How To: Exfoliate At The Beach (A Photographic Tutorial!)

It’s bikini season baby! If you’ve been in regular contact with me over the last couple of months you’ll be sick to death of this phrase. I’ve used it to justify just about all of my actions.

“Sarah, would you like some dressing on your salad?”

“Thanks, but no thanks… it's almost bikini season!”

“Uhh… what’s this? *Cue confused face*”

“It’s my Naked Tan membership card … it’s bikini season?!”

“What are you doing over the holidays?”

“Visiting my parents – for bikini season.”

Okay. You get the point.

So when it comes to looking your best when wearing, hmm, less - preparation will always be your friend.

Apart from eating healthy, and the sneaky perks of rocking a fake tan, exfoliating is one of the best ways to achieve enviable limbs this summer.

By brushing away dead skin cells, you allow your skin to breath. Your body will suddenly appear more luminous, and cellulite will also diminish drastically. Oh, and if you struggle with ingrown hair, consider it a problem of the past.

You can exfoliate a few different ways, either by dry skin brushing (a personal favourite), by using an in-shower body scrub with tough granules. Or, if you like the idea of not spending a cent, just head to your nearest beach.

Here’s my step-by-step tutorial on how to exfoliate with sea sand. A warning in advance – you will get a few weird looks. Especially when your body is covered in slushy sand head to toe. Don’t worry; the results are well worth it.

Step 1. Get comfy. Try find a location that isn’t too close to others swimming or tanning if you veer on the shy side. Take a large scoop full of sand and decide on a limb to start with. I normally begin with my feet and work my way up.

Step 2. With the sand you’ve got in your hand, massage your skin firmly in circulation clockwise motions for about 30 seconds per 30cm radius. Try keep the sand on your skin until you finally wash off as it’s filled with precious minerals. The salt in the water will also help cleanse and dry out any impurities on your body.

Step 3. Work your way up your body until your reach your décolletage. It’s entirely up to you if you want to also gently buff away at your face, but if you do have sensitive skin I strongly recommend that you don’t. The water in the ocean alone will help cleanse your skin, but by abrasively massaging your face you may actually have a strong (read: harsh) reaction that is unsightly. I know from experience. 

Step 4. If you have a friend with you, ask them to massage your back with sand, as this can be quite hard to reach. If not just try your best. 

Step 5. Despite how cold the water feels, you have no choice but to now go and wash it all off. By this point you will look like a freaky sand ogre, so I’m sure you will want to anyway. 

And that’s it! As you walk back to your towel feel how soft your skin is. By the next day you will notice that any blemishes you previously had have dried out, and your skin will be glowing! Hurrah!

A piece of advice: when you go home and have your shower, upon exiting lather your body in a rich hydrating body lotion, because you’ve buffed away skin sebum you will need to rehydrate your body.

Let me know how your sand exfoliation works for you!

SS xo
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