How to Get Your Body Ready for Swimsuit Season
Getting your body ready for swimsuit season. (Photo: @giselleofficial)
While tweaking your diet and exercise routine will get looking and feeling great, they do take time to see results. So while you continue along on Yahoo Beauty’s Spring Reboot, it’s time for the last step: Getting your skin as soft and glowing as possible. Here are some quick fixes you can do at home to improve your body from head to toe and boost your confidence when it’s time to wear skin-baring clothing.
Exfoliation
By exfoliating your skin, not only will your skin become softer, you’ll get a closer shave (no ingrown hairs!) and your self-tanner will apply more evenly. Depending on your skin type and preference there are many methods to try. Dry brushing can minimize the appearance of cellulite, eliminate toxins, and boost circulation. Try a natural bristle brush like Aromatherapy Associates Polishing Body Brush ($23). The messiest but most delicious method is using a physical scrub. Tata Harper’s new Smoothing Body Scrub ($68) uses awesome biodegradable exfoliants (just say no to microbeads!) like Pink Himalayan and Hawaiian sea salts, cranberry fibers, apricot seed powder and organic sugar plus nourishing argan oil. Rub it into your skin using a circular motion, and rinse to reveal soft, hydrated skin. Lastly, you can use a gommage like Koh Gen Do Soft Gommage Spa Gel ($45) which gently resurfaces even the most sensitive skin.
Hair Removal
Make sure you use your razor, wax, or depilatory the day before you’re going out in the sun and surf to avoid redness, irritation, and burns (raw skin = sensitive to UV rays and sunscreen). When it comes to razors, the Yahoo Beauty staff is obsessed with the astoundingly close shave you get from Harry’s Truman razor ($10), and the new Schick Hydro Silk TrimStyle Razor ($18) which includes a curve-sensing razor on one slide and a battery-operated bikini trimmer on the other. For a great depilatory option, try the new Bliss Fuzz Off Foam ($32). The spray-on, rinse-off formula is gentle, mess-free, and a cinch to use.
Hydrate Your Skin
The key to locking in moisture is applying body oil or lotion while your skin is still damp. Nivea’s In-Shower Smoothing Body Lotion ($6) makes this even easier, and you might benefit from keeping your other moisturizers by the tub. One Love Organics Coconut + Salt Body Lotion ($25) is full of skin-enhancing minerals and lightweight enough to not be remotely sticky. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil ($29) comes in a convenient spray bottle.
Fake a Tan
Applying self tanner not only makes your skin look bronze, it can also make your body look slimmer and more toned, and mask any unevenness, blemishes, or bruises. We always turn to Jergens Natural Glow for affordable at-home tanning, and their new Natural Glow Color Primer ($9), Instant Sun Sunless Tanning Mousse ($12), and Tan Extender ($9) are the best hassle-free way to prep, apply, and extend your faux glow. For a gentle face tanner that won’t stain your hands (yay!), try Somerville360 Face Self Tanner Pads ($45).
Don’t Forget Your Feet
Cracked feet and nasty toes can ruin the whole look, so give yourself a simple DIY pedicure. Use a pumice stone or body scrub in the shower to remove dry, scaly skin. Next, clip and file toenails, apply cuticle oil, and gently push back your cuticles. Apply Soap & Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream ($10) to soothe and smooth your soles. Deborah Lippmann’s All About That Base ($20) acts as a CC cream for your nails, masking over any imperfections while strengthening your nails.
Related:
Spring Reboot: 6 Secrets to Eating Smarter
