What is Body Butter?
Body butter is a mixture of cosmetic butters and oils used to seal hydration in the skin and keep it moisturized. Contrary to water-based moisturizers like most commercial lotions and creams, body butters are oil/butter-based moisturizers, and because of this, they tend to last longer throughout the day, provide more protection for the skin especially in colder climates, and be a bit heavier than other body products like creams, lotions, and oils.
Typical Ingredients
Body butter formulations differ depending on the benefits that the manufacturer intends for the customer to experience. However, you'll find that most body butters contain some form of shea butter, cocoa butter, or mango butter. Common oils used in body butters include coconut oil, avocado oil, argan oil, fragrance oils, and essential oils. Yes...there's a difference.
Our intention in the creation of our body butters is to provide our customers with an organically made product that moisturizes dry skin, fades discoloration like scars and stretch marks, and helps soothe skin ailments like eczema and psoriasis, so we like making our body butters with almond oil and rosehip oil due to their skin nourishing properties.
Almond oil benefits for skin include smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles and promoting the production of new skin cells due to its Vitamin A (retinol) content, safeguarding against sun damage due to its omega-3 fatty acid and Vitamin E content, improving skin complexion and skin tone, reducing scarring, treating dry skin, and improving acne. Rose hip oil benefits include the prevention of dry skin, healing wounds, supporting the production of collagen via its Vitamin C content, reducing hyperpigmentation, and treating mild to moderate acne due to its Vitamin A content.
Body butters are made by combining the butters of choice with the oils and whipping with a hand-mixer until the desired consistency is reached.
How to Use Body Butter
The best time to moisturize is following your shower or bath. Body butter should be applied to damp skin in order to work properly. Body butters and oils are SEALANTS, not hydrators! The only thing that can hydrate the skin is WATER! Applying a sealant without the presence of water will leave your skin dry!! This is why you get super ashy if you shower and don't put anything on afterwards; water evaporates from the skin really fast, and therefore needs to be sealed in with a butter (or oil) to lock in the moisture (this is the same reason why water-based moisturizers like lotions and creams have you ashy 15 minutes after applying). This is also why you may feel "greasy" when applying body butter to dry skin. Firstly, a little goes a long way. Secondly, it's literally designed to form a protective barrier on the skin. If the pores are already "closed" and the skin is already dry, applying a body butter will just seal in more dryness. A difference will be felt regardless, even when applied dry, but to optimize it's use, you'll want to add some type of water to your skin first.
So you may ask, if I'm supposed to apply water before applying body butter to properly moisturize, what do I do when I'm on the go?
Bene Beauty by Bri has you covered. We developed our Sweet Vanilla Hydration Mist to serve as a perfume mist, facial toner, fabric spray, and skin hydrator. This coconut-water based mist is perfect curing for on-the-go dryness while leaving you with a sweet, satisfying, coconutty-vanilla fragrance. Our 2oz size is perfect for your small purse or pocket!
Still confused about how to use body butter? Check out this video.
Our Creamy Shea Body Butter is a best seller. Formulated to correct dryness on the most sensitive of skin.
We also offer naturally scented options via the addition of essential oils and plant extracts. We know everyone loves being told they smell good; we provide that feeling for you directly through the yields of nature.
Click here to browse our collection of body butters and pick your favorite. If you're torn between two, try our Body Butter Bundle.