We care so much for the skin on our faces, but we tend to ignore a major area that should also be cared for too: our décolleté! The neck and chest area contains an intricate system of nerves, lymph nodes, veins, arteries, and muscles and is such an important part of our bodies that needs more love. The more we ignore this area over time, signs of aging will start to appear. Here’s your friendly reminder to remember your décolleté during your daily skincare routine!

It’s never too late

Other than our face, our neck, chest, and hands are other places that are first to show signs of aging. And while we absolutely still love our skin with wrinkles, sun spots, and all, we can begin some preventative habits that’ll help slow down the signs of aging. 

The first step is to bring your routine down. When you’re cleansing, toning, masking or moisturizing the skin, extend it down to your neck and chest too! We found in our face wash challenge one of the easiest ways to extend the time washing your face for up to 30 to 60 seconds is to include your neck during the cleansing process. “It was worth the effort to cleanse consciously every night,” says a participant. Our necks are exposed to the elements, sun, and environment without protection: it makes so much sense that we can see the effects that the sun and gravity have on this delicate area. Make sure you’re applying SPF on the neck and chest to help protect this area from sun damage.

To tighten areas of the neck, using a gua sha practice or work with an acupuncturist to see if acupuncture facials could help this area. 

Apply moisturizer

Whether you’re bringing your face cream down to your neck, or when applying body lotion, bringing it up the neck. As long as this area is protected with an occlusive moisturizer, you’re protected against the elements. Our Daily Face Cream is a great moisturizer but if you have any of our other face creams, those work too. You can use our Body Cream and bring it up the neck as well!

For a little extra sun protection, you can mix the Wisdom Oil into your face cream or Body Cream for a boost of antioxidants and sun repair while you’re out.

Neck pimples

It’s definitely possible to get pimples on the neck if your pores get clogged and aren’t properly washed. By bringing down your cleansing routine, it helps to clean the dirt and impurities out of neck pores too! Apply a layer of Clarity Oil underneath your moisturizer to help fight acne inflammation and irritation, especially if you’re wearing scarves or a mask daily.

What about the rest of our bodies?

The other 80% of the skin on our body needs care too. The biggest difference between our face and body skin is that the layer of fat under the skin is thicker under our body than our face. Depending on the part of your body, the hair follicles, sweat, and oil glands (combined these are called skin appendages) will differ in number and size. The more follicles, sweat glands, and oil glands in an area help to heal those parts of the body faster than in places with lower numbers of these appendages. It’s why our faces tend to heal more quickly than certain parts of our bodies when injured.

Body acne happens when the pores are clogged by sweat, dirt and impurities and keeping sweaty clothing on too long (like after a workout). Wearing breathable fabric can help to prevent breakouts. 

The skin on the body in most areas will be thicker than facial skin and can handle more “aggressive” cleaning or treatment regimens. These areas are also mostly covered by clothing and protected from outside elements, but still need some care when it comes to the colder months of the year. To start: gently washing the body with a good cleanser daily. A few times a week, using our Luminous Body Scrub to gently exfoliate, focusing on any areas of dry body skin and using before shaving for a smoother shave. Botnia’s founder Justine likes to use this scrub before hopping in the shower or bath, starting from the outer extremities and working up to the center of the body. Then allowing the blend of oils and butters to moisturize the skin. Follow up with our Body Cream all over to seal in the moisture. For those who prefer a lightweight lotion, our Gentle Hand Lotion can also be used all over the body; it’s a lighter version of our Body Cream and is great for traveling with the lock pump. 

For a little extra “you-time,” allow yourself to soak in a tub with our Relaxing Bath Salts, which help to relax your muscles and enhance circulation with epsom salts in the formulation. Let the restorative powers of a salt bath deliver you to a state of tranquil relaxation.

In all Botnia facials, we like to bring down treatments to the neck for a little extra TLC and hope this is a great reminder for you to do the same in your home care! We can take care of our bodies w(holistically) and keep them soft and moisturized throughout the year. Bringing our skincare routines down to our décolleté can help keep our skin healthy and happy in the long run. Your skin will thank you for it!

Xo,
Botnia