Your Ultimate Guide to a Body Skincare Routine
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In a world where self-care often gets overshadowed by the hustle and bustle of daily life, it's easy to overlook the importance of a dedicated body skincare routine. And while I love seeing how prominent facial skincare has gotten, the skin on your body deserves just as much love and attention.
Along this vein, this post will walk through:
So if you’re ready to give your skin the pampering it deserves, let’s get to it.
The Essential Body Skincare Routine
An essential body skincare routine can help maintain healthy, glowing skin while addressing common issues like dryness, uneven texture, and dullness. Below is an effective routine that can easily be incorporated into your normal workflow and help keep your skin in top shape:
1. Cleanse
Purpose: Removes dirt, sweat, and impurities from your body.
How: Use a gentle body wash or soap suitable for your skin type. You can look for formulas with moisturizing ingredients if you have dry skin. Using lukewarm, instead of hot, water can help prevent stripping the skin of its natural oils.
2. Exfoliate
Purpose: Sloughs off dead skin cells that may build up on the surface of your skin to reveal smoother, brighter skin.
How: Exfoliate 1-3 times a week (depending on your skin’s needs) using a body scrub, exfoliating tool, or a gentle chemical exfoliant containing ingredients like alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta hydroxy acids (BHAs). Keep in mind to avoid over-exfoliating to prevent skin irritation.
3. Treat (with Serums)
Purpose: Delivers concentrated active ingredients to the skin to address specific concerns or enhance the overall condition of the skin. This step is optional but can be a good add, especially for those who want targeted treatment.
How: Dispense a small amount of serum into your hands and gently massage the serum into your skin using upward, circular motions. Let the serum absorb into your skin for a few minutes before applying other products.
4. Moisturize
Purpose: Hydrates your skin and locks in moisture to keep it soft and supple.
How: Apply a body lotion or cream immediately after bathing, while your skin is still slightly damp. Waiting too long after bathing to apply the moisturizer will give your skin time to lose its hydration. When choosing a moisturizer, it’s good to look for products with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or natural oils (e.g., coconut or almond) to nourish the skin.
If you’d like to do double duty on sealing in the moisture to your skin, you can try using a body oil.
5. Use Sun Protection (During the Day)
Purpose: Shields skin from harmful UV rays that can cause skin damage, premature aging, and increased risk of skin cancer.
How: Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen (with at least SPF 30) to exposed areas of your skin every day. This is important to do even on cloudy days because the UV rays can still reach you. If you’re spending time outdoors, or even indoors but close to windows that can expose you to sunlight, it’s a good habit to reapply every two hours.
6. (Totally Optional) Additional Care
If you have specific skin concerns, consider incorporating additional treatment steps to meet your needs. This could include:
Occasional dry brushing if your skin needs extra exfoliation
Body masks for extra hydration
Spot treatments for blemishes or body acne
Specialized products for conditions like keratosis pilaris or eczema
If you’re looking for a simple, yet effective facial skincare routine to go with your body skincare routine, check out: The Simple Morning Skincare Routine for Beginners
Useful Products for Your Routine
Cleansing
Shiseido Extra Rich Cleansing Milk: super gentle formula with a silky texture that moisturizes the skin and protects the skin’s barrier
Nécessaire The Body Wash Eucalyptus: contains niacinamide, plant oils, and vitamins to strengthen and brighten the skin while cleansing
Dove Body Wash: this long-trusted brand remains a good go-to if looking for a simple and affordable moisturizing cleanser that works on sensitive skin
Exfoliation
Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub: for gentle physical exfoliation
Exfoliating Washcloth: for gentle physical exfoliation
Glycolic Acid 7% Toner: for gentle chemical exfoliation - can either mix it in with your moisturizer or apply it directly to your body
Serums
Nécessaire The Body Serum: contains hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and ceramides to moisturize and brighten the skin
Topicals Slather Exfoliating Body Serum: contains retinol, AHAs, and squalane to exfoliate and moisturize the skin
Clarins Renew-Plus Anti-Wrinkle & Anti-Aging Body Serum: contains water lily extract to exfoliate and soften the skin
Moisturizing
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream: contains hyaluronic acid and ceramides to moisturize and support the skin barrier (this is my staple!)
Gold Bond Age Renew Body Lotion: contains retinol and peptides to support the skin and promote healthy cell turnover
Naturium Bio-Lipid Restoring Body Lotion: contains omega fatty acids, shea butter, B vitamins & sodium PCA to moisturize and restore the skin barrier
Bio-Oil Skincare Body Oil: contains vitamin E to support skin health and elasticity, along with chamomile and lavender for calming properties. This is also great for helping to fade scars and stretch marks.
Tips for Maximizing Your Routine
Below are some optional tips that have helped me greatly improve my body skincare routine. Feel free to incorporate any or all that may work for you.
Tip #1: If you have any extra face skincare product that you don’t plan to use (ex. you’ve moved onto a new product, or it didn’t bode well on your skin), try using the extra product on your décolleté and body instead of just tossing it. That way, your skin can still reap some benefits, and you won’t be wasting any product.
Tip #2: Don’t forget your hands and your feet when doing your skincare!
Your hands and your feet are arguably some of the hardest working parts of your body. As such, they need just as much - if not more - care as the rest of your body.
Also….one thing that I once overheard - and have never forgotten - is that the easiest way to tell someone’s age is by looking at their hands because most people forget to apply their skincare there. So… don’t let that be you!
Tip #3: For the cleansing step in your body skincare routine, try cleansing your body AFTER you’ve finished washing out your shampoo and conditioner. If you do the reverse, i.e., wash out your shampoo and conditioner after cleansing your body, you run the risk of having residual shampoo/conditioner on your skin that you just cleaned.
Tip #4: If you’re into baths, an occasional oatmeal bath can work ⋆｡°✩wonders⋆｡°✩ for soothing any damaged or inflamed skin, and softening the skin.
Tip #5: While you should stick to your routine to see the best results, it’s important to adjust products and frequency based on your environment, ex. seasonal changes, your skin’s reactions, and other evolving needs.
Incorporating a thoughtful body skincare routine into your daily life can be transformative, not just for your skin, but for your overall well-being. By taking the time to nurture your skin with the right products and techniques, you're investing in yourself and embracing a healthier you. So, along with your facial skincare routine, remember to make your body skincare a priority, and let your skin glow with the care it deserves!