Beach bums listen up for the best ways to scrub, moisturize, tan and tone your body ready for summer.

The sun is reaching for his hat so we need to get our weary limbs out of hibernation and make him proud. A somewhat daunting prospect but with the right products it can be made easier and even pleasureable. There are hundreds of lotions and potions out there, all vying for our attention, some proving better than others.
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First task is to polish up, get rid of dry cells and make way for fresh smooth skin to expose. Body scrubs come in various guises; sugar, salt, fruit and even oats. Of what I’ve tried, I find salt to be the most effective and for the best exfoliation, applied to dry skin. Pay particular attention to elbows, knees and feet, giving them a proper going over as this is where a lot or our crustiness can build up. Then shower those nasty dead cells down the drain, good riddance!

If you have more sensitive or thinner skin, sugar will suit you better. Moistening the skin first will lessen the abrasion further. You can do this either with warm water in the shower or bath, or for super soft skin, first massage in a body oil such as Neom’s Organic Lavender, Jasmine & Brazilian Rosewood (£27-100ml, available at www.NeomOrganics.com or call 0870 460 4677), combine with their ‘Mineral Destress’ polish (£25-150g). I’m a big fan of Aromatherapy Associates (available at SpaceNK, Fortnum & Mason, www.aromatherapyassociates.com or call 020 8569 7030), since their ‘De-Stress Muscle’ bath & shower oil (£34.75–55ml) is the only thing to sort out my aches, I was keen to try their ‘Enrich’ range. Body scrub, oil (both £30.75, 200ml & 100ml), and serum (£23–200ml), deliciously combine with extracts of ylang ylang, vanilla, tuberose and even coffee, all delivering impressive results.
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De-fuzzing is very important for us girls. This can be done in a salon but there are more products than ever to do this at home, saving us time, money and perhaps a way to control the pain?! A trusted brand to go for is Nads. These Aussie experts cover the whole spectrum from microwavable waxes, hair removal creams and rinsable gels (from £7.99 available from Boots, Sainsburys, Ocado.com & Amazon). Their ‘Brazilian bikini wax’ even includes 4 specially designed shapes to ‘personalise your intimate region’, lightening bolt anyone?!

Next up is to slather on some nourishing body cream. At this early stage you really need to feed the skin as it’s newly exposed and gasping for moisture. A natural choice is Love the Planet (www.lovetheplanet.co.uk) who’s perfectly travel sized body butter (£7.25-135g) is super rich, quickly absorbed and a little goes a long way. The trusty people at Lush (instore & www.lush.co.uk) have a ‘Dreamcream’ (£9.85-240g) packed with essential oils. They also have an exfoliating, moisturizing bar ‘Aqua Mirabilis’ (£5-95g) to use in the bath or shower for silky soft results. Kylie is a fan, and we all know how impressive her body is.
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Should you wish to self-tan, this can be done perhaps a day after. That way your skin is nicely prepped to absorb colour more evenly. If you’re worried about getting product on your hands, use some hand mitts, as supplied by the Famous Dave brand. Their ‘Gold Edition Tanning Mousse’ (£25.99 available via www.famousdave.co.uk or at Debenhams) is quite dark in colour but gave me instant results that developed well, with more compliments than I’ve ever had from a fake tan! Dior have gone a step further with their ‘Anti-ageing tan activator’ for the face and neck (£79-50ml). Promoting a gradual tan whilst boosting radiance, firming up the skin and banishing wrinkles, a true multi-tasker!

If you want to go down the more natural route, fret not. Lavera is an organic range who offer suncare for the whole family including a self-tan shimmer spray (£15.50-200ml from health stores and at www.lavera.co.uk). More subtle than it’s chemically enhanced competitors whilst doing good for your body and the planet.
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So to bask like a beauty, a little tlc and you’ll see the difference. Even if it’s just moisturising, a small ritual built into your routine will work wonders. Dior has also released a ‘Body Beautifying and Toning Oil’ (£35-100ml) which is a pleasure to massage into dry skin, with added beautifying benefits. Crystal Clear also has polishes and moisturisers with built-in firming ingredients, all in fancy black packaging (from £32 from Selfridges and www.crystalclear.co.uk). Oh, and don’t forget your lips, Dior’s Crème de Rose (£19-7.2g) is my current favourite, a super smooth plumping lip balm with spf 10, perfect!

So keep moisture levels up, don’t forget your spf and glow baby glow!