Everything You Need to Know on How to Use Body Butter

How to Use Body Butter

Is Body Butter a Moisturiser? 

No! Body butter is the Rolls Royce, the luxury yacht of moisturisers - and you should know how to really make it work for you.

We know what you want .. soft, supple hydrated skin, all over body feeling and looking great. Dare we say, you want to glow? So do we! Read on.

Body butter is thicker, and richer than normal body moisturising creams. It’s intense! This makes it great for not only problem skin and areas, or super dry skin but also for day long, year round skin hydration. Your skin takes its time to soak up every delightful super moisturising ingredient in this queen of moisturisers.

Buy the right body butter, use it right, and you can't go wrong. We got all the info for you right here.

5 Tips for How to Use Body Butter

1. Lay down a good base

First up, let’s start pre-body butter. What's your shower gel saying? If it’s standard stuff, it’s probably drying your skin out, and that’s not a great place to start.

Consider switching to  an organic body wash with gentle, natural ingredients that won’t dry your skin.

2. Give it time

Body butters are thick, and depending on the active moisturising ingredients, can even be fairly solid.

These are great, but take a little time on your skin to absorb. Fab if you’re having a long luxury shower or bath night. Wait a few seconds for the warmth in your skin to melt the body butter.  Let it sit for a few seconds before you start to rub it in. The natural warmth from your body will soften the body butter so that it smooths on easily.

3. Use only what you need

Many people want to know just how much body butter to use. Because it’s so rich, a little body butter will go a long way. Use small amounts on specific areas and work it in. Rub it into your skin with circular motions, and after a few moments, you’ll feel it beginning to absorb. If you’ve got a few extra minutes and want some deep hydration, lather up and let it soak in while you move on to the next part of your beauty routine. 

But if you’re a bit short on time, start with a coin-sized amount and build from there. If you want an even quicker fix, choose a lighter body butter. These are often called "whipped body butters." Find blends that have ingredients like coconut oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, or grapeseed oil. These are liquid at room temperature and quicker to apply. 

4. Know when to use body butter

The best time? Straight after a warm shower when your pores are open.

Apply body butter after your shower at any time of day, but taking a shower right before bed will have the best benefits. 

Top tip: Avoid hot water. Turn down the temp of your water and decrease the amount of time you spend bathing to help maintain skin’s moisture levels. Too hot water dries the skin and strips it of natural oils.

5. Use water to your advantage

As we’ve mentioned, the best body butters are packed with hydrating natural oils and butters, but one ingredient they should NOT have is water. In fact, the natural ingredients are naturally self-preserving, so you should never add water to your body butter.

However–allowing your skin to be slightly wet after the shower, or using a misting bottle to spritz the skin slightly before applying, is a great way to lock in even more moisture. 

How body butter works; Is it good for skin?

Body Butters are formulated without water and are thicker and even solid at room temperature. They are made from natural oils bases, usually from nut and seed extracts.

Body butters made with organic ingredients and few or no preservatives and chemicals deliver intense moisture. Healthy skin all the way.

But, beware. Not every product called ‘body butter’ has skin healthy ingredients. Cheaper body butters may not benefit your skin much and may even have the opposite effect if they are full of chemicals. When it comes to body butters, it's worth going for high quality and natural. Great body butters are formulated with ultra-emollient, nutrient-rich ingredients like organic shea butter and coconut oil. Because it's so rich, it lasts so much longer, so worth the extra cost.

Other Uses of Body Butter 

Although most people use body butter for all-over body hydration, there are many other alternative uses for body butter, such as;

• Makeup remover
• Cuticle treatment
• Eczema and excessively dry patches of skin
• Hand cream
• Shaving cream substitute
• Foot cream
• Sunburn treatment
• Hair treatment

Body butter as a makeup remover

If you're caught out without cleanser, you can use small amounts of body butter as a makeup remover! Apply a small amount to a cotton pad to gently clean off makeup. It’s rich formula and natural oils cut through even stubborn makeup no problem. Be careful about getting it in the eye area depending on the ingredients as certain ingredients can be irritating to eyes. 

Body butter as a cuticle treatment

Top Tip: Use Body Butter for an At-Home Manicure

Nothing better! Soak your fingernails in warm water to soften cuticles. add a dot of butter to each cuticle, and push skin back with a wooden cuticle stick. 

