Scrub up for summer

Getting ready for summer means scrubbing off the nasty layer of dull, dead skin that tends to build up over winter. Exfoliation should be one of the key parts of any good beauty routine, even in winter it is a good idea to exfoliate weekly to keep skin fresh but at the start of summer you can step the routine up a gear and scrub up every other day for a couple of weeks and then aim to do so perhaps twice a week.

Facial exfoliators should be more gentle than the ones used on your body as the skin is more delicate, and its also important to be really careful around the eye area. There are two types of exfoliator that can be used on the body salt scrubs and sugar scrubs, salt scrubs are a little rougher and more invigorating and sugar scrubs are softening, a little gentler and tend to be more appropriate for dry skin.

For the face:

Resurf.a.stic from Blinc is a wonder product for exfoliating the face, I first came across this product when it was recommended for a men’s product feature I was working on but there are no rules when it comes to beauty so on the recommendation of my male tester I tried it myself. Resurf.a.stic is a glue-stick like product that is the perfect gentle texture for use on the face (for men or women). It is packed with diamond-shaped particles that slough off dead skin in an simple, mess-free way, leaving fresh glowing skin behind.

(Sugar scrub)Boots Extracts Organic Cocoa Scrub (£7.50) smells good enough to eat, and is packed with gentle sugar particles in an organic cocoa softening base to scrub skin and leave it soft and lovely. The best thing about the cocoa scrub is that is feels really luxurious but is only £7.50 for a huge tub.

(Salt scrub) Virgin Vie Day Spa Buff and Polish Salt Scrub (£15) Fresh and invigorating citrus scent will wake you up with one sniff. A little messy to apply but this oil and salt based scrub is good for first thing in the morning. The oil will also leave a light veil of moisture on your skin, leaving you feeling smooth and silky all day long.