mL |
There are also several glycolic acid based body creams that
are very exfoliating but because of that aren't quite as moisturising My bod
can’t handle it on a regular basis, but they work well for a quick fix for
especially scaly areas: elbows, knees, feet, etc. They also work really well
for clearing up body acne and keratosis pilaris. I try and strike a balance
with this still Shea butter based one from Dermaglow:
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| Dermaglow Glycolic 10% Body Cream |
So what is your body regime?
Do you have one?
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