Having a body care routine is important for several reasons, and French women know this better than anyone. French body care habits include taking steps to ensure the body is in the best form possible. Let’s go over the typical French woman’s body care routine!
Taking care of the body in France includes keeping it clean and maintaining good hygiene. A French body care routine can help you establish good hygiene habits, such as showering regularly, washing your hands, and brushing your teeth.
The French body care routine can also help you maintain your health. For example, using sunscreen can help protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun, and moisturizing can help prevent dryness and skin irritation.
Many body care products, such as moisturizers and neck creams, contain ingredients that can help slow down the aging process by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. That’s an important aspect of French body care.
Taking care of the body is a significant part of self-care in France. Engaging in a body care routine like the French can help you feel good about yourself, boost your self-esteem, and promote relaxation. Let’s go!
Cleanse the Body
Throughout the day, your body accumulates dirt, sweat, and other impurities. Washing your body helps to remove these substances, leaving your skin feeling clean and refreshed. The bacteria on your skin can mix with sweat and cause body odor. Washing your body helps to remove sweat and bacteria, reducing the likelihood of body odor. Washing your body is an important part of maintaining good hygiene. It helps to remove germs and bacteria that can cause illness and can prevent the spread of disease.
Most French people start their day with a good shower. A body wash will do the trick if you have normal skin. If you have dry skin tendencies, then go for a shower gel or oil-based wash like the Bioderma Atoderm Cleansing Oil.
Some body washes contain exfoliating ingredients, such as glycolic acid or salicylic acid, that help to remove dead skin cells and promote cell renewal. This can leave your skin looking brighter and smoother. You can pick up a body exfoliator that works for your skin type in France.
Neck Cream
Those with mature skin opt to apply a neck cream, also called a décolleté cream after getting out of the shower. Décolleté cream is a French skincare product specifically designed for the neck and chest area, also known as the décolletage. The skin in this area is thinner and more delicate than the skin on other parts of the body and can be prone to fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots.
A décolleté cream typically contains ingredients that are intended to nourish, hydrate, and firm the skin in this area. Some of the key ingredients found in these creams may include antioxidants like vitamin C and E, moisturizing agents like hyaluronic acid, peptides that help stimulate collagen production, and lightening agents like kojic acid or licorice root extract that help fade age spots.
Using a décolleté cream like Sisley Neck Cream regularly can help improve the overall appearance and texture of the skin in this area, making it look smoother, firmer, and more youthful.
Apply Body Lotion
Body lotion helps to hydrate and moisturize the skin, especially after a shower or bath when the skin can be dry. Dry skin can lead to itchiness, flakiness, and even skin irritation, so applying body lotion can help to prevent these issues and keep your skin feeling soft and smooth. An all-around reliable French body cream you can trust is the La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Moisturizer.
Anti-aging body lotions contain ingredients like antioxidants and retinol that can help to fight signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles. Regular use of a good quality firming body cream like the Clarins Body Firming Extra-Firming Cream can help to keep the skin looking youthful and healthy.
Body lotions that contain SPF (sun protection factor) can help to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, which can cause skin damage and increase the risk of skin cancer.
Some body lotions contain essential oils that can provide aromatherapy benefits, such as reducing stress, improving mood, and promoting relaxation. A favorite French-scented body cream is the Chanel N°5 Body Lotion.
Bust Cream
In America, bust creams are designed to enhance the size and appearance of breasts. This isn’t the case in France! Rather, these creams like the Clarins Bust Beauty Firming Lotion are meant to simply firm the breast skin and tighten up the area.
The specific benefits of bust creams can vary depending on the ingredients like collagen and elastin, which can help to firm and tighten the skin around the breasts, giving them a more youthful appearance. These creams typically contain a combination of natural and synthetic ingredients that are believed to stimulate firmness.
The effectiveness of bust creams can vary widely, so proceed with limited expectations.
Cellulite Cream
Do French women get cellulite? Of course! They struggle with cellulite and imperfections just like the rest of us. Cellulite cream is a topical skincare product that is designed to reduce the appearance of cellulite, which is a dimpled, lumpy texture that appears on the skin, typically around the thighs, hips, and buttocks.
French cellulite creams like the natural Caudalie Vinosculpt Lift & Firm Body Cream can help smooth out the skin by addressing the underlying causes of cellulite, such as poor circulation, water retention, and weakened connective tissue.
Cellulite creams contain ingredients that help reduce the appearance of cellulite by firming and toning the skin, resulting in smoother-looking skin. Some cellulite creams contain caffeine, which can help to improve blood flow and reduce fluid retention. Certain ingredients such as green tea extract or retinol may have anti-inflammatory properties that can help to reduce swelling and redness associated with cellulite.
Foot Care
To properly care for the feet, either take a shower or soak your feet in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Then use a gentle exfoliating scrub like the Yves Rocher Foot Exfoliating Gel to remove dead skin cells from the heel and feet skin.
Lastly, apply a moisturizing foot cream or lotion like the L’Occitane Shea Butter Intensive Foot Balm to your feet.
In addition to these skincare steps, French women choose to wear supportive, comfortable shoes that fit properly. They wear socks that are made of natural fibers such as cotton to keep the feet dry. They trim the toenails regularly and file them to prevent ingrown toenails.
If you have the budget and time, get regular pedicures to keep your feet looking and feeling soft!
Exfoliate the Body Once a Week
Exfoliating helps to clean off the dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, which can make the skin look dull and dry. Try to exfoliate your skin where it gets flakey using the Sisley Energizing Foaming Exfoliant For The Body.
Exfoliating the body regularly helps to stimulate cell renewal, which can help to improve the texture and tone of the skin. By removing dead skin cells, new skin cells can grow and replace them, giving the skin a brighter, fresher look.
Exfoliating helps to remove the layer of dead skin cells that can block the absorption of skincare products. By exfoliating, you can help to increase the effectiveness of other skincare products, such as moisturizers and serums.
Regular exfoliation can help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles on your body as it stimulates collagen production, which can help to improve the elasticity and firmness of the skin.
Voilà – now you know how to do French body care like a real Parisian.
