If you’re dreading baring all now the
weather’s warmer, it’s time to step up your pre-holiday cellulite-busting
routine.
Feel alone in your quest to beat cellulite
before your holiday? You’re not the only one. Research by beauty brand Thalgo
reveals that 95 per cent of women suffer with the dreaded orange peel.
Summertime always throws up the same
problem – how can you minimize unsightly dimples before daring to bare on the
beach? First, it’s important to understand what cellulite is. It’s not simply
fat, but is made up of damaged fat cells that are not being adequately
supported by the skin’s fibres, due to poor circulation and poor lymphatic
drainage.
If you’re dreading baring all now the weather’s
warmer, it’s time to step up your pre-holiday cellulite-busting routine.
We know that drinking more water, cutting
out processed and sugary foods and upping your exercise regime all help to
reduce cellulite, but you can boost your efforts with products that support the
process.
Start each day with a good scrub. Before
you hop into the shower use a dry natural bristle brush all over your body to
help creak down fatty deposits, boost lymphatic drainage and exfoliate
uneven-looking skin. Using Fushi’s Body Brush ($7.7; fushi.co.uk), start at your
feet and work your way up your body towards your collarbone, using small
sweeping motions covering every part of your body. Always brush towards your
heart to get your blood pumping and lymph flowing in the right direction.
Always
brush towards your heart to get your blood pumping and lymph flowing in the
right direction.
If dry brushing isn’t your thing, try a
detoxifying body scrub in the shower. Using a scrub on a regular basis will
keep skin free from dead cells and prevent ingrowing hairs, too. Weleda’s Birch
Body Scrub ($12 for 150ml; weleda.co.uk) is our pick of the bunch. Reveal
glowing and rejuvenated skin with this heavenly, citrus-scented scrub. Free
from synthetic chemicals, the beeswax pearls and natural plant oils nourish the
skin. Birch oil stimulates the circulatory system and tones, detoxifies and
reduces water retention.
The
Organic Pharmacy’s Detoxifying Seaweed bath Soak
Bring a spa into your bathroom with The
Organic Pharmacy’s Detoxifying Seaweed bath Soak ($47 for 325g; theorganicpharmacy.com).
Seaweed, sea salt and eucalyptus help purify and penetrate the deeper layers of
the skin. Create your own hydrotherapy experience by blasting your skin with
alternating or and cold water. Do this three or four times in the shower to
improve blood flow. Steal some time in the sauna or steam room after a workout,
as it’s known to increase blood flow from your heart by as much as 70 per cent.
Toxins residing in your far cells with then be transported nearer to the
surface of the skin and excreted in sweat.
Caffeine, stress and cellulite are linked.
Stress, made worse by caffeine, can increase fatty deposits in your skin. Cut
caffeine from your diet, saving it for topical use only. Creams with added
caffeine can reduce the size of fatty cells by up to 17 per cent, according to
the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Try Thalgo’s Cellu-Thighs ($57 for 125ml;
feelunique.com). It contains caffeine from green coffee and yerba mate to
reduce the visibility of cellulite. Red Algae extract boosts the absorption of
caffeine into the subcutaneous layer of the skin (beneath the dermis) and is
said to deliver results within two weeks.
As you age, skin becomes thinner, and this
makes the appearance of fat cells in the subcutaneous layer worse. Nourishing
and plumping your skin’s outer layers will improve skin elasticity and reduce
the dimple effect of cellulite. A superfood body oil, like Minvita’s Baobab
Body Oil ($45 for 100ml; shop.minvita.co.uk), is perfect for giving skin a hit
of nutrients. Made from the seeds of the African baobab fruit, this oil is
high in antioxidants and vitamins A, D, E and F. Massage into clean skin
morning and night in circular motions.
Follow these tips on a daily basis, before
settling down to a detoxifying cup of decaffeinated green tea, and cellulite
will soon be a thing of the past!
