Are you feeling summer-ready yet? Me, not so much. Although I’ve dug out a couple of things to wear that don’t involve wool, the body lurking underneath is still feeling pasty and post-Christmas-ish. And it’s May: something needs to be done about this, sharpish.
So, over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking you with me on a journey to be, well, not bikini ready, let’s be realistic, I’ve had two kids. I’m thinking of it as ‘kaftan-ready’. Are you with me? First up, let’s shed those dead skin cells with my top five body scrubs.
Body scrubs seem to come in different guises, and one of my current favourite formulas is the salt or sugar/oil combination. Thalgo, predictably, do this very well with their Sweet and Savoury Body Scrub (£39.50), a combination of sea salt, sugar and essential oils that zaps rough bits but leaves you smothered with a gorgeous body oil. Inspired.
Along the same lines is Seacret’s Salt & Oil Scrub (£29.99: I went for ‘Pomegranate’), which also includes Dead Sea minerals, like the rest of the range. It needs a little stir with your finger just to get equal measure of grainy bits and oiliness but once you get going it’s an excellent buffer – ideal when you need to even out fake tan if it’s collected on rough ankles and knees.
From M&S is a purse friendly option: Ragdale Hall Mother of Pearl Spa Sugar Scrub (£9.50). This isn’t quite the same as the previous oily ones, having a firmer, more balm-like consistency, but the result is probably easier to ‘handle’, and it has a fresh, sweet smell.
Heavenly Smooth Body Polish (£12.99) from organic brand Evolve is a different style completely – it’s a gorgeous, unctuous, milky affair, thanks to coconut oil and shea butter. The smooth exfoliating beads are made of ground coconut shell but they are gentle and far enough apart to make this a really delicate scrub, soft enough for every day.
I’ve saved my favourite until last: Primavera Juniper Berry & Cypress Cleansing Organic Body Scrub (£20). This is just lush. It’s foamy enough to use on a sponge or flannel, smells genuinely pine-ish (like being in a forest, not like a pine-scented kitchen cleaner) and leaves skin bright and baby-soft. Kaftans at the ready…