The summer body countdown: What to do, when & how often
Last-minute treatments rarely work when it comes to instilling some pre-vacation body confidence. Start now with a simple, do-able routine that will slot into your working week. NEWBY HANDS gets beach ready
FOR SMOOTHER SKIN
Be realistic with your regime
Don’t commit to daily body brushing, massaging and layers of treatment creams. It won’t last past the first week. Routine is everything when it comes to making a different to the face, skin or body, so plan to allocate just five minutes, three times a week, and you will see the difference. A good body scrub is a given, but I also recommend an AHA-based body cream; Lancer’s The Method Body: Nourish is my favorite – use it daily for two weeks, then relax to two or three times a week, and you’ll see the difference. When it comes to ultra-dry shins and backs of arms, they will benefit from using face-peel pads on them twice a week. Also remember that AHAs do more than polish the skin’s surface, as they hydrate and even-out skin tone and texture over time.
Make the effort to skin brush
While it's boring, it's also very effective. Make it easier by using two small brushes (Legology does good ones), holding one in each hand to work fast up the limbs. “Don’t do long sweeping movements; instead, do quick flicks upwards over the skin with the brushes,” instructs Kate Shapland, whose own battle with long-term heavy-leg issues led her to create Legology. “You can do it in the shower or with a body oil; it doesn’t matter just as long as you do it around three times a week. And make it fast: one minute is enough to get the lymph moving to minimize puffiness and fluid retention.”
FOR A DEEP-CLEAN DETOX
Cocktail your bath
Try adding magnesium, or Epsom or Himalayan salts – not only will they help to detox and de-puff the body, but salt is also known for deep-cleaning the pores. “And if you have crystals, drop them in your bath,” says aesthetician Nichola Joss. Rose quartz brings comfort, tourmaline improves circulation and helps detoxification, jade is good for the skin, and amethyst is protective and soothing.
Make time to massage
“Don’t just rub on a body cream, massage it in – it’s the application and the frequency that ultimately make the difference, not necessarily what you use,” says Joss. She recommends perching on a stool or chair – or even on the side of the bath – so you can really focus on working the oil or cream (“The Omorovicza body care is amazing,” says Joss) firmly into your skin. “If you have a face cream or serum that you haven’t used, use it on your body, especially super-dry shins, elbows and upper arms,” she recommends.
Get moving
“When you stay static the lymph and circulation get sluggish, and moving is the best thing you can do for your body,” says Shapland. Sitting and being sedentary is now being viewed by some as the new smoking. “Keep a tennis ball in your drawer at the office and roll your feet over it every day, as even just this will get the lymphatic system moving.” Joss recommends spending a few minutes every morning “shaking out the body. After body brushing, shake each limb vigorously, one after the other. It gets the blood moving and keeps the connective tissue and muscles supple (so good for cellulite), and works like a good all-over massage.”
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