Body Feeling Blah? Get Snatched for Summer With These 5 Body Care Must-Do's

Been feeling a bit bleh lately? We feel you. But the unofficial start of summer is right around the corner, so what better time to start a new project than now: summer body care prep! Here, 5 things to get your body ready for shorts season — because you don't want to get caught pasty and flaky when they suddenly lift lockdown.

The summer months are fast approaching, and it’s time to begin to put your house in order. The house in question is your body, and it’s due for a spring cleaning. While the majority of the population may still be sheltering in place, things may change soon, and you’ll want to be ready to wear shorts and such.

And even if we wind up being stuck indoors through the summer, it’s no excuse to neglect your skin. Just as you wouldn’t only wash your face and proceed through the steps of your routine for special occasions, you should take care of every stitch of epidermis from top to toe.

Consider these coming weeks of seclusion as a boot camp of sorts for your skin, as well as preparation for being let back outside. Even if the latter may not be factual, treating these summer body care prep exercises as if it were will help you feel like there’s a date in the near future to look forward to, and that’s better than open-ended weeks of waiting.

1. Shed those layers

You’ve been hiding underneath layers and heavier fabrics for months, building up a layer of dry, flaky skin cells. To reveal the softer layer underneath, start to incorporate regular exfoliation into your bathtime practices, making sure to use an environmentally-safe scrub at least twice a week or something like a shower mitt. I hear the Italy towels of Korean spa fame work pretty well when it comes to sloughing off dead skin, and they are readily available to purchase online. Other alternatives are exfoliating mitts or dry brushes.

 

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A post shared by Tree Hut (@treehut) on Apr 14, 2020 at 12:37pm PDT

2. Bare it all

Do you put away the razor as soon as the temps dip and wear your body hair like a natural sweater? It’s time to channel your inner Sphynx cat, so unearth your shaving sticks and home wax kits and prepare to be de-furred. (Unless you happen to like looking like Chewbacca when you sport your nice pair of colorful cutoffs. To each their own. Body hair is perfectly fine, and there isn’t a specific standard that anyone should be forced to adhere to.)

To prevent ingrown hairs and irritation, make sure to exfoliate before you shave or wax, use an appropriate lotion or gel afterward, and switch out your blades regularly. (For a DIY vajacial, check out our tips here.)

 

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A post shared by Billie (@billie) on Jul 16, 2018 at 2:03pm PDT

3. Peel away

Dry, cracked skin on your hands and feet are an unfortunate byproduct of colder weather. During sandal weather, the accountability that comes in the form of judging looks and generally just seeing your icky feet on display serves as a motivator for maintenance. But during the winter months, your feet are perpetually shoved into shearling boots, stockings, and fleece-lined shoes, providing the excuse that regular pedicures aren’t necessary since your heels and toes won’t be visible anyway.

Foot peeling masks are a great way to give yourself a home pedicure because they’re idiot-proof and don’t require the purchase of additional tools like foot baths or foot files (which a friend of mine refuses to use because she says they look like cheese graters. And cheese graters are not meant for feet lol.)

Simply follow the instructions on the packet, and in a few days your feet will start to shed like crazy, revealing smooth heels and toes that don’t look like they’ve been through hell.

 

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A post shared by Oh K! (@ohk_life) on Nov 20, 2018 at 10:01am PST

4. Lighten up

If heavy body butters and balms have been your wintertime body care staples, the time to swap them out for lighter lotions is fast approaching. If you live in a humid area or in a locale with harsh summers, heavy creams are not the best moisturizer choice for warmer months since they can feel uncomfortable and be absorbed less readily. They can also lead to clogged pores and acne, especially if you have oily skin.

If you are a lizard-skinned individual like me, make sure to do some research beforehand in order to find lotion formulations that are light but hydrating. Being ashy isn’t cute and neither is it good for the skin.

 

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A post shared by dear,klairs | 디어,클레어스 (@dear_klairs) on Nov 5, 2019 at 7:33pm PST

5. Beyond the pale

And for my fellow White Walkers and Edward Cullens, you have not been forgotten. If revealing your pasty limbs makes your family and significant others reach for their sunglasses, there’s a remedy for that.

Thanks to the wonders of modern cosmetics, you can safely tan at home with products like gradual tanners, tinted lotions, and tanning mitts. I personally prefer my tans in the form of lotions that give me the just-came-back-from-holiday tint over time because I don’t trust myself to spray tan without looking like a human-sized Cheeto or The Annoying Orange.

 

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A post shared by St.Tropez (@sttropeztan) on Apr 10, 2020 at 12:00pm PDT

What does your annual summer prep body care routine look like? Share in the comments.