Body Lotions: Benefits, How To Use, Disadvantages & FAQs

Do you use body lotion to moisturize your body only during the dry winter months? Many people tend to do this and ignore their skin for the rest of the year. However, in order to maintain healthy and youthful skin all year long, you must nourish and protect your skin with body lotion throughout the year.

Like the face, your body also tends to lose moisture throughout the day. A suitable body lotion helps hydrate and nourish your skin, while keeping it plump and moisturized.

Scrolling down, you can see why body lotions are indispensable and how to use them for maximum benefits.

Highlights:

• What Is A Body Lotion?
• Benefits Of Moisturizing Body Lotions
• How To Use A Body Lotion?
• Which Body Lotion Is Suitable For Your Skin Type?
• Which SPF Body Lotion Is The Best?
• What Are The Disadvantages Of Using A Body Lotion?
• Frequently Asked Questions About Body Lotions

What Is A Body Lotion?

Body lotions are formulations meant to be used all over the body. They provide your skin with its daily dose of hydration and nourishment. Body lotions are mainly designed to stop moisture from leaving your skin and/or absorb moisture from elsewhere to keep your skin hydrated, soft, and smooth.

Compared to face moisturizers, body lotions tend to be richer and provide your skin with the perfect nourishment. Some body lotions are also formulated to tackle specific issues such as tanned skin [1], cellulite [2], etc.

Benefits Of Moisturizing Body Lotions

1. Rehydrates Dry Skin

Like your face, the body also loses moisture continuously due to wind, sunlight, heat or cold climate. It is essential to provide your skin with a daily dose of hydration and nourishment. Body lotions are formulated to support the skin barrier and prevent moisture evaporation. It can also rehydrate your skin and provide the much-needed nourishment.

Note:

If you work in harsh climates often, you need to apply body lotion regularly to keep your skin hydrated. Using an appropriate body lotion after each shower can help lock in moisture deep in the skin to keep it hydrated and supple.

2. Softens Your Skin & Soothes Rough Patches

Regular application of body lotion can help to soften and soothe your dry and rough skin. A moisturizing body lotion can treat or prevent dry, rough, scaly, and itchy skin. It can also deal with minor skin irritations like rashes.

3. Keeps Your Skin Healthy

Along with improving the skin barrier, nourishing ingredients in body lotions can restore your skin's natural defence mechanism. It helps protect your skin from external microbes and keeps the skin’s microbiome balanced. This way, you can have healthy skin.

4. Takes Care Of Calluses

A regular massage of body lotion on your comparatively dry body parts, like knees, elbows, and feet, helps to keep them soft and smooth. Everyday use of lotions also helps to calm flare-ups or irritated patches and helps to heal and moisturize dry areas that require a little extra care.

5. Helps Minimize Aging Signs

Body lotions with anti-aging ingredients can help to minimize the signs of aging like wrinkles, fine lines, and pigmentation. As your body lotion keeps your skin hydrated, it also helps to reduce the appearance of premature signs of ageing. Some lotions contain ingredients that help to heal or treat specific issues like dryness, loss of elasticity, acne, eczema, etc.

6. Makes You Feel & Smell Good

A soft and creamy body lotion with a pleasant fragrance can make your skin feel good. The lovely scent of the body lotion can also be relaxing, leaving a long-term positive effect on you.

How To Use A Body Lotion?

It is a common mistake to apply body lotion to dry skin. The best way of using body lotion is to apply it to warm and damp skin right after a bath or shower. Moist and warm skin allows drawing the maximum benefit from your chosen body lotion. Here are four easy steps to apply a body lotion:

Step – 1: Take an adequate quantity of body lotion into your palm.

Step – 2: Rup your palms together to warm up the lotion taken for massage.

Step – 3: Apply the lotion to your body using your hand and use small circular motions to massage it in.

Step – 4: Repeat the same process until you have covered your entire body. Don’t forget to take extra care of dry and rough areas of your body, such as elbows and knees.

