Well folks, I don’t know about y’all, but it’s gotten real chilly around these parts. And my arms and legs have been showing it. So, I have spent the last few weeks totally overhauling my bodycare routine to accommodate the seasonal change. And now I’m ready to share my tips and tricks to banishing the scale and keeping the skin looking and feeling awesome. Let’s get into it!
My first and most crucial tip is to shower early. If you’re a night time shower person like me and often do shower right before bed, I find that it doesn’t give enough time for your lotions to do what they need to do. And then you’re tempted to skip it to ‘save the hassle’. So, if I’m aiming to be in bed by 9, I will jump in the shower after dinner (around 7:30). That way, I have enough time before shower and bed to fully moisturise and have it soak in. It’s little, but it does make a difference for me.
Tip number two is to be quick, but be thorough. I know that standing in a blasting hot shower makes us feel good. But we have been told over and over again how bad that is for our skin. So, the quicker you can get your shower stuff out of the way, the better. I’ve timed the shower side of my routine down to around 5 minutes (longer if I’m washing my hair).
Now we are getting into the products that I’m using. For the shower, I do something of a double cleanse. I initially go in with an anti-bacterial body soap. The PROTEX ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAP – $2.00 has been my go to for a while now. However, and I cannot stress this enough, I only use this on the areas that need it (upper arms, pits, back, bum, etc). As I find in winter it’s a little too much for all over the body.
I will then follow up with either a nourishing body wash or a shower oil. The EVERYDAY BY FRANK BODY NOURISHING BODY WASH – $14.00 and the BIODERMA ATODERM ULTRA NOURISHING SHOWER OIL CLEANSER – $43.99 have been my go to’s for this time of year in particular. The Everyday one contains Avocado Oil and Oat Extract to help sooth and nourish the skin. And the Bioderma contains Niacinamide and Plant Biolipids that replicate our own to help strengthen the skin and reduce dryness. To help spread out the product easily, I do use an African Soap Net. Which has the added benefit of gently exfoliating the skin as well as being much easier to dry than a traditional loofah. I bought a three pack from Amazon for around $12. But an exfoliating mitt or a silicone scrubber will work just as well.
As soon as I’m out of the shower, I lightly pat my body down with my towel to remove some of the excess moisture. I then immediately go in with a hydrating body serum. The FRANK BODY HYALURONIC ACID BODY SERUM – $30.00 is still my go to. But I’ve also recently rediscovered the ALPHA-H DAILY DOSE MULTIVITAMIN BODY SERUM – $45.00* for those nights where I don’t want to smell like a peach. Those two I do every night. But every 2nd-3rd night, I’ll hit my upper arms, decolletage, and chest with the ALPHA-H RETINAL REBOOT EXFOLIATING BODY TREATMENT – $50.00*. I don’t like using too many exfoliating treatments when my skin is on the drier side. But this one does make a difference when I use it regularly.
Now we are getting into the body creams. And yeah, this is where I keep things boring and super simple. I’ve been using the NIVEA RICH NOURISHING BODY LOTION – $6.50 for a while now and I’m instantly reminded as to why this is a family favourite. It soaks in super quickly and the glow it gives my skin is *chef’s kiss*. I also have to shout out my beloved THE ORDINARY NATURAL MOISTURISING FACTORS + INULIN BODY LOTION – $24.00* which is on it’s last legs. Such a phenomenal formula. And I recently got my hands on the TREE HUT WHIPPED SHEA VANILLA BODY BUTTER – $22.00 while it was on sale. I normally avoid more scented products during winter. But this is so thick and rich, I can overlook the scent (which is also amazing).
Next up, to lock in all those creams, I give my body a spritz of the AVEENO DAILY MOISTURISING BODY OIL SPRAY – $19.99. I was put onto this by the amazing Razia (who you all need to be following). This layers on top of all of those creams like a dream and provides an additional hit of nourishment due to the oat oil.
My final step I do right before I go to bed. I’ll give my hands some loving with the DERMAL THERAPY HAND BALM – $7.50, my lips get a bit of the IMAGE SKINCARE ORMEDIC BALANCING LIP ENHANCEMENT COMPLEX – $54.95* (expensive, but it works). And if some parts of my body are just too flakey like my nose or elbows, I’ll rub on a dab of the CERAVE ADVANCED REPAIR BALM – $18.00 to those spots to help soothe and repair.
And there we are! Nearly 900 words about a process that takes around 20 minutes to do. But it has made such a difference in my skin. My extremities are less itchy and sore overall. And my arms and legs feel so soft and silky. It truly sparks joy. What are some of your winter body care tips? Let me know in the comments.
Cheers and love
Emily xo