For elbows with a past

Every elbow has a history. Desks, sofa arms, the kitchen counter while the kettle boils. Knees have knelt, heels have walked, shins have stood too close to the radiator. Skin keeps the record, in rough, thickened patches that catch on knitwear and turn white by February.

None of it is a problem. It is skin doing its job, and it softens again with two products and a little patience.

Why these places

Elbows, knees, heels and shins have fewer oil glands than most of the body, and they take more pressure and friction. So the outer layer thickens to protect them, dries out faster and holds less water. An ordinary body lotion slides over the top. What helps is one thing that lifts the build-up and another that puts moisture back in.

The good news: rough patches are among the most rewarding things in skincare. They answer quickly, you can feel the change with your fingertips, and nobody needs a mirror to check.

Buff, then soften

The order matters. Buffing first clears the dry flakes, so the cream reaches the skin underneath instead of sitting on top of last week’s.

1. 01

   Twice a week: buff

   On damp skin in the shower, a scoop of the Face & Body Scrub in small circles over each rough patch. Icelandic volcanic sand lifts the dry flakes; kaolin takes the day’s grime with it. Rinse.

   Face & Body Scrub
2. 02

   Every day: soften

   A pump of the Body Cream on each patch, massaged in until it disappears. 5% hydroxyethyl urea softens thickened skin and helps it hold water; 2% panthenol calms it.

   Body Cream
3. 03

   At night: a little more

   Heels and shins can take a second layer before bed. Cotton socks over the heels, if nobody’s looking.

   Body Cream

Rough patches took years. Smooth ones take about a week.

How long it takes

In our consumer study of 52 people over four weeks, 95% said their rough patches felt smoother after seven days with the Body Cream, and 92% said their skin felt less dry after two weeks. Elbows usually answer first. Heels have the thickest skin on the body and take their time, so give them the full month.

Keeping it that way

Once the patches are smooth, the routine relaxes: the scrub once a week, the cream on the days your skin asks for it. Winter, central heating and an afternoon kneeling in the garden will bring the rough bits back, and the same two will send them off again. The pair comes as a set, called, naturally, Smooth Things Over.

Then one morning you pull on a pair of tights and nothing catches. Quietly satisfying. Elbows with a past, knees with a future.

In plain wordsHydroxyethyl urea: A gentle form of urea, a moisture-holder your skin already makes. 5% in the Body Cream softens rough patches.