Body Butter 101 - Nourishing, Enriching Skincare

What Is Body Butter?

Derived from natural ingredients such as beans, seeds, nuts and kernels that grow as plants, Body Butter is typically a very thick consistency when sitting at room temperature. Once applied, however, the butter will begin to “melt” into the skin as it comes into contact with body heat. Many people enjoy using body butters because they tend to provide a comfortable moisturizing feeling without greasiness.

Body Butter Ingredients:

Body butter can consist of a variety of ingredients. The best ones are, of course, made from natural ingredients that are sourced in a non-toxic, non-chemical manner.

Base

Body Butter bases can be made from a variety of plant products, the most common being Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter, which give the body butter its thick texture and hearty consistency.

Oils

Many base butters themselves are too thick and stiff to be useful on their own, so they are often combined with natural that create a more spreadable consistency as well as providing benefits to the skin. These might include Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Argan Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Sunflower Oil and more. In the highest quality body butters, these oils will be naturally derived from the purest sources.

Essential Oils

Essential Oils are not really oil at all—they are the “essence” that is drawn out of plants leaves, stems and other plant parts (often using cold pressing or steam distillation) resulting in powerful drops of natural liquid. Essential oils encourage various healing properties and health benefits when used in body butters and other personal products, as well as providing the luscious scents found in body butters.

A body butter meant for soothing the skin might contain calming essential oils such lavender or chamomile as lavender or chamomile.

Other Ingredients

Because body butters need to have a shelf life that lasts long enough for you to use the product, they are often made with various stabilizers and preservatives to keep the product fresh. These ingredients are typically used in very small quantities but they keep products pure and safe for everyday use. This may include ingredients such as phenoxyethanol, citric acid (most commonly found in citrus fruits).

Other ingredients commonly found in body butters include vitamins that have various health benefits. For instance, Vitamin E (called tocopherol acetate) works as an antioxidant to purify the skin and possibly even reverse damage from the sun and pollution. Conditioners and emulsifiers (such as coco glucoside or cetearyl alcohol) allow body butters to keep their smooth consistency and make them easier to spread onto the skin.

The highest-quality body butters will be created with natural, organic ingredients that promote health for the body as well as for the environment. They should be free from harmful chemicals (such as synthetic fragrance oils), allergens (including nuts or gluten), and often are handcrafted in small batches for maximum control over quality and freshness.

Body Butter Benefits

Packed with beneficial ingredients and sliding on the body with a luscious feeling of pampering, body butters are able to replace some of the precious nutrients that the skin might be missing, including Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, Antioxidants, Essential Fatty Acids and more. Take a look at what all of these magical ingredients can do for you:

Vitamins

Of course, we all know that vitamins are really important for the health of our internal organs, but the skin is in desperate need of them as well. Vitamins found in skin care products (such as body butters) may include A, C, E, D, K, and some of the B families. Vitamins offer a variety of benefits to the skin, such as:

• Smooth out rough patches
• Reduce appearance of patchy coloring
• Strengthen the quality of skin and enhance tone
• Protect against damage and harshness of the sun’s rays
• Reduce inflammation
• Provide anti-aging benefits

Minerals

Naturally occurring in plant products (such as cocoa butter) minerals including magnesium, copper, calcium, potassium and others can be beneficial to the skin for these reasons:

• Help to remove toxins from the skin with antioxidant properties
• Produce natural exfoliation
• Provide protection against harsh effects of the environment

Proteins

Also naturally found in body butter ingredients, proteins are great for the skin as they:

• Promote the repair of skin cells and tissue
• Stimulate generation of new skin and tissue cells
• Benefit the immune system
• Reduce the premature effects of aging

Antioxidants

Found in many vitamins, antioxidants are critical for keeping the skin healthy in these ways:

• Promote healthy skin cells by encouraging new growth and rejuvenation
• Calm inflammation through increased circulation and metabolism of cells
• Creates a plumping effect to make skin look younger
• Tones and tightens skin to reduce appearance of scars, wrinkles, blemishes and age spots

Essential Fatty Acids

Playing a critical role in the look and feel of the skin, essential fatty acids:

• Promote and enhance the protective layer of moisture that your body naturally produces
• Soothe and protect the skin
• Aid in elimination of the body’s toxins
• Reduce premature signs of aging with extreme moisture capabilities
• Keep water loss through the skin to a minimum

How To Use Body Butter

Used similarly to the way a person might use body lotion, body butter is most effective when applied daily after bathing while the skin is still somewhat moist. This allows the body butter to more efficiently seal in the hydration. Of course, body butter can be used at any time of the day, on all body parts (avoiding sensitive areas such as the face and eyes).

Soothing and nourishing, especially for those with dry skin, body butter may be applied more often specifically to targeted areas that tend to get dry, such as elbows, knees, hands and feet.

For a super-lush spa-like foot treatment, try applying body butter to freshly washed feet and the immediately wearing socks to seal in the moisture. Wear the socks overnight for ultimate softness on your feet.

Keep a tub of luscious body butter in the bathroom for post-shower application. Or set one on your nightstand to make it easily accessible for nighttime moisturizing.

Body butter may not change a person’s life completely, but many people keep it as a critical part of their daily routine. For taking the best care of this precious skin that lovingly wraps up and protects our bodies every day, there’s nothing quite like body butter. Shop body butters offered by pennyRae here today!