Beauty Report: Moisture-proof your winter skin

Winter is hard on the body. The first whisper of summer may have us all whipping out the wax strips and body lotions but by winter, neglect will have set in.

It is too easy to skip moisturising your limbs when you stumble out of the shower in the morning, only to be accosted by wintry morning air and the prospect of leaving for work while it’s still dark.

I like to conduct basic maintenance as a night-time ritual in the wind-down period before bed. Even if you can muster the enthusiasm to moisturise before dressing in the morning, you’re generally rewarded by the cloying sensation of clothing sticking to you in an undignified fashion and stained garments.

Moisturising before bed is far preferable. As your body temperature increases during sleep, products have a better rate of absorption and any stickiness or residue can be washed off during the morning’s shower.

Moisturising is much more effective on exfoliated skin, however, and with dry skin in particular, the majority of your moisturiser will be absorbed by the dead flaking skin on the surface.

By neglecting to exfoliate before moisturising, your product never penetrates the area where it can do the most good.

An exfoliating scrub massaged into skin is always particularly effective – a handful of granulated sugar added to a tablespoon of olive oil will slough off dead skin just as effectively as expensive scrubs, but I prefer to use a cactus brush.

These are widely available, though the Body Shop cactus brush (€14.95) is particularly effective and affordable. As well as leaving skin baby smooth, dry brushing with one of these a few times weekly prevents in-grown hairs – a common complaint in those who wax – and increases the blood flow to areas of cellulite, helping them to appear that bit smoother.

Some sort of body exfoliation is hugely beneficial, and prevents horror when spring rolls around and you take your annual winter damage assessment while attempting to force cloven hooves into dusty sandals.

We’ve all been there.

Thin, highly scented body creams tend to be alcohol-rich and do less for the skin.

When moisturising before bed, opt for a thicker formulation and give it the whole night to work its magic. This is the bodily equivalent of applying a nourishing face mask and sleeping in it. Skin will glow with vitality in the morning and tight, flaking limbs will feel comfortable again.

Aveda’s Stress-Fix Body Creme (€47.50) has a thick but melting texture and a deep lavender scent which makes it the perfect night-time body cream.

If you can’t resist the draw of a more synthetic fragrance but won’t compromise on unctuous texture, Chanel’s Coco Noir Body Cream (€77) is darkly sophisticated and is like a fragrance in itself. Congratulate yourself on your good taste as you catch the scent on yourself later.

[ lkennedy@irishtimes.com ]