Body, Feet and Hand Exfoliating: Like a Rub Down With Sand, Only Better

In my last post I spoke about the polishing effects of at home microdermabrasion kits. These kits can do wonders for your face, but the rest of your skin needs exfoliating too. Now, I would never suggest that you waste your hard earned money covering your body in microdermabrasion creams, although if you've recently won a lottery or find your have too much money, I say go for it, give it a try and let me know how it works for you, I'd be willing to bet you'd be the proud owner of some amazingly smooth skin. However, you can achieve a similar result for much less money by using body scrubs and specialized hand and feet sets.

Lets start with the body exfoliating scrubs. Coming into the summer months exfoliating your body is even more important than simply giving you smoother skin. Exfoliating will also help you to get a closer shave, giving you extra smooth legs, and if you use self tanners exfoliating before application is a must, otherwise you'll end up with a very uneven tan.

There are plenty of body washes that claim to include gentle exfoliating beads of some sort. I'm of the opinion that my dry, dead, flaky skin needs something a little stronger than a gentle coaxing to jump ship from my arms and legs. And so, I like to use the more intense exfoliating powers of the St. Ives Apricot scrub. You simply rub it on in cricular motions (no need to be too gentle here, you limbs are tough, they can take it) before hopping in the shower, and then rinse it off under the warm water. In less than five minutes, and under 10 dollars, you'll have amazingly smooth skin. Afterwards be sure to apply a moisturizer all over to maintain your smoothness. Repeat once or twice a week as needed.

As for your hands a feet, a slightly more specialized product may be in order. My two favs are the Mary Kay Satin Hands set, and the Crabtree & Evelyn 60-Second Fix Manicure Set for Hands. Both sets work similarly as with an exfoliating scrub and a soothing moisturizing cream. The Mary Kay one also comes with a bonus night time cream to help keep the smooth feeling longer. Both sets work amazingly well to scrub away dry brittle skin on your hands or feet, and the keep them smooth and supple for days. As with anything these sets aren't one time use miracles, they do need to be used on a regular basis, but they do work. They're extremely helpful with dry cracked hands in the winter, and with getting beautiful sandal ready feet in he summer. Although they aren't the cheapest cheapest products in the world, they are a fair bit cheaper than a regular mani/pedi appointment.