I always want to take care of my body and my skin but there are times when it all just feels a bit pointless...particularly when I'm single or it's the cold months of winter when most of me is covered up 90% of the time. Why should I exfoliate my stomach when no one will see, let alone touch that area, for a very very long time? Is buying that body butter really necessary? Well I'm about to tell you that it is. After going overseas alone for 6 weeks, I can definitely say I feel much better about myself now that I've come back and have been able to start them again. These habits are in no way essential to your life but if you kept up these habits whilst dating someone or trying to impress someone, then you should definitely keep on going.
1. Body brushing.
In the past few years, I've heard people talking about this more and more. If you haven't heard of it before, it's a technique that allows you to use a bristled brush gently over your body. It has many benefits: getting rid of toxins in the skin, waking you up by getting the circulation in your body moving, smoothing out bumps in the skin and even diminishing the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks. This is the one habit that I'd recommend you picking up if you're not doing it already. It only takes a few minutes. My advice: get your hands on an Elemis body brush, watch A Model Recommends body brush video, watch a few more of her videos, subscribe and then continue to body brush at least a few times a week. The way this makes you feel in the short term is enough to make you want to do it a few times and the long term benefits of smooth skin and a healthier overall body are definitely reasons to keep doing it.
2. Exfoliating.
In much the same way body brushing is good for your skin, exfoliating is almost as good. Exfoliating will really help smooth down bumps in the skin and doing it a few times a week in conjunction with body brushing will mean that not only will you get the circulation moving in your skin, but you'll end up with very soft and renewed skin. Soap and Glory do some really good affordable body scrubs that smell amazing. Buying scrubs to get smooth skin may seem pointless when you're single, but shaving is a much more pleasant experience when you've exfoliated beforehand (many less bumps and no sore skin) and scrubbing just makes me feel cleaner. If you take public transport or work in a city with a large amount of pollution, all that dirt and grime will end up on your body and sometimes a body wash just isn't going to cut it. So if you won't do it for smooth skin, do it for cleanliness.
3. Moisturising.
Using a body butter or lotion is the last step in the soft skin journey. It actually makes me happy to feel that areas like my arms are smooth, moisturised and soft. They feel healthy. Having scaly arms and dry skin definitely does not make me feel the same way. Keeping your skin moisturised also means it is less prone to drying out and therefore less prone to showing signs of ageing too soon in life. So if you don't want to do it for the single you now, do it for the grandparent you'll be in years to come with smooth a** skin. I highly recommend the Argan Oil Body Butter from The Body Shop for nightly application as it stays on the skin until morning so you won't have to reapply.
4. Exercising.
Now this isn't a beauty habit for most people. It's a matter of health and a sound mind. But sometimes it can be about looking good. It can be hard to do that when you're single and happy about being single. Your friends love you for how you look and you're not really interested in whether the first impression you give new people is of a fit and toned person. But some things people have said to me lately have reminded me that it's important to feel good about how you look rather than just being okay with it and going with the flow. I am happier when my body is toned and my legs are slimmer. So don't just go with the flow of wherever your body and the food around it is taking you, make an effort to feel good about it even if it may feel as if you're not doing it for any real reason right now.
Wild Card Number 5. Bio Oil.
A bit of a strange final tip but mainly a reminder to myself. I have stretch marks and cellulite on my thighs and my bum and because of that, I hate my thighs and my bum. So I'm trying to use Bio Oil to help it. However, on the bottle it says you need to use it at least twice a day. I have been trying to use it once a day and it does seem to be helping but I can't complain that it isn't until I've actually followed their recommendations. This is obviously harder if no one will be seeing your bum in any situation but I will be seeing mine. This is another habit I've tried to pick up because I am just sick of being upset about it. Although it may be the massaging that is helping more than the oil itself, I am going to keep going with it and report back!
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