If you have oily skin, you likely don’t need a body butter. But if you have dry skin, they may be a good idea and are better than slippery bath oils that can be dangerous in baths, and make the bath tub difficult to clean too. These body butters are all made with plant-based ingredients with no palm oil, and sold in zero waste packaging. Most body butters are based on natural butters like shea, mango and cocoa. It’s much thicker than a body lotion, so good for very dry skin and night-time use. To use body butter, just scoop it in your hand and apply in circular motions to dry patches of skin.
Nourish Organic Body Butter (East Sussex) contains shea butter, coconut oil and restoring jojoba and avocado oils. Sold in a glass jar, this is made by a qualified aromatherapist and is scented with oils of lavender and mandarin.
Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing & affected medical conditions (epilepsy, asthma, heart – no rosemary, citrus or sage oil for high blood pressure). Avoid shea butter for latex allergies. Keep essential oils & cocoa butter (toxic if licked) away from pets.
Often good skincare for your body is through what you don’t do, rather than what you buy. As well as eating and drinking well and staying out of strong sun, other tips include avoiding strong soaps, not staying too long in the bath and protecting your skin before shaving. It’s best to apply body balms within 5 minutes of drying your skin, to let them sink in properly.
What is your skin trying to tell you? Often the skin is a metaphor for deeper issues, and a way for your body to send up a red flag, to warn you that all is not well underneath. For our skin to be radiant and clear, it is important that the kidneys, liver, lungs and colon are cleansing the body effectively. Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman
Your skin is the fingerprint of what is going on inside your body. And all skin conditions from psoriasis to acne to ageing, are the manifestations of your body’s nutritional needs. Dr Georgina Donadio
