It is almost that time for paper hearts, red roses, and hopefully a romantic evening out with your special someone. How do you prepare for Valentine's Day? Well other than getting out the Barry White music and lighting the candles, you might also want to think about your skin. Valentine's Day is the time for snuggling, kissing, and skin to skin contact. You don't want your sweetie to touch you and be chafed by dry rough skin. Nothing says sexy like smooth silky touchable skin. But how do you get it?
The following are some tips and suggestions for making dry winter skin both supple and smooth:
1. Let's start with your hands. If you are going to engage in some hand holding you want your skin to feel soft and not leathery. You can exfoliate your hands especially if you have calluses or rough spots. You can use a pumice stone for this purpose by getting it wet and gently rubbing those target areas of the hands. Next make sure to use a good hand moisturizer or lotion on your hands. I like Neutrogena's Age Shield Hand Cream with its SPF 30 protection.
2. How about your feet? They need some tender loving care as well. Nothing is more relaxing than treating yourself to a home spa treatment for your feet. It is fairly easy to do. I had bought a small kit from the The Body Shop for this very purpose. After clipping your toenails you can then soak your feet in a warm soapy foot bath to soften the skin. Next use a pumice stone or a pumice foot scrub to rub off any dry skin. Don't forget to do your toes. Rinse your feet. Then apply your favorite foot lotion. I personally like the peppermint kind as it feels invigorating to tired feet. Now you are ready to wear those slinky toe baring shoes you bought.
3. Your body also needs exfoliation to get rid of any dry patches. Exfoliation is the process of removing dry dead skin to reveal new healthy skin. Exfoliation increases the skin's capacity to keep in moisture. This will help to keep your skin smooth and soft and give your skin a healthy glow. There are plenty of exfoliating body scrubs or washes on the market. If you are planning on using a sunless tanner it is a good idea to exfoliate your skin beforehand. I use Neutrogena's Pre-Sunless Scrub for this purpose. There are a number of ways you can do this such as using a rough washcloth or a loofah bath brush, sponge, or pad. But I personally like the loofah gloves. They make it easy to scrub the skin. Next, put your moisturizer on right after your shower when your skin is still damp. This will keep the moisture in your skin instead of allowing it to evaporate from the surface. Now your skin should be soft and smooth and ready to slip into that sexy dress.
4. To keep your face feeling soft and smooth you might want to investigate buying an at home Microdermabrasion Kit. My Skin Care Connection Expert Sue Chung tells us how. Or you can do a more simple exfoliation process of using a facial scrub. I use St. Ive's Apricot Scrub, Ultra Gentle for Sensitive Skin. You can't beat the price of this as it is usually under four bucks. If you have sensitive or acne prone skin it might be a good idea not to overdo exfoliating your face. I find if I do this more than twice a week, my skin gets red and blotchy. After you rinse then it is time to apply your best facial moisturizer. With glowing radiant skin you are now ready for your evening out!
