How to empower your shower

“Oil is the best thing for your skin,” says Noella Gabriel, product and treatment developer for skincare brand Elemis. “But try applying it all over your body before your shower, instead of after – by applying it pre-exfoliation, the oil protects the skin from the scrub, which can irritate it. Light sesame oil is wonderful – choose an unscented one, then shower and exfoliate.” If you have normal or oily skin (remember the skin type on your body can be different to that on your face), there’s no need for moisturizer as skin will already be soft, sheeny and radiant.

Finish each shower with this cellulite-blasting DIY treatment. Switch the water temperature from hot to cold, and use the shower head to work from the feet upwards, all the way to the chin, for five seconds. Then swap to warm for another five seconds, and repeat the whole cold-warm process three times. If you can’t bear the cold all over your body, just do feet up to hips. The switch in temperature stimulates blood circulation for healthier skin, encourages lymphatic drainage to eliminate puffiness and water retention, and makes the skin more porous, so any products applied after your shower are absorbed more easily.

The best time to apply body lotions, moisturizers or butters is straight after a shower while the skin is still slightly damp and warm. Damp skin absorbs more moisture, so it will lock in product and maximize results.