How To Get Your Legs Summer-Ready

“Regular lymphatic drainage – which works by stimulating lymph flow and reducing fluid retention – will help your legs feel lighter and more refreshed. Booking in for a regular massage is really beneficial, but you can recreate the experience at home with a body tool. Apply light pressure and gently massage your legs, starting from the ankles and moving upward toward the heart, following the natural direction of lymphatic flow. This helps the body flush out toxins and reduce swelling more efficiently. If you don’t have a tool, you can still get good results with your hands. Use gentle, circular, upward motions to encourage drainage.” – Dimple Amani, lymphatic drainage expert 

“At Legology, we believe in good abrasion – by which we mean regular exfoliation and body brushing to improve the surface of your skin. Doing both daily will make your legs feel smoother, unclog blocked pores, and get rid of ingrown hairs so skin has a healthy glow. The latter occurs by bringing fresh, nutrient-rich blood to the surface – especially when you use a dry brush. The technique stimulates your lymph, which encourages waste to move out of your system, giving limbs a brighter, more invigorated appearance. Make sure you’re brushing either before, during or after a shower, and over your entire body – not just your legs. If you’re going to start body brushing, make sure you do it right. Most experts recommend buffing with large sweeping strokes up towards your heart – so feet or hands up. Doing it this way works with the body’s lymph flow, encouraging drainage – just make sure you focus on the right spots for this, so behind your knees and under your arms. Whichever technique you choose, you’ll see results.” – Kate Shapland, founder of Legology

“It’s all very well scrubbing and exfoliating, but if you want proper results, you should also be investing in products that contain the right ingredients. Try to use scrubs that have actual grains or salt inside, or give smoothing acids a go, like AHAs (lactic acid) or retinol. These ingredients will improve the skin’s surface on your legs quite quickly, while making them softer to the touch, too. This, combined with daily scrubbing, will have a big impact on the appearance of your body. You’ll find the right ingredients will get rid of keratosis pilaris, too (red, chicken bumps). Also, apply your products when the skin is warm (post-shower or a bath) and circulation is up, so that the ingredients can penetrate deeper with ease.” – Kate 

“It doesn’t matter if you use a cream or chemical exfoliant but try to find one that includes the ingredients mentioned above. They are a brilliant way of removing the upper, dead layers of skin cells, and giving your legs that fresh pinkness. Plus, the right formulas will prime skin for a moisturising cream or oil, which delivers additional smoothness and suppleness over time. Likewise, buffing or brushing beforehand allows for speedier absorption of anything that follows, so you’ll find less of your product just sits on the skin’s surface.” – Kate 

“If you don’t have the budget to invest in exfoliants, then do a simple kitchen raid. Oat flakes, table salt, milk and a squeezed lemon make a great combination. Use this on the skin to gently buff and release red, angry bumps of inflammation. If all else fails, don’t forget the power of exfoliating with a hot soapy flannel or sponge – this will help create smoothness, especially when done over the course of a few weeks.” – Kate 

“Many of us often get dry, flaky skin on our shins, which is usually the result of dehydration. Swift strokes with a body brush will get rid of the issue in seconds – especially if you brush daily. My advice here though is to take a lighter approach. The skin on your shins is very thin and fragile – something like 0.5mm thick, as opposed to 2.5mm on your upper arms and thighs. It can be easily damaged, so use deft, gentle strokes and never go too heavy.” – Kate 

“All the above steps are great, but it’s important you keep active for healthy-looking legs. Try and do your daily 8k steps – this is a good target to keep the lymph flowing freely and to prevent water retention from building up. Too much retention compromises leg shape and can cause cellulite. It’s key to drink plenty of water to help flush your kidneys out, too, in turn removing congestive waste. If you’re prone to puffy legs, take a tablespoon of oat bran daily with natural yoghurt to keep acidic bloating and trapped fluid to the bare minimum – trust me, it works.” – Kate

“An easy way to give your legs some colour is either using body make-up or self-tanner. The former contains no tanning agent and is really handy if you need a quick fix. It won’t transfer and washes off in the shower. Traditional DHA self-tanners last longer, anywhere between eight and 14 days depending on your lifestyle. A mousse formula is a good all-rounder, however if you’re dry, dehydrated or sensitive, you may prefer a lotion. The texture of St. Tropez’s Luxe Whipped Crème Bronzing Mousse sits somewhere between the two – plus, it’s full of skin-plumping hydrators like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E.” – Sophie Evans, tanning artist and St. Tropez ambassador 

“The first step is gentle exfoliation; this buffs away dead skin cells and gives your tanning product a really smooth canvas to grip onto. Next, apply an oil-free moisturiser but only in areas where you’re prone to dryness – think elbows, knees, feet and backs of the heels. If you skip this step the tan grabs in these areas, developing much darker than the rest of the body, giving you an uneven finish. The rest of the body doesn’t need moisturiser otherwise you risk diluting the colour. When it comes to the tan itself, always use light strokes – never over-work it otherwise you’ll get streaks. Sweep your tanning mitt over your skin, starting on the upper body or thighs, these have a larger surface area which allows you to disperse the product more easily. Pay attention to how it feels, if the mitt isn’t gliding effortlessly, you need more of your tanning product.” – Sophie 

“Regular exfoliation is the best way to prevent patchy fading. Beware of formulas that contain AHAs – these will remove your tan fast. Also, salt scrubs can be quite harsh, breaking holes in the colour and making it appear uneven, so look for a formula with finer granules. Daily hydration using a rich moisturiser is also essential to keep the skin supple and nourished. Go for oil-free formulas because oil will lighten the colour and, in a similar vein, avoid really hot baths or showers.” – Sophie