Moisturizing Your Body
Slick on a body moisturizer to create a wonderfully silky body. Add a moisturizing body treat to your daily beauty regime, and you’ll soon reap the benefits. In case of dry skin, always keep your body moisturised, with bath oils, body butter, and thick creamy moisturisers. Otherwise normal skin types need good moisturising during the winter months. A light oil-free moisturiser will suffice for an oily to combination skin during the winter months. However, use a very light oil-free moisturiser preferably a refreshing fruity lotion-based moisturiser for an oily skin during the summer months when the skin is moist after a bath. Popular and effective moisturisers include jojoba oil, olive oil, Vitamin-E rich oil and Evening Primrose oil. A good way to restore moisture to the skin on your body is to add a few drops of oil to your bath water. Do not add more than 10 ml (2 tsp) or your skin will become greasy. Always use oils that are appropriate to your skin type. For dry skin, use avocado, wheat-germ, castor or sesame oil; for normal skin use almond, apricot, jojoba or Vitamin E rich oil; and for oily skin use safflower, camelia or calendula oil. For a moisturising pre-bath body treat mix together the following ingredients: 1/2 cup finely ground almonds, 1 cup porridge oats/oatmeal, 1 avocado (mashed). Rub the mixture into the body, leave for five minutes, shower off, then have a moisturising bath.
Moisturizing Matters:
Just as you choose a moisturizer for your face with care, you should opt for the best formulation that is suited to the skin type on your body.
1.Gels: Gels are the lightest formulation and are perfect for very hot days or oily skin types.
2.Lotions And Oils: These are good for most skin types, and easy to apply, as they’re not sticky. Creams give better results for those with dry skins, especially on very dry areas.
Make The Most Of Your Body Moisturizer:
1. Apply using firm strokes to boost your circulation as you massage in the product. Apply the moisturizer straight onto clean, damp skin – after a bath or shower is the ideal time. This helps seal extra moisture into the upper layers of your skin, making it softer than ever.
2.Soften cracked feet by rubbing them with rich body lotion, pulling on a pair of cotton socks and heading for bed. They’ll be beautifully soft by the next morning.
3.Concentrate on rubbing moisturizer into particularly dry areas such as heels, knees and elbows. The calves are also very prone to dryness because there aren’t many oil glands present there.
4. If you don’t have time to apply moisturizer after your bath, simply add a few drops of body oil to the water. When you step out of the bath, your skin will be coated with a fine film of nourishing oil. Always remember to rinse the bath well afterward to prevent you from slipping the next time you climb into the bath.
5.Your breasts don’t have any supportive muscle from the nipple to the collarbone and the skin is very fine here. Firming creams won’t work miracles but can help maintain the elasticity and suppleness of this delicate area. Regular application of body lotion can have similar effects.
6. Opt for a scented body lotion as a treat. They can often be longer lasting than the fragrances themselves. Alternatively, use them as part of
“fragrance layering”. This simply means taking advantage of the various scent formulations available. Start with a scented bath oil and soap, move on to the matching body lotion and powder, and leave the house wearing the fragrance itself sprayed onto your pulse points. However, be careful you don’t clash fragrance. Choose unscented products if you’re also wearing perfume unless you’re going to be wearing a matching scented body lotion. You don’t want cheaper products to compete with your more expensive perfume.
Homemade Body Lotions:
For pure pampering pleasure, nothing beats a tailor-made beauty preparation, and you can choose the ingredients especially to suit your own skincare needs. Mixing oils or adding your favourite essential oil to a ready-made unscented cream is easy to do and very rewarding.
1.Geranium Body Lotion: This is a spicy, fragrant lotion. Geranium oil is derived from a relative of the scented geranium leaf and the fragrance is pleasantly sharp and aromatic.
Ingredients: 175 ml/6 fl oz unscented body lotion; 15 drops geranium essential oil.
Add the geranium oil to the body lotion, mix them well and pour into a bottle with a tight lid.
2.Coconut And Orangeflower Body Lotion: This creamy preparation is
soothing and nourishing for dry skin. Wheatgerm oil is rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects skin cells against premature ageing.
Ingredients: 50g / 2oz coconut oil; 60ml / 4 tbsp sunflower oil; 10ml / 2 tsp wheatgerm oil; 10 drops orangeflower essence or 5 drops neroli essential oil.
1.Melt the coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over gently simmering water. Stir in the sunflower and wheatgerm oils. Leave to cool, then add the fragrance and pour into a jar.
2.The lotion will solidify after several hours. For the best results warm the cream on your hands briefly before applying to dry areas of the skin.
3. Rich Bath Remedy: For a rich moisturising bath blend use the following ingredients: 1 cup oatmeal, 3 cups powdered milk. Add the oatmeal to the milk in a muslin bag. Place this under the tap and run the water through it.
