How To: Achieve Soft, Smooth Skin (With Alternatives For Busy Bees And Penny Pinchers!)

Hello hello...

Among all my beauty fails in the past, one of them was to neglect scrubbing and moisturizing my body. I avoided using lotion because in the olden days they're pretty greasy. Then there is that icky, slippery feel on my hands whenever I need to wash them. As for body scrubs I was just too plain lazy to use them.

Last year however I decided to give the body scrubs and Body Butters from The Body Shop a try and I became hooked! Not only do they smell great, they did not irritate my skin either. That really motivated me to scrub-a-dub and moisturize about 3 times a week.

About a month after practicing this, I was scratching my shoulder and I was startled that my skin was so smooth. Really! I had never had such smooth and soft skin in my life! Terkejut sendiri ni.

Unfortunately, I ran out of 2 tubs of body scrub and Body Butter each within 6 months. I don't really go to the city that often so I had to find other alternatives. I think I have found a pretty affective routine which cuts cost and time in the shower too.

So the first part of this post is going to be a regular scrub and lotion routine and the 2nd part will be the low cost and quick alternative routine. Okay? So let's get into it.

Part 1
What you need:
1. Shower gel
2. Body scrub
3. Body Butter/cream/lotion

My current shower gel and body cream.

Start off with showering using the shower gel. Try to avoid using bar soaps that you can get at the supermarkets because it tends to dry the skin. Use a moisturizing shower gel if you can. Dove and Johnson & Johnson are pretty good options. I personally use The Body Shop shower gel because it smells good but doesn't irritate my skin.

After rinsing off the shower gel, take a palm full of body scrub and gently work it all over your body. Remember, be gentle. You are not scrubbing scum off the floor, just dead skin off your body. After you're done scrubbing, rinse it off.

The scrub I'm currently using.

By the way, there are 2 main types of scrubs; cream and gel. The former tends to be more moisturizing so use that if you have dry skin type.

Lightly towel dry (leave your skin moist) and apply half a palm of body cream all over your body. This helps to lock in the moisture of the cream onto your skin. Wait for about 3-5 minutes before dressing. *Is anyone laughing at the thought of lounging around naked for 5 minutes? Haha..*

Try to scrub once in every 2-3 days and moisturize everyday. If you make a practice of doing this, I guarantee that your skin will be silky smooth within the 1st month. Kena rajin la. Jangan mo berangan dapat kulit halus tapi duduk2 tiup2 kuku jak. Kan?

Now, we move on to the quick and convenient method for the Busy Bees and the Penny Pinchers.

Part 2
What you need:
1. Shower gel
2. Bath lily/ loofah
3. Nivea In-shower Skin Conditioner

For this method, soak the bath lily with water then drizzle a little bit of shower gel on it. Lather it up and briskly work it over your body (making sure your skin is wet before hand of course) in circular motions. The netted texture of the bath lily acts as the 'scrub'. Rubbing the skin in circular motions also helps to get the circulation going and will give it a healthy glow. When you're done, rinse all the lather off.

Next, apply Nivea in-shower Skin Conditioner all over your body then rinse. Yes peeps, you do not need to wait for it to 'sink in' for 5 minutes before rinsing. It's apply and rinse. Lastly, dry yourself thoroughly with a towel and you are ready to get dressed.

How easy and quick is that was? You of course, can use body cream/lotion after bathing in Part 2 to give maximum moisture to your skin but if you are really pressed for time, you can skip that step entirely.

What are your favorite bath products? So share your thoughts in the comments section below.


Love,
Phy