Get Soft Skin Overnight With This Deep Moisturizing How-To

No plans tonight? No birthday parties or cocktail outings? Being free means you have time to try my weekly ritual, aka the thing I do when nobody else is around: deep moisturizing. It’s good to to be alone when you’re doing a thorough hydration session, because you don’t need any interruptions while devoting yourself to the pursuit of soft, supple skin.

You will need

• exfoliating gloves or a rough washcloth
• pumice stone
• really thick skin cream, such as Korres Body Butter, Nivea Creme,  or, if you don’t mind petroleum products, Vaseline
• 100% cotton socks (make sure they are soft!)
• 100% cotton gloves (you can find them at most pharmacies)
• an extra set of sheets

Step 1:  This is a very important step for the ritual: turn on music. Because you’re alone and doing something for yourself, I suggest playing music that you secretly love but would never let anyone catch you listening to. With that being said, I cannot recommend this compilation enough (cough cough).

Step 2: Go into the bathroom and shut the door. Keep it closed so the steam doesn’t escape. Take a hot shower or bath, and when you’ve been in there for about five minutes, grab your exfoliating gloves or rough washcloth. Thoroughly scrub yourself all over, making sure to get your back, butt, elbows, knees, and shoulders. Scrub enough so that your skin feels tingly and new. Pumice your feet.

Step 3: Hop out and dry off until you’re slightly damp. Take your skin cream (I’m partial to Korres Body Butter in Vanilla Guava) and cover your body until you’re virtually shining. Be sure to rub it into your elbows, knees, collarbone, and neck.

Step 4: Grab your socks and take a seat. With your cream, massage your feet one at a time, getting between the toes and coating the soles. Put on your socks before it absorbs. Squishy!

Step 5: Do the same thing with your hands, rubbing the cream into your cuticles, between the fingers, and palms. Don’t wait for it to absorb—put on those gloves! Doesn’t that feel weird?

Step 6: By now you should look like a naked person who’s oddly attired only in socks and gloves. Make sure your bed is made with those extra sheets because you’re getting into it as is! It will feel strange, but when you wake up all of the cream will have been absorbed. You'll be unbelievably soft, like a baby kitten curled up on a fluffy cloud made of silk and puppies. Now you’ll want to do this all the time. But not every night. Maybe go out sometimes, too.

What are your secret at-home beauty rituals? Share in the comments!

Photo: Image Source