Time to spring clean our skin!

During winter, skin cell renewal slows to a snail's pace. Our skin's wrapped up in winter woollies and can't easily shed its dead cells. This leaves us with a dull complexion and dry, rough skin. So now that the spring's upon us, we can work on getting back our glowing skin! Starting with a good scrub to get rid of all the grime left over by winter. Come shower-time, apply a coarse grain scrub using gentle circular movements. Begin with your feet and work upwards, paying attention to rough areas on your heels, knees and elbows. Face-wise, go for a finer grain that preferably contains enzymes or fruit acids - particularly good if you have sensitive or mature skin. Scrubbing leaves our skin soft and clean, so it better absorbs the active ingredients in other treatments we apply.

The best way to overhaul our complexion is to apply a face mask that will deeply treat our skin. Masks are bursting with active ingredients that boost cell regeneration by bathing our skin in an occlusive layer. Apply your mask after scrubbing when your skin's nice and clean. Some masks are designed to be left on until the morning, the idea being that cellular activity peaks at night. Others are designed to be rinsed off after a set time. Whatever the case, avoid rinsing with tap water (too much limescale) - opt for micellar water or a gentle toner.

Moisturising is essential if you want healthy, glowing skin. Scrubbing may get rid of dead cells, but it also removes our skin's natural protective barrier. So to give the hydrolipidic film time to regenerate, apply a creamy moisturiser that will immediately soothe your skin. You could also opt for a dry oil or plant-based oil such as shea butter, sweet almond oil or argan oil. Make sure you moisturise morning and night. In the morning, apply a light formula that also contains a sunscreen. And at night, treat your skin to a richer texture that suits its needs: anti-ageing, anti-wrinkle, anti-fatigue, anti-age spot, brightening...