Ultimate Body Care Guide: Mastering the Art of the perfect shower
I remember learning how to shower as a child: lather up with soap, apply it all over, rinse, and repeat. It was perfect for my 5-year-old self, but as a teenager, stressed student, pregnant woman, or working mother in a dry, cold environment, this routine fell short. Our bodies change as we age, and so do our skin's needs. Just as our skincare changes throughout life's stages – teenage years, 20s, 30s, 40s, menopause, and beyond – the skin on our bodies evolves and requires special attention too.
Moreover, it is important for me (and I hope you) to show modesty in what we consume. I’ve watched a lot of skincare (and body care) influencers who talk about their 8 shower gels, 6 moisturisers etc. There is no need for that. Living mindfully and modestly means being deliberate about your purchases, and selecting the best items that meet your needs-not collecting the most stuff. So here is the modest manifesto’s no-nonsense shower guide.
Dry brushing
Dry brushing is the process of brushing the skin while its dry. It is a gentle exfoliating technique that can also help to improve circulation and lymphatic drainage. As an exfoliation technique, brushing dry skin creates greater friction between the brush surface and the skin, leading to more effective sloughing of dead skin cells. Dry brushing stimulates the lymphatic system, helping the body detoxify more efficiently. The lymphatic system is a network of vessels and nodes that help remove toxins and waste products from the body. The lymphatic system is positioned superficially, such that gentle (low-to-medium pressure), massage or dry brushing can successfully pump lymph fluid along the vessels and allow it to drain into the nodes. Once in the node, toxins are filtered out of the lymph fluid, and the detoxified fluid is returned to circulation. Improved lymph circulation has a knock-on effect on overall health and immunity.
To dry brush, use a long-handled brush with soft, natural bristles. Start at your feet and brush upwards in long, sweeping strokes. Brush in the direction of your lymph nodes, located in the armpits, groin, and neck. Aim to brush for about 5 minutes each day before you shower.
Choose the right cleanser
Just as we are careful to select the correct cleanser for the skin on our face, we need to use the right cleanser for our bodies. This is especially important given that the skin on our body covers are larger area and therefore shows more variation. For example, it may be that someone’s forelegs are very dry, while their back is very oily and prone to backne. Then there are parts of the body that sweat more, collect more odour, and need a powerful cleanse. Can your current soap achieve all these things? Perhaps. But if it doesn’t, consider developing a different cleansing technique. For example, you might consider doing a soap cleanse on the sweatier and oilier regions of the body (or as a first cleanse), and then using a cleansing oil or a gentle gel for the rest of the body (as a second cleanse).
Exfoliate physically and chemically
If you’ve done dry brushing, you’ve probably achieved some level of physical exfoliation; you can build on this using a gentle body scrub. I recommend the l’occitane almond body scrub because it’s extremely moisturising, gentle on the skin, and smells divine. However, anything will do – even coffee granules from your morning brew.
You can also try a chemical exfoliant, for example, glycolic acid wash, or an exfoliating cream with lactic acid (in your last step).
What tool to use for cleansing
There is a war raging online for the best tool to use to clean the body. African net sponge vs loofah vs brush. Personally, I would say none of them because they are all made from plastic. A recent study found that washing dishes with a standard plastic sponge shed microplastics and nano plastics into the air – and presumably our lungs. Though there are currently no studies that investigate the impact of using plastic loofah in the shower, I imagine rubbing the skin with a plastic sponge, will have a similar impact. Instead, I recommend using your hands, cotton wash cloth, or a natural material or brush.
Your skin needs actives too
Lots of companies have caught onto body care trend (I am looking at you naturium) and brought out great chemical exfoliators and serums to use post shower. Advance clinicals retinol cream, Bondi Gold overnight retinol, the versed retinol body lotion, and the more premium Necessaire retinol serum (available in USA) are some of the most popular body care retinols available. Ameliorate lactic acid cream has great reviews for exfoliating the body and creating a smooth soft skin texture. Think about your skin needs. Do you need more moisture, Texture smoothing, or more even skin tone (especially for the backne girls)?
Moisturise quickly!
The process of hydrating and moisturising the skin begins with effective exfoliation. By sloughing off dead cells, you enable new cells to rise to the surface, ready to absorb all the wonderful actives in your creams. The second most important factor to moisturising is time. Research shows our skin absorbs molecules better when its damp. Therefore, more of the actives in your body cream will penetrate deeper into the skin if you apply them while the skin is still damp.
Body oils right after moisturising
The process of cleaning removes oils from the body; it is extremely important to return those oils back to the body. Oils are also important because they are typically good occlusives that can help lock in the hydration (water) content of creams.
Don’t forget the feet!
Don't forget the feet! Your feet take a lot of abuse, so it's important to give them some TLC too. To heal my heels, I’ve been using the Eucerin urea cream. Urea is a good humectant (draws water to the skin) and emollient (skin softening), which makes it great for reviving dry, cracked heels.
