A consistent body care routine is just as important as a facial skincare routine. The skin on the body is just as important as the skin on the face so developing a routine for how to care for it is necessary. When it comes to issues that people want to target on the body, it’s usually dryness, maybe crepiness or sun damage as well as rough or bumpy texture. Personally I didn’t take my body care seriously until the past few years when I began to see noticeable changes in my skin once I approached perimenopause. Try not to wait that long and begin incorporating a consistent routine for the skin on your body as soon as possible. In today’s post, I am going to share a step by step guide for how to build a body care routine and some products I would recommend to use.
For more posts about skincare and bodycare, check out these other blog posts:
Body Care Routine
An effective body care routine is one that you will actually do. Consistency matters more than having an overly complicated routine. Start small with what you use in the shower to cleanse the body and slowly add any additional products that will help target your specific concerns.
What Is A Good Body Care Routine
Finding products that you enjoy using and can use regularly is the first step in building a good body care routine. Something is only effective if you commit to being consistent so start with products that you can feel comfortable fitting into your daily habits. You don’t need to have a ton of steps in your body care routine to see results but you do need to use them at least a few times a week if not everyday. The ideal routine will vary depending on you skin type, concerns, and lifestyle but there are a few general steps that everyone can take when building their own body care routine. Once you have the basics down, you can focus on reducing dark spots, finding a skincare routine for radiant skin or helping target loss of elasticity.
Why Is Body Care Important
Helps improve overall skin health
Just like we need to take care of the inside of our body with proper nutrition, we need to care for the outside with the same level of attention. Taking care of the skin on your body can improve your overall skin health.
Support the skin barrier
Protecting and supporting the skin barrier is just as important on the body as it is on the face. A damaged skin barrier can cause irritation, sensitivity, redness, breakouts, etc.
Reduce rough texture
This is one of the biggest issues that people want to address when adopting a body care routine. Reducing rough texture is something many products treat so there are a ton of options for every price point and preference.
Leave skin feeling healthier over time
Well balanced skin will look and feel healthier over time.
Reduce ingrown hairs
If you struggle with ingrown hairs from shaving, incorporating certain products to treat this can make a huge difference.
Reduce dryness in the long run
Tackling dry skin on the body is a slow process so ensuring you are consistent with a proper routine will help alleviate it long term.
Body Care Routine Step By Step
Cleanse
Just like cleansing your face is the first step of a skincare routine, cleansing your body is the first step of your body care routine. Every time you take a shower, you should cleanse your body with a body wash of your choice. It’s best to use a wash cloth or loofah with your body wash to ensure you are able to really give the body a deep clean. Below are some of my favorite body washes:
There are a few different scents but the texture is the same for all. It’s a thick gel texture that foams up a bit once you add water. The Exotic Pulp version contains vitamin c which helps to brighten the skin but I like to rotate through all of the scents. It’s also incredibly affordable for how luxe it feels!
There is a reason that this oil-infused body wash has gone viral multiple times. I’ve never felt anything like it before. It’s truly one of the most nourishing body washes I’ve ever used and the scents are to die for!!! A bit of a splurge but they are worth every penny.
I really love the Shower fragrance so I was excited to have a shower gel ancillary product for that scent. However, I wasn’t expecting to love a shower gel THIS MUCH! The texture is thicker than most shower gels I try so you don’t need as much and the lather it gives is fantastic. It really stays in your hand so you can massage it in without it running through your fingers.
Exfoliate
Physical exfoliation with a scrub or chemical exfoliation with ingredients like glycolic acid is a key step for a good body care routine. This only needs to be done 1-2x/week so as not to strip the skin barrier. Below is a body exfoliator that I always repurchase:
OSEA Undaria Cleansing Polish (discount code: 10MAREE)
The texture is less of a traditional scrub and more of a creamy polish. It’s richly nourishing while also helping to gently exfoliate any dead skin cells. Sometimes I find that scrubs can be too harsh or even too drying for my skin but this body polish solves that issue.
Treat
If you want to begin targeting additional concerns on the body outside of simply moisturizing and exfoliating, there are so many great products on the market to hellp with uneven skin tone, crepiness, loss of firmness, etc. If you decide to add in this additional step to your body care routine, your treatment products would most likely go before your final step of moisturizing. Below are some of my favorite targeted body care treatments:
One Skin OS-01 Body Topical Supplement (discount code: MAREE15)
This is a true body treatment among the best body care products, designed to help reduce and reverse the signs of aging on the skin. It improves skin hydration and skin barrier function as well as texture and the overall appearance of the skin. While you can use this alone, I like to use it as a first step body product and layer a body cream, oil or balm over top. It feels weightless and layers really nicely so I never have to worry about products pilling.