Body butter for eczema and dry skin

A really good, natural body butter is great for helping your skin heal. typical body butter ingredients like shea butter or cocoa butter, are well accepted to be skin treatments. For eczema or psoriasis, look for a blend that contains jojoba oil, Oatmeal, Aloe vera gel and coconut oil, These will moisturise dry, broken skin but also combat inflammation and bacteria, reduce swelling and help prevent infection.

So, with natural ingredients, yes, Body butter with its super moisturisation can ease eczema symptoms. It’s not a cure, but a remedy. 

Choose a natural, unscented body butter. Fragrances can cause skin irritation, so best avoided on eczema. This little number from Perfect Blends Body is specially formulated for eczema and psoriasis.

 

Body butter as a hand cream

Can you use body butter as a hand cream? Oh yes, oh yes. Especially in winter when our poor hands take all kinds of abuse! Body butters are rich and penetrate deeply into rough and dry hands. Get a body butter mini pot that you can carry with you. Apply and rub in little and often so it absorbs quickly, and keeps your hand protected. 

Body Butter for your face

Can you use body butter on your face? This is a tricky one. As a makeup remover, body butter can be great. But we generally say to avoid using body butter on your face. The skin on your face is much more delicate. Because body butter is so rich in oils, it can clog pores and create acne and problems. Body butter is as it says … BODY butter. 

But there are a few specialised butters made especially for the face. Not many! But we have this gorgeous jojoba and hemp face butter from Perfect Blends Body.

Body Butter as shaving cream

The natural, nourishing oils make body butter a great substitute for shaving cream if you’re in a pinch, and even as a great permanent, natural substitute! Using body butter as a shaving cream and also post-shaving is a great way to get the softest, smoothest skin imaginable. 

Body butter for your feet

Is body butter good on feet? Heck yes!! Body butter is the perfect moisturising treat for tired and dry feet, and cracked heels. Take some serious foot love time after a shower and treat your toes with a gorgeous body butter.

If you have cracked heels, you can apply body butter before bed, pop some socks on and you’ll wake up to soft and supple feet.

Body butter for hair

Yes, we said it. The natural oils and butters in body butter can even be used on your hair. Just take a small amount, apply it to the ends, let it sit for up to 20 minutes, and wash out as normal and you’ll notice a big difference in softness!

Body butter for sunburn

What sunburn does (apart from hurt!) is dry out the skin.

The more your skin is exposed to sun, the more damage it does, and that includes stripping skin of its moisture. Again, a good quality body butter will replace lost moisture, but add in a few of nature's magic ingredients, like aloe vera, kokum butter or coconut, you got yourself an instant salve too.

Frequently Asked Questions about Body Butter

How often should I use body butter?

You can use it every day if you like and especially if you have dry skin. However, because it’s rich you can use it 1 -3 times a week and you will get that gorgeous soft skin.

Top tip: Apply it to your body after a shower and before bed for an intense moisture treatment while you sleep. 

Where should I use body butter?

Let us say it again–All over! 

As we mentioned above you can use body butter on:

• Elbows
• Knees
• Hands
• Cuticles
• Feet and heels
• Hair
• Face (with specific types)

This luxury cream really goes to work on super dry areas, like elbows, knees and feet. Double cream dry spots, like your elbows. You may also want to add a bit more body butter onto your feet, knees, hands, and anywhere that looks dry and cracked and spend time rubbing in to make it really absorb deep.

What are the best ingredients in body butter?

Look for blends with avocado oil, olive oil, shea oil and coconut oil. These butters are super moisturising and can help heal your dry hands or feet, even if the skin is cracked.

Top tip: if you are choosing a body butter and looking for a divine fragrance (as well as gorgeous skin), find products that pack essential oils instead of synthetic fragrance. One of our favorites is this Luxury Pink Champagne and Raspberry Body Butter packed with raspberry oil for an incredible scent and collagen to get more youthful, glowing skin. 

Where to find the best body butters?

There are lots of body butters out there. As a rule, we would always recommend looking for body butters that are packed with natural and organic ingredients. Of course we would--we only stock natural and organic body butters. The products featured in this blog are all from our independent sellers at Organics.

Basically, the best body butter to buy is the one that’s good for your skin. You can find many online or in your local organic shop, but always check the ingredients.

Personal favorite: if you are choosing a body butter and looking for a divine fragrance (as well as gorgeous skin), find products that pack essential oils. Like these..

So, how are you using your body butter? Have you got the right one, and are you getting top body butter results for your skin? We hope some of these tips help you find your way to your best body butter, and your best self.

As always, love yourself and love your planet.