Why let your face have all the fun? Our 2022 beauty resolution is to share the skincare love! Smooth, soft, glowing skin is in, so we’re setting you up with a three-step body care routine for even, hydrated, healthy-looking skin all over.
STEP ONE: Cleanse your body You’re highly likely to have this step covered (we hope!) but it bears repeating! Using a soap, wash or cleanser– whether liquid, foam or bar – to cleanse away the day will leave you feeling fresh, while also ensuring your pores and follicles don’t get clogged or irritated by sweat, oil, product or pollution. Our favourite body washes include the Mecca Athletica Skin Perfecting Body Wash for those with textured or dry patch-prone skin, Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian 4Play Moisturising Shower Cream Gel and diptyque’s Do Son Shower Oil for those with dry skin that’s more on the sensitive side, and Soap & Glory’s Clean on Me™ Body Wash alongside Frank Body’s A Clean Body Wash as your everyday all-rounders.
STEP TWO: Use a physical or chemical exfoliator Whether it’s seasonal, environmental or hereditary, no body is immune to a bout or two of dry, dull or flaky skin – but with the right routine and a little consistency, you can avoid it altogether. How? Exfoliation. You’ve got options. There’s the traditional physical scrub, like Frank Body’s Original Coffee Scrub (this one’s for you if you love the feel of granules), Soap & Glory’s TikTok famous The Scrub of Your Life Body Scrub and REN Clean Skincare’s Anti-fatigue Exfoliating Body Scrub which instantly buff away noticeable texture and flakiness – and really smooth out those knees and elbows pre-self-tan. Or there’s chemical exfoliation, which relies on alpha, beta and polyhydroxy acids (think lactic, glycolic and salicylic) to dissolve dead skin cells and reveal a new, brighter, smoother, and glowier layer of skin. The results may take an extra day or two, but the effort is halved. Our favourite chemical exfoliators? Dr. Dennis Gross’ Alpha Beta Exfoliating Body Treatment (the doctor’s powerful peel pads, but for your body!), Kosas’ Good Body Skin AHA + Enzyme Exfoliating Wash, and REN Clean Skincare’s AHA Smart Renewal Body Serum.
STEP THREE: Hydrate your skin If you tapped out when body creams and lotions were thick, greasy and over-scented, please know that this is no longer the case. In fact, today’s high-performance formulas sink into the skin in seconds (read: no oily residue). You wouldn’t leave your face hanging without your favourite moisturiser, so why leave your body out to dry? A good body moisturiser will leave your limbs soft, nourished and luminous. For a firming effect, try Mecca Athletica Ultra-Firming Body Lotion. If you have extra flaky or bumpy skin – or a condition like keratosis pilaris – and require additional exfoliation, reach for Sol de Janeiro’s Bom Dia Bright Cream (hello fruit AHAs!), or Drunk Elephant’s T.L.C. Glycolic Body Lotion, which comes spiked with the brand’s T.L.C. Framboos™ AHA blend. Just looking for a hydrating body moisturiser? These creams are equally great, so all you need to do is choose your favourite scent: Go-To’s Skin Party conjures a field of roses, Summer Fridays’ Summer Silk Nourishing Body Lotion is deliciously vanilla-scented, and Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Bum Bum Cream – with over a thousand five-star reviews and multiple MECCA Beauty Election wins under its belt – is a tropical holiday in a jar.
Optional: Glow with natural fake tan When the mood strikes, slip on a faux tan – it’s like the tinted moisturiser of body care, helping to brighten your complexion and even out skin tone while adding a pep to your step. Take your pick from MECCA-loved mousses (courtesy of Elle Effect and Isle of Paradise), a buttery lotion, a weightless water, or customisable drops.