Saltair Hyaluronic Acid Body Serum
I love hyaluronic acid products for my face because they help to intensely hydrate as well as hold onto moisture for longer. Additionally, hyaluronic acid is great for helping to plump, firm and boost skin elasticity. Adding a hyaluronic acid treatment serum into my body care routine has really helped with any dehydration or intense dryness. I typically like to layer this under a body cream or body lotion for that added boost of hydration in my routine.
Moisturize
After cleansing, moisturizing daily is a key step in helping improve the overall health of your skin. Moisturizing the body can be done with any texture you prefer – lotion, oil, cream, balm, etc. Choose something that fits your preferences so that you will be more willing to stick with applying it daily. You don’t have to moisturize morning and night – only once a day is sufficient to help keep your skin balanced. Below are some of my favorite products I use to moisturize my body:
UNI 24-Hour Body Serum (discount code: MAREE15)
This is a gel cream texture that instantly feels cooling and refreshing on the skin. And when they say it keeps your skin hydrated ALL day long, they aren’t kidding. It is formulated with their uni marine complex which deeply hydrates, Australian lime caviar which naturally exfoliates and Australian Kakadu Plum that aids in the production of collagen and improves elasticity over time.
This is a solid balm that you apply after the shower when you skin is still damp. You massage it all over, quickly rinse off the excess and then gently pat dry. When I tell you my skin feels BABY SOFT after using this, I am not exaggerating. It dries very quickly so you can get dressed right after and there is no greasy feeling left on the skin. And the scent is absolutely AMAZING!
Cyklar Nutrient-Rich Body Cream
I have yet to try anything from Cyklar that I didn’t immediately fall in love with. This body cream is intensely rich and moisturizing but absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy film on the skin. Also the scents last for HOURS! If you prefer a scented body cream for your daily fragrance, this will be a must try.
I use milky essences on my face both morning and night so I am so happy to be using one for the body. I prefer to use this in the morning because it is incredibly lightweight. It doesn’t take long to absorb and keeps my skin hydrated all day long. If you are experiencing extra dry skin, layer this under your favorite rich body cream for additional bit of moisture.
Mutha Body Butter (discount code: MAREE15)
This is a true body BUTTER made with ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter and mango butter. It’s thick and buttery – almost like a solid balm. In addition to moisturizing my skin like never before, it’s intensely firming and also leaves the most gorgeous hydrated glow on the skin. It’s pricey but honestly I have never tried anything this luxe before.
Protect
Applying daily sunscreen to the body is just as important as applying it to the face. Your clothing can help protect you in most instances but especially in the warmer weather, you need to make sure any body parts that aren’t covered have sunscreen on them. Below are the sunscreens I love to use for the body:
OneSkin Triple Power OS-01 Body SPF 30+ (discount code: MAREE15)
The OneSkin Triple Power OS-01 Body SPF 30+ is an absolute must have for me. I hate the way most body sunscreens feel especially if I am wearing them day to day and not at a pool or beach. This one is so moisturizing and feels like I am applying a lightweight body lotion that absorbs almost instantly. It isn’t shiny or greasy but does leave my skin with a subtle healthy glow.
Supergoop Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50
This SPF feels very lightweight, doesn’t leave any white cast on the skin and really protects my fair skin.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Milk SPF 100
A new addition to the pool bag this summer. This is a sunscreen milk with SPF 100 protection! The entire family loves this and is what I reach for when I can’t be in the shade for whatever reason. I don’t have to reapply this as frequently as my other body sunscreens but this still protects me from ever getting burned.
How To Customize Your Body Care Routine
Start small
Don’t overcomplicate your routine with tons of products. Start with a cleanser/body wash, a moisturizer and sunscreen. If you want to add on an exfoliant once a week, that could be a great additional step.
Find products that fit your lifestyle
If fragrance bothers you, seek out fragrance-free or sensitive skin products. If you don’t want to spend time rubbing in moisturizer, there are spray options that can be simpler to use. Find products that offer two-in-one solutions such as exfoliating body washes or moisturizing body lotions that contain sunscreen.
Focus on your particular skin concerns
You don’t need to try every popular product out there or have the perfect body care routine. Only focus on what your skin needs and what you want to accomplish with your body care routine.
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