Beach Body Blitz Part 1 - Holiday Skin

Whether you prefer a real tan or faking it, it's worth investing a little time and effort to prepare your skin for sun exposure.  Regular exfoliating and moisturising will help slough off dead skin and get your skin in prime condition for tanning and ensure it looks gleaming and smooth, which can only be a good thing for those of us who will be exposing a lot more of it than usual. It's important to pay particular attention to particularly dry areas such as elbows, knees and ankles, where self tan can tend to 'catch'.  Removing dead skin cells on the surface will allow your moisturiser, self tanner and sunscreen to work more effectively.

It really doesn't have to cost a lot of money or effort - I'm sure most of us can fit 5 mins extra into our day, 2 or 3 times a week.  I'll talk you through some of the products I've been using recently, but you can do it for even less with an exfoliating glove from Boots or Body Shop (I find these a bit too abrasive, but lots of people love them) or even a good old fashioned flannel.  And a Google search will bring up numerous recipes for home made body scrubs and moisturisers made from products such as olive oil, sugar and salt.

The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Sugar Scrub, Coconut Body Butter, Shea Body Butter

I've revisited my teens recently with a new found love for the Body Shop.  I don't know if formulas are improved since then, but I've been seriously impressed.  The three I've been loving most are Sweet Lemon Sugar Scrub and the Coconut and Shea Body Butters.

Sweet Lemon is gritty and almost gel like in texture. The sugar particles dissolve as you massage it into the skin in a warm shower, meaning it isn't too harsh or scratchy. It's not the most amazing exfoliator I've ever used, but it's very nice and the smell is divine (I have the matching shower gel - a great wake up call!).  

Coconut Body Butter is like Summer in a big fat tub (which I got half price) - the texture is quite rich and stiff, so works best if you soften it between your palms before massaging in.  I find that I need quite a lot of it and seem to be getting through the tub at an alarming rate.  I also have a shimmer version of this, which does what it says on the tub.

Shea Body Butter is my fave of these three products - it feels extra rich and luxurious and leaves a lovely sheen on my skin, which I've tried to capture in the pic below, probably not very well.

The Body Shop Shea Body Butter leaves a lovely sheen on the skin, difficult to capture in a pic

I'm not sure why, but the Body Shop has been running a lot of promotions lately, so if you fancy trying any of these, pop into one of their shops or subscribe online and you'll receive regular email updates.  I've just noticed they have started a sale with 50% off some body butters, which are £6 instead of £12.  Body scrubs are £12.50 for 200ml, but you can try a smaller tub for £5.

He-Shi Exfoliating Body Wash and Souffle Body Moisturiser

Alternatively you might like to try some of the skincare products affiliated with  tanning companies, such as He-Shi, whose self tan I'll be reviewing as part of this Body Blitz series. Lots of other companies such as St Tropez are now offering ranges like this. He-Shi's exfoliating body wash and souffle moisturiser are two unisex products designed to help buff and moisturise the skin pre-tanning.  I assumed these would be more expensive, but they actually work out the same price as Body Shop products, at £12 and £12.50 each - you can see the full range of prices here.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

A sophisticated ingredients list includes fruit AHAs, micro-dermabrasion crystals, aloe vera and antioxidants, but the quality I noticed the most was that they smell of strawberries, especially the exfoliator.  My husband (who is almost as big a product fan as me) felt this was a bit girly for him, so I'm not so sure about the 'for him and her' bit, but that's fine, because it's mine!  

He-Shi Exfoliating Body Wash

I've always liked very fine grained exfoliators. If you think about it, a handful of very fine grains will be much more gentle and effective than large, coarse ones, as they will cover the entire surface of your skin.  I'm very careful not to over-exfoliate (2-3 times per week is about right) and never use harsh or coarse products on my face, neck or decollete.  This product is fine enough to use all over, including the face, which reminds me I forgot to photograph the facial exfoliator that I would normally use, which is by Nuxe.

He-Shi Souffle Moisturiser

The Souffle Moisturiser is really rich and smells lovely and fresh.  It takes a fair bit of rubbing in, which is fine by me because I love the richness and this really feels like it's nourishing my skin.  It doesn't leave the same sheen as the Body Shop butters, which I guess is partly to do with the 'for him and her' element as most men prefer to be discreet about skincare.  He-Shi advise not to use this immediately before self tanning, so I'd suggest using it in the days running up to tanning, or even a couple of hours beforehand.

Have you tried any of these products and have you been preparing your skin for baring the flesh?!  If you have any other Body Shop recs or know of any current offers, feel free to mention them in the comments box below.  I'm always up for trying something new!

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