When speaking with customers, I often find that they have body butters, creams, and lotions from different companies. Some are natural skin care products, while others–not so much.
When asked, 'why did you choose a body butter?', they often do not even know!
Today, we will explore the differences between body butter, cream, and lotion, what they are used for, and how they are made.
However, before we discuss the differences between the three types of moisturizers mentioned, let's gain some perspective.
Your skin? Yeah, that's the largest organ of the body.
This makes it just as important as what you put in your mouth. With the damaging effects of extreme cold, heat, winds, aging and environmental irritants, our skin can suffer.
What is Body Butter?
Body butter is an intense deeply hydrating moisturizer that is naturally thick. It is thicker than creams and lotions.
Traditionally, body butters are created with shea, cocoa, and mango butters. These butters are then combined with carrier oils and often essential oils. The carrier oils and other nourishing ingredients together hydrates and locks in moisture by creating a protective barrier on the skin.
Butter naturally contains necessary fatty acids and minerals. When extracted from the nut, and remaining primarily in its virgin raw state, it is naturally anti-aging and delivers tremendous moisture and hydration to your skin. It protects your skin from dryness and lubricates your lips, hands, feet, elbows, and knees, and is especially good for dry skin patches and cuticles.
Also, since body butter is exceptionally moisturizing it may be used on your face if and only if you do not experience irritation because of any of the ingredients. Provided no irritation occurs, you may experience a renewed silky feel and youthful glow to not only your body but to your face as well.
Since water hydrates and body butter moisturizes your skin. It is best applied after your bath or shower while your skin is moist.
What is a 'Skin Cream'?
A skin cream is thinner than a body butter but thicker than a lotion. Creams usually consist of an oil blend and water.
With skin creams, there is a higher concentration of oil than in lotion–usually about half oil and half water. Creams may also contain mild thickeners, beeswax, and aloe.
What is a Body Lotion?
Body lotion is manufactured with mainly water and a small amount of oil.
Lotions probably will not moisturize your skin very much or have any lasting stay as a butter or cream. However, if your skin is oily then this may work for you.
If your skin is dry, a body lotion may not be your best choice, because lotions do not provide penetrative moisture. Lotions are mainly applied on arms, legs, neck, abdomen, and thighs.
Which Skin Moisturizer is best for me?
It is entirely up to your skin!
If your skin is oily then an organic lotion may work better for you. If your skin is dehydrated a lotion or a cream may work, as the level of water contained in the product is greater. Hydrating from the inside out always remains a viable option!
On the other hand, if your skin is dry, a body butter may work best.
Applying the body butter after showering or bathing while still wet will both hydrate and moisturize your skin.
Our body butters remain on the skin for only a short while and are absorbed deep into the skin.