Getting (and maintaining) smooth skin doesn’t have to be a dream that never comes to life. Some of us are lucky to never have to deal with skin bumps or dry patches, while others live with that every single day—no matter the season. Soft, hydrated skin head to toe can be your reality.

Ahead, we’ll go through why dry skin happens all over the body and some key tips to get skin smooth and soft, including overlooked areas like your bikini line.

Why dry skin happens

When you’re thirsty and need to take a drink of water, your skin feels similarly when it lacks hydration, too. Dry skin can develop when the skin doesn’t have enough hydration, or loses it too quickly, leaving you with itching, irritation, and maybe redness, or other conditions that may lead to medical help.

Dry skin can develop all over the body because it’s our largest, coolest organ. From head to toe, bikini line to the curve in your back, dry skin—even if your skin tends to be oily—happens to us all.

There are a lot of factors that contribute to dry skin. Some might include existing conditions, like eczema or psoriasis, or age or where we live. Seasons contribute to dryer, less hydrated skin, largely in the winter and in colder temperatures. Sometimes if you take too many hot baths, that can dry out your skin too!

5 tips for smooth skin all over

1. Drink plenty of water.
   This seems like a no-brainer because we need water all the time anyway, but keeping your skin healthy means drinking a lot of water.
2. Exfoliate.
   Scrubbing away dirt, grime, all of the dead skin cells on your body feels amazing. It helps give your body a nice clean slate to hydrate from. Don’t scrub too hard though because that might cause more irritation than nourishment for your skin.
3. Hair removal.
   Reveal as much or as little as you like with hair removal cream. So often the focus is on arms and legs, but what if you wanted total hair removal? The bikini line can often be overlooked as part of the total hair-free skin package. If you’ve got dry skin as is, try using Veet® Professional™ Wax Strips for Legs & Body, Dry Skin with Aloe Vera.
4. Use sunscreen.
   Keeping your skin protected from the sun is important anyway, but it’s also helpful to ensure maximum softness. The sun can dry out your skin, removing hydration and the fatty oils we need, leaving it flaky and meh. Keep your sunscreen on hand for that reason, too.
5. Avoid hot showers.
   We’re not saying don’t take hot showers at all, just think about how often you take them, because the temperature and excess of water can lead to dryer, flakier skin. If you’re going to take a hot shower, make sure you’ve got some good moisturizer on hand to apply soon after. Maybe even wrap yourself up in a nice towel to maximize the moisturizer soaking into your skin.

What can happen to the bikini line

The bikini line is a more sensitive spot on the body that has coarser hair. Dryness can occur but there are other things that tend to happen if you’re removing hair. Shaving in pursuit of smoother skin can sometimes lead to irritations like redness or ingrown hairs. Because shaving removes hair from the surface, rather than pulling it from the follicle like waxing does, hair can, if improperly removed, may grow back under the skin. Waxing and hair removal creams are good options to help avoid redness or ingrown hair.

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