Oak Edit

How to Curate the Perfect Body Routine

December 20, 2023
Photos by: Bliss Braoudakis

When it comes to self-care, nothing feels quite as indulgent than the often-overlooked routine of body care. As we weather the winter months, we're as keen as ever to build a ritual of body essentials that makes our skin glow—and lucky for you, we're breaking down the basics you need to know.

When it comes to building a body care routine that delivers on glowy skin, it's all about formulation. With our body routine, we made sure that every product was designed to work like skincare—only this lineup is made for every inch. With hard-working ingredients that target skin concerns while also revealing hydrated and more youthful-looking skin, each step in our Body Routine is one worth coveting. 

But for us, it's more than the product lineup—a body routine worth relying on is one that calls upon the foundations of self-care. Light a candle, turn on some music, or put a face mask on while you go about your body care ritual. There are no rules, just helpful steps to ensure you make the most out of every moment. 

Step 1: Prep

We love adding in a prep step for our body care routine—starting with some version of grounding. Whether it's breath work, a mindfulness practice, or simply leaving your phone in another room, we always love making the case for allowing this time to be about you.

Next, we always aim for a few minutes of dry brushing or a version of bodywork. If you're using a traditional dry brush or lymphatic drainage tool—or even your hands—make sure you always brush towards the heart. This will help to stimulate the lymphatic system to ensure your body is detoxing regularly. Oak Essentials tip: Use our Dew Body Oil to give your tools some extra slip.

Step 2: Cleanse

It's always recommended to take a shower post-dry-brushing, so why not continue the body care with one of our favorite products: the Awaken Body Wash. This luxurious body wash is foaming, effective at cleansing, and leaves skin feeling soft and supple while restoring the skin barrier. It calls on ingredients such as lavender oil and cedarwood oil to help create a calm and nourishing treatment for the skin, and rice bran extract helps to condition and soften the skin.

Oak Essentials tip: Tie eucalyptus branches to your shower head to create an extra-luxurious spa experience at home.

Step 3: Exfoliate

The key to happy, hydrated skin is regular exfoliation. That's where our Perfecting Body Scrub comes in. Formulated with coconut oil, shea butter, argan oil, coconut shell powder, and sugar, this dense scrub exfoliates to leave behind silky-smooth skin.

Another favorite ingredient in this shower hero is baobab seed oil, which is rich in omega fatty acids and helps to correct uneven skin tone and soothe irritation. What's not to love?

Step 4: Hydrate

For the final step in our body care routine, we rely on what might be the most critical: hydrating. Our Body Routine has three different takes on hydration, which allow you to find the right combination that works for you.

For the purists, we recommend the Luminous Body Lotion, which is packed with hydrating and anti-aging ingredients like blue tansy that leave the skin soft, smooth, and supple.

For those wanting to add extra-glowy hydration to their routine, our Moisture Rich Body Balm is an all-season skin savior. This rich body balm features ultra-hydrating ingredients such as seabuckthorn oil that melt into the skin to leave a super-soft feel.

Lastly, comes our Dew Body Oil. We love to layer this over lotion or body balm—or to use alone for instant hydration without any residue.