The Softest Skin

Filed Under Bath & Body, Blog, Skin Care |

Women are always asking me how I have such soft skin, so I thought I’d share a few of my little secrets. I actually have a routine I follow everyday. I created this routine when I was a freshman in high school and have followed it ever since. If I’m short on time I’ll skip step one, but I practice the rest religiously. I also find that when I add step one my skin is significantly softer, so it’s worth the time.

1. Exfoliate with a scrub

There are several different types of scrubs. Which type of scrub you use depends on your skin type. If you have sensitive skin you probably want to use a scrub with a finer grain, if you have very bumpy skin you may want to use a rougher scrub to start.

The most popular are salt and sugar, although Seporah has a yummy selection of scrubs based on foods like coffee, mango, and grapefruit. If you choose to use a salt scrub and you are using it every day make sure you drink lots of water. Salt is wonderful for exfoliating, but it has a detoxifying effect that can dehydrate you if you are not careful. If you use a sugar scrub slather it on, let it sit on your skin for a sixty seconds, then scrub. This allows the acids in the sugar to work on your skin, making it softer. Sometimes I will alternate days between sugar and salt to get the benefits of both.

Some scrubs have oil bases, like olive oil. These scrubs will leave a slight residue on your skin that has a very softening effect, but if you have oily skin this is something you want to avoid.

If you really have a lot of bumps on your skin you can use an exfoliating lotion with glycolic acid. You leave this type of scrub on your skin for a few minutes and then scrub. These work wonders within a few weeks. My favorite is Bioglycolic® Resurfacing Body Scrub by Jan Marini, you have to order this from an esthetician, but it’s worth the trouble.

2. Use a softening or hydrating shower gel/cream with a poof

Although you have already exfoliated you still need to use a poof. While the exfoliant scrubs off the dead skin cells, the poof has a polishing effect on your skin leaving your skin with a more even texture. If you have dry skin use a shower cream to hydrate your skin. Oil of Olay has an amazing one with shea butter that will leave you skin very hydrated. If you do not have a problem with dry skin use a softening gel like Sephora’s Hair & Body Wash with vitamins and honey that leave your skin very soft and lightly scented.

3. Use a lotion within three minutes of drying off

Your skin will absorb lotion best within three minutes of drying off. If you wait longer the lotion will just stay on the surface of your skin and you will never see any real difference in the softness of you skin.

I like to use a lotion with a scent that makes me feel sexy or with a scent that uplifts my senses. Bath and Body Works “Energizing” Orange and Ginger body lotion gives me a lift every time I open the bottle and leaves my skin really soft. Body butters are another great way to go and Tutti Dolce butters or Jaqua butters in particular are very softening.

If after using this process for several weeks you still find that you have little bumps that you cannot get rid of, then you may have milia. Milia can be difficult to get rid of, but not impossible. I ran into this problem a few years ago and finally figured out how to get rid of them. For a start eliminate as many dairy products from your diet as you can; dairy products cause milia to collect in pores very quickly. After a few weeks of this you should notice a marked difference. The other key component is to use the glycolic acid exfoliating lotion I mentioned above.

I find that when I use these three steps everyday my skin stays very soft. If I am in a hurry and I skip the exfoliating I always make sure I use the poof. This keeps the dead skin cells from building up and keeps my skin polished. There have been times when I stopped my routine for a while, but the change in my skin is so noticeable that I always return to it and after a few weeks I’m soft and supple again.


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