Body Scrubs 101: All Of Our Personal Faves
Jo is a former Adore Beauty staffer and qualified dermal therapist with over decade of experience in the beauty industry.
She co-hosted our award-winning podcast Beauty IQ Uncensored for 4 years, interviewing names like Caroline Hirons, Katie Jane Hughes and Chris Appleton to name a few.
Regular physical body scrubs are the quickest way to lift dead skin and create a smooth base for a flawless fake tan; pair them with a quality mitt and targeted moisturising to avoid patchiness. This piece shares Joanna Fleming's favourite scrubs, practical prep tips and timing advice, including the 6-8 hour rule for express tans.
Fast Facts You Need to Know
- Exfoliate with a physical body scrub to remove dead skin for a smoother, more even fake tan.
- Rub moisturiser between palms and swipe underarms; also moisturise elbows, knees and feet to prevent patches.
- Use a high-quality tanning mitt to reduce streaks and achieve a more faultless application.
- For express tans, wait 6-8 hours after your first shower before moisturising to allow the tan to develop.
- Avoid applying body tan to your face; choose a dedicated face tanner for facial use.
You'd think in isolation that I would've chilled out on the fake tan, wouldn't you? Nope. Not me. Doing my weekly fake tan (read more about the stink-free ones I use here) has been the only thing that has kept me feeling human after months of wearing tracksuits.
There's literally no point in me applying fake tan, I've got nobody to impress. But I use it as a self-care practice. It makes me feel better. Except when I forget to moisturise for 3 days in a row and my skin starts to get super itchy, and the tan starts to resemble the skin of a shedding reptile.
That's when I recognise it's time to scrub. Now, I don't use physical scrubs on my face because I have sensitive skin, but on my body - yes, thank you. I've got a full collection.
Why You Should Be Scrubbing Your Body:
You can't deny that most of us take pretty good care of our faces but we completely neglect our bodies. It's the truth. Sometimes I get out of the shower and stare at my body moisturiser and deliberately don't apply it because a) I'm lazy, and b) I'm cold and I want to put my pyjamas straight on.
If you're neglecting your body care routine, you can find out more about how to build a routine for your body here, or learn more about Coco & Eve's new body trio here.
Now, back to body scrubs. Exfoliating with a physical scrub helps to manually remove the build-up of dead skin cells from the uppermost layer of the skin. Resurfacing the skin in this way stimulates the regeneration of new cells, revealing smoother, brighter skin underneath.
There are chemical exfoliants, or chemical/physical hybrids you can use on your body, but for the purpose of achieving a super even, flawless-looking faux glow, I go with a physical scrub. Actually, that's not entirely true, if I've got stubborn tan around my hairline on my neck, I get it off with Liquid Gold.
My Other Top Tanning Tips:
Using a scrub or an exfoliating mitt is the first step in a flawless tan - but what other tips do I have, you ask?
- Before tanning, rub moisturiser between your palms and swipe under your arms to prevent that collection of tan in the crease of your armpit
- Also moisturiser dry areas like the elbows, knees and feet for a more undetectable application
- If you're using an express tan, do not moisturise after your first shower - allow 6-8 hours for the tan to develop (applying moisturiser can stunt to development of the tan)
- Use a high-quality mitt to do your tan - it'll reduce streaks and patchiness
- Don't use body tan on your face. Get yourself a proper face tan - trust me.
