Written By Lewis Robinson / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Your skin is a barrier that protects your body from harm, but you need to take care of it so it can do its job. While facial skin care is important, you shouldn't neglect caring for the skin of your body. Here are six tips for expanding your skincare routine to focus on more than just your face.

1. Hand Skincare

A good rule of thumb for hand skin care is to do the same routine for them as you do for your face. The skin of both your hands and face is more delicate and more exposed than the rest of your body, which means that skin is more prone to exposure and damage.

You should take care to cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize your hands daily. Apply sunscreen to your hands as often as to your face, too. Choose gentle products that won't irritate your skin, but if you like scents, there's no reason to avoid them. You can use a vanilla or lavender hand cream to moisturize, for example.

2. Neck and Décolletage Skincare

Like your hands, your neck and décolletage benefit from extending your facial skin care. Use any serums, creams or masks for your face in these areas, too. Don't forget to apply sunscreen as well. Make sure you apply all products to the front, sides and back of your neck in upward strokes.

3. Foot Skincare

Because of how much wear and tear your feet can experience, you need to take care of them inside and out. Your feet can develop many skin issues depending on your routine and environment. Running causes calluses and heels can cause blisters. You may develop corns, bunions or athlete's feet at some point in your life, too.

To mitigate these issues, apply moisturizing creams daily, wear socks to bed and soak your feet periodically. Pumice stones tend to work best to exfoliate feet, as scrubs and chemical exfoliants don't penetrate thick calluses as well.

4. Cleansing

You should look for body washes that are as gentle as your facial cleansers. Avoid products with harsh or stripping ingredients, such as sodium lauryl sulphate or alcohols. These products can dry out your skin, especially if yours is sensitive.

A good gentle cleansing ingredient to check for is sodium lauroyl isethionate, which is much milder and less stripping on your skin. You should also avoid products with dyes or perfumes if you have allergies.

5. Exfoliating

The skin of your body needs exfoliation to shed dead skin cells and stimulate cell turnover as much as your face does. You can choose from a wide variety of products, including scrubs and chemical exfoliants. You can even just exfoliate gently with a loofa, washcloth or drybrush.

Try not to exfoliate every day, but if you do, either apply a chemical exfoliant, which is gentler than a scrub, or forego the scrub entirely and just cleanse gently with a loofah or washcloth. Always apply sunscreen to protect new skin cell growth from sun damage after exfoliating.

6. Moisturizing

Aside from applying sunscreen, moisturizing is the single most important skincare step for your body. Because this skin isn't as delicate as that of your face, you can use heavier or thicker products, such as coconut oil, that can cause breakouts on the face. Ceramides and hyaluronic acid are good moisturizing ingredients to look for.

To lock in extra moisture, apply products right after you shower. You should always apply a moisturizer of some kind after exfoliating or shaving. Exfoliating can make skin feel sensitive, while shaving can make skin feel dry, itchy or tight. A good moisturizer can help soothe both feelings and protect your skin when it's vulnerable.

Generally, you can adapt basic facial skincare, such as cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing, to any part of the body. All your skin is fundamentally the same organ, so you should treat all of it with the same care you show your face. 

Looking for 100% chemical-free, all-natural nourishing face and body oils? Check out Earth & Elm Nourishing Face Oil and Earth & Elm Nourishing Body Oil. Subscribe to our Trusted Health Club newsletter for more information about natural living tips, natural health, oral health and skincare. If you are looking for more health resources make sure to check out the Trusted Health Resources list.  

Written By:

Lewis Robinson is a freelance writer and expert in health and fitness. When he isn’t writing he can usually be found reading a good book or hitting the gym.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

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