Facial skin is one of the areas we take care of the most. So much, that we forget about our body’s skin like the arms, legs and so on. Many fear the signs of aging on the skin, but signs of aging are not only our facial area but also our hands and knees. For that reason, you need to apply basic body care so your skin will be healthy and taken care of. It doesn’t take much but only a few simple steps you can apply to your daily routine.
Here are the steps to take care of your body skin:
Limit Time to Showers
Amongst some of the routines that we perform in a day, taking showers is something that will definitely improve your mood. Take it in the morning and you will feel refreshed; take it in the afternoon and you will feel all your stress melt away. Your effort in taking stress-free showers can affect the state of your skin immensely.
Taking long showers (as calming as it may be) can strip the natural oils of the skin that hydrate it. As a result, your skin may dry out. You can solve this in two ways: limiting your shower time and changing the water temperature. According to many experts, showers should only take about 5 to 10 minutes. In case you are sweating more than usual, you can swap shower with wet washcloth to clean yourself.
Colder Showers are the better option
Hot waters maybe the best to relax your body as they expand and relax the muscles, albeit drying out the skin the most. After a hot shower session, you will most likely find that skin and hair are becoming more dry and brittle.
Cold showers are considered the best for your skin. First, cold showers limit the skin from getting dried out. Second, cool showers lower symptoms of depression. A study has found that showering with cold water for two to three minutes a day effects the brain positively. It can stimulate the central nervous system, releases pain suppressing hormones beta-endorphin and noradrenaline (decrease depression symptoms). Cold showers also increases hormones, leading to more clear thinking, increase blood flow and muscle engagement, and decrease inflammation.
But if cold showers are too much, you can just douse your body in cold water from 30 to 90 seconds before ending your showers.
Moisturizing body washes does wonders to your skin
Rather than use a regular soap that cleans the dirt and debris on your skin, better to use a moisturizing body wash. Your skin will be cleansed but hydrated at the same time. Bar soaps have higher pH that is destructive to your skin at about 9 to 12. Your skin is more acidic at about 5 and 6 on the scale. The aft effect of using bar soaps is that skin will feel ‘clean’ but dry afterwards. This is why you should look for labels for correct pH balance and ‘moisturizing’ or ‘hydrating’.
Exfoliation is not only for the skin, but also for the body
Moisturizing and hydrating the skin goes a long way for your skin’s health. But all of that can be rendered useless without exfoliation to clear dead skin and debris from the surface of the skin. Instead, your dead skin cells will be getting the nutrient that your skin needs. At the same time, your skin will experience new cell growth from the simulation of your skin.
Other than clearing the dirt from your skin, light exfoliation can also benefit cellulite on your skin. A gentle loofah or soft bristle brush can clean skin while helping to handle cellulite at the same time. Sugar scrubs or alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) are also other ways to exfoliate skin gently.
Exfoliation can do a lot of good to your skin, that’s for sure. Be careful not to overdo the process by doing it more than once or taking a lot of time doing it. Experts recommend a regular exfoliation for once or twice weekly, or else it can be irritating for the skin.
Set timing for moisturizing
After showering, it is a given that your pores will be much more open. Take advantage of this opportunity by slathering your skin with moisturizing lotions. For a more moisturizing effect, you can practice oil massaging to increase circulation and decrease tension and stress among other benefit.
Applying lotion while your skin is still damp will increase the effect on the skin. Lotions, or any moisturizing lotion locks the water in the skin, increasing the effect tenfold rather than just regular moisturizer on the skin.
Don’t skip sunscreen!
Other than moisturizer, sunscreen is also something that you should not miss. All the problems of aging such as wrinkles, aging spots or uneven tanning can be solved by applying sunscreen regularly every two hours. Choose sunscreens with natural minerals like zinc oxide to minimize the stickiness and clogged pores.
Sun screens you should avoid are the water resistant variety with chemicals or plasma concentrations that can clog pores. This leads to breakouts and bacne (body acne). Instead, apply mineral sunscreen 20 minutes before going outside and always reapply every two hours.
Increase Hydrating Products at Night
Moisturizers after taking a shower is beneficial to the skin, but for a really hydrating effect you should put on more moisturizing products at night. Many might think that applying lotions after a shower session is enough, but you can definitely amp it up during the night.
You can increase hydration on a daily basis by drink a lot of water, but that may not be enough. The only way to manage that is to apply moisturizer twice a day, at night will be the time to put on some extra moisturizing lotions and apply special care to areas that are more prone to dryness. Use products rich on hyaluronic acid—which holds 1,000 times its weight in moisture—and oils for maximum effect.
Skin on the body should definitely be taken care of, rather than just facial care. Your face may be taken care of, but signs of aging occurs everywhere even on your body. Maintain your skin by following the tips above. Signs may not appear now, but it will show in the long term. For those who are already showing signs, your skin will feel much better after these treatments!
What are some of your body care tips that you follow? Share your answer in the comments section below!
