The Overlooked Item in Your Beauty Routine: Body Wash

By now you know that taking care of your skin is important. We regularly expound the merits of cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing and masking. But we tend to talk mostly about our faces when it comes to skin-care. And though taking care of your face is important (it's super visible, duh), forgetting to take care of the skin on the rest of your body isn't what we want either.

The first step in your body skin-care routine? Body wash. We spoke to Mara Vezeau, Vichy Integrated communications and medical relations leader, to learn more about what we can do to take care of the skin on our bodies with this foundational (and necessary) product.

First off, we get why you spend more time on your face”it's the first thing people notice, and you're busy. But according to Vezeau, we're making some mistakes before we even get to the body wash stage. The things people do wrong when it comes to body care include: taking showers that are too long, taking showers that are too hot, not rinsing soap completely, not using the right soap and not hydrating post-shower. All of these things can lead to dry, dehydrated skin”not something we're interested in.

Once you ditch your scalding hot shower habit, it's time to pick a body wash. Vezeau's main recommendation? Picking the right texture for your skin. If you have dry skin, stick with oil or cream consistencies, while gels will work better with skin that needs a bit of a deeper clean”perfect for oily skin or skin prone to breakouts.

Added ingredients to look for? Products that strengthen and help to regenerate the skin (like minerals), and ingredients that hydrate (like shea butter and jojoba oil). If you pick a wash that is exfoliating (it includes grains or beads in it) skip the loofah as you don't want to over-stimulate your skin.

Below, our recommendations for your next body wash purchase.