How to Make Your Skin Soft & Smooth at Home

1.

Squeaky-clean is overrated. Bar soaps and antibacterial or deodorizing body washes zap the natural healthy oils right out of your skin. Ditch the harsh cleansers and look for soap-free body washes or formulas that pack skin-silkening emollients and humectants, like glycerin, shea butter and fruit or nut oils.

2.

Buff your bod with a good sugar-based exfoliater. The fine sugar grains baby your skin but are still tough enough to tackle dead skin cell build-up and gunky pores. To scrub down spa style, hop in the shower, but don't crank on the water just yet. Massage the product all over dry skin in circular motions for a few minutes, and then rinse it off for your silkiest, glowiest skin ever.

3.

Timing is everything: Slather on a body butter as soon as you step out of the shower to replenish any lost hydration and keep that slightly wet dewy look on lock down. Skip runny lotions and opt for a dreamy cream of borderline-hedonistic richness. How to choose the right body cream? "When you turn the jar upside down, it shouldn't budge," says celeb makeup artist Molly Roncal in "Celebrity Secrets for Glowing Skin," an Allure magazine feature.

4.

Treat your tootsies to some TLC with a DIY energizing pedicure. Mix equal parts citrus juice (lemon, orange or grapefruit) and warm water, then soak those dogs for at least five minutes. Rub down your heels and the balls of your feet with a pumice stone, then massage on a scrub with nature-based exfoliants like sea salt or sugar. Dry off your feet, work in a rich, creamy foot balm and get ready to flash those newly soft little piggies in your latest pair of to-die-for sandals.