There’s more of a tang of autumn in the air now and it’s time to get ready to get the children back to school, think about putting away those summer clothes and watching the evenings grow darker.
And if you’ve had a late summer holiday or you’re about to, then you also need to be thinking about post holiday skincare
If you’ve got a bit of a tan whilst you’re away and you want to keep that golden glow for as long as possible, then you need to exfoliate. In addition, as your tan fades, you may find that your skin gets a bit dryer and even a bit scalier in places, so keeping it polished and moisturised is the key to keeping it looking good.
It sounds a bit contradictory but in fact sloughing off the dead sea with gentle exfoliation and then moisturising will actually make your tan glow for longer.
Start off by showering with our Dead Sea Natural Mineral Shower Creme and then scoop up a handful of our Dead Sea Frankincense Body Scrub. Work it over your arms and legs, paying particular attention to elbows and heels. Then rinse off and enjoy the silky smooth feeling of your skin.
When your skin is still damp it’s time to moisturise. Use our Dead Sea Natural Mineral Body Lotion, again working into areas like heels, knees, elbows where the skin can be a bit dry.
Now you can either leave things as they are – or prolong your glow by applying a fake tan. There are some amazing products around now. Some give you an instant glow, which have the advantage of letting you see immediately where the tan is going and which areas you need to blend so that you don’t get uneven lines and blotches. Although if you’ve prepped your skin carefully, by exfoliating and moisturising as above, this is much less likely to happen.
Another type we like which is subtle and give you a gradual glow, are those moisturiseres with a built-in tanner that works slowly, and builds up a tan the more you use it. Althgough these are moisturisers, it’s still a good idea to use a separate moisturiser beforehand so your skin is really really prepped well.
That’s also why we say pay attention to areas like heels, elbows and knees. If you put on fake tan in these areas without moisturising, you will get a tell-tale darker area and streaky fake tan is far worse than having pale legs!
Post holiday skincare shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes or so a day. But if you invest the time in it, you’ll get to keep that holiday glow for longer, through more of these autumn days.
And it’s time to be thinking about what you’re going to wear in the warmer weather.
Shorts, summer dresses, short sleeved tops …
With that comes the prospect of baring your limbs … and after a winter encasing your legs in opaque tights and trousers you might feel there’s a bit of work to be done to get your legs looking summer ready.
After a few months of being covered up, our skin can look a little pasty and less than glowing. (And by the way, it might also be time to be thinking of a pedicure too).
Which is where we can help
You’ll need to start off by prepping your skin so it’s ready to be on show.
You might want to start using a gradual tan moisturiser that builds up colour gently – so that your legs and arms have a subtle glow – we’re not talking orange here – but looking lightly sunkissed. For this to work, you have to have an even, well-moisturised base so that you avoid the dreaded streaky effect.
It’s all in the preparation.
Get ready by exfoliating your skin. Remove dull surface skin cells by using a skin scrub – our Dead Sea Body Scrub with Frankincense is perfect for this. When you’re showering, grab a handful and wake up your skin by working it onto the surface in a circular motion. (You’re going to love the smell by the way). Wash it off and you’ll notice an immediate difference – your skin will be smoother and you’ll have got the circulation going.
After your shower whilst your skin is still warm, apply a moisturiser. Work it well into areas like your ankles, knees, feet, elbow and hands. (Again, our Natural Mineral Body Lotion is ideal for this.)
Let the body lotion soak in and if you’re then planning on using a fake tan or gradual build-up tan, then apply it evenly where you’ve moisturised. By moisturising first, you’ll get a much more natural-looking effect and will avoid areas of uneven light and dark tan which will look strange.
Follow this routine daily and in a few days you’ll have arms and legs you’ll be proud to show off on sunny days – forgetting about wearing tights and trousers.
What about your feet?
If you’re going to give yourself a pedicure at home, so your feet are ready to be on display, then start off by soaking them in a bowl of our Dead Sea Bath Salts or Aromatherapy Bath Salts. This will soften any hard skin so that you can remove it easily with a pumice stone or foot file – whatever is your preference.
You can then buff up your skin using our Dead Sea Body Scrub, getting rid of any remaining callouses. Rinse and then apply our Natural Mineral Body Lotion , rubbing well into your feet. Then you can get started on your pedicure, evening up your cuticles and deciding on what colour nail varnish you’re going to choose.
At the end of the day
If you’re planning on going out to soak up the sun, look after your skin by applying a cream with an SPF that suits you. Tan gradually, don’t expose winter skin to the sun without protection and for long periods.
