Optimise your tan
Regular body scrubs will certainly improve the tone of your skin, but don’t go mad before heading to the beach
Advice to prepare your skin for sunbathing by performing a few body scrubs is nothing new, but it can actually be detrimental. It is not a case of the more you scrub away the better your tan. In fact, if you overdo it you are leaving your skin vulnerable, more likely to burn and more likely to suffer a reaction from the combination of heat, sun and chemicals in sun lotion. The point of body scrubbing with a commercial body scrub, loofah or body brush is to smooth and polish the skin so that excess dead skin cells are removed and the skin attains a healthy glow. Circulation to scrubbed areas is also increased, so regular body scrubbing will give sluggish areas a more toned look (back of upper arms, tummy, thighs and bum). But you will only get that benefit after fairly long term, regular but gentle scrubbing and not from doing it once or twice till you are red raw! By all means ‘prepare’ your skin before you bare all on the beach, but do not make the mistake of scrubbing away like a lunatic thinking you will have a better tan. If you have not done so in months, the best thing to do is perform two or three gentle exfoliations over a two-week period before your holiday or sunbathing begins.
Remember that when you sunbathe, the heat and UV rays are going to produce erythema, or reddening of the skin, therefore it is not a good idea to perform skin exfoliation the day before and certainly not on the same day as exposure. This is because you would be giving the skin a double dose of sensitizing or reddening and this can lead to problems. A better idea is to perform your last body scrub about four or five days before exposure. While you are on a sun holiday or having a few days at the beach, it’s best not to scrub at all but apply a soothing, hydrating aftersun lotion or body oil to help reinforce the skin’s integrity.
A good way to prepare and condition skin before sunbathing is to apply body lotion or natural body oils daily after showering for a few days beforehand. Oils such as olive, sweet almond, jojoba, calendula or any plant oil are great at feeding and nourishing the skin. Alternatively, try a commercially available brand such as Clarins, available from department stores, Decleor, available from salons and spas, Melvitta, available from Bio Excellia and outlets in Limassol (Tel: 22 376806) or Rosveda (Tel: 99 548338). All the above oils are blends of several natural oils with added essential oils and will leave skin in amazing condition and can be used as excellent after sun products too.
After all that pampering, your body’s skin will resemble that of a goddess so don’t ruin it all by baking your self red raw in the sun! Start your sunbathing by exposing yourself for just a few minutes on the first day and use a fairly high SPF for most of your holiday, or at least till you are quite dark, then you can switch to a lower SPF. Do not, under any circumstances, apply perfume, body sprays or oils containing high dilutions of essential oils while sunbathing or walking around in the sun. You will be rewarded with skin stains or possibly an allergic reaction.
However, using certain essential oils at the end of the sunbathing day is a great way of soothing and conditioning the skin. Adding two drops only of either chamomile, rose absolute or lavender to a cool bath will help soothe the skin. Alternatively add your couple of drops to about a tablespoon or more of a base oil such as sweet almond and apply as a body oil (Don’t be tempted to overdose and use too many drops of essential oils, they are very concentrated, and do not use them on children under four).