Which Body Lotion Is Suitable For Your Skin Type?

Body lotions are vital skincare products for everyone. But there are several different skin types with specific needs. To meet the requirements of different skin types, a wide range of body lotions are available in the market. To maximize benefits from your body lotion, you need to understand your skin type and purchase a body lotion accordingly.

1.Dry Skin

Dry skin needs some extra hydration [3]. Especially during the winter months, you must use a thick, creamy moisturizer to combat the dryness of your skin and the effects of dry weather. A body lotion that contains glycerin, alpha hydroxy acids [4], and refined petrolatum or lanolin can be beneficial for restoring hydration and keeping your skin moisturized. But in the summer months, your skin needs a lighter moisturizer, which is not too oily or thick.

2.Normal Skin

If you are blessed with normal skin, your skincare regime can be very simple. All you need to do is cleanse your skin with a mild wash, followed by a massage with a light body lotion. But don't forget that normal skin also needs its daily dose of hydration to keep looking its best.

3.Oily Skin

Unlike the common notion, oily skin too needs to be moisturized; or else you may experience premature aging signs and other damages. Opt for light, non-greasy, and oil-free body lotions that can moisturize the skin without clogging the pores. Oil-free and lightweight moisturizers can nourish your skin throughout the year and keep it soft and smooth.

Which SPF Body Lotion Is The Best?

The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is an indicator that helps to identify whether your body lotion can protect your skin from the harmful effect of UVB rays and sunburn. To measure the efficiency of SPF, do note that a body lotion with SPF 50 will protect you from around 98% of UVB rays.

However, an SPF 30 body lotion will protect you from about 96.7% of UVB rays. A body lotion beyond SPF 50 can make very little difference in terms of sun protection. Also remember that no sunscreen can provide 100% protection from UVB rays.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Using A Body Lotion?

Besides the advantages mentioned above, there are some drawbacks of using body lotions. Here are some of its disadvantages:

1. May Trigger Allergies

Body lotions may contain some synthetic chemicals that may lead to allergic reactions in some people. Redness, itchiness, and rashes are some of the common symptoms. People with sensitive skin may experience body lotion allergies.

2. Can Clog Pores

Many body lotions contain oils like petrolatum (Vaseline), lanolin (sheep-wool oil), and mineral oil. Over-application of these ingredients can clog your pores and block water evaporation. That can suffocate your skin and also trigger breakouts.

3. Breathing trouble

Almost every lotion contains synthetic fragrances, and these components can cause respiratory issues besides allergies in some people. A study showed that fragrances are the main culprit (45.1%) behind causing allergic reactions. A sensitive person would start sneezing and coughing when they have breathing issues due to the scents.

Frequently Asked Questions About Body Lotions

1. When Should You Use A Body Lotion?

There is no recommended timing for body lotion application. You can use your lotion any time, but moist and warm skin (like after a shower) is the best canvas for maximum benefit.

2. Should Body Lotion Be Used Before Or After A Shower?

After a shower is the best time to apply body lotion. Just pat your skin dry and apply a lotion immediately after that to keep the moisture locked in.

3. How Often Should You Apply Body Lotion?

Nourishing your skin with a body lotion once every 24 hours is recommended. But if you feel skin dryness, you can repeat the application more often, depending on your specific need.

4. Can Body Lotion Be Used Everywhere On The Body?

You can use body lotion everywhere, except on your face. While it’s ok to apply body lotion on your face once in a while, don't make it a habit. The skin on your face is different and much more delicate and thinner than your body. So, it needs different care regimes.

5. What Body Areas Should You Avoid While Applying Body Lotion?

It is always better to avoid sensitive areas like around the eyes, inside your mouth or nose, and the vaginal or groin area, unless the label on the lotion or your doctor directs you otherwise.

SkinKraft Tip:

Before using a body lotion, do check the label for directions. Also consider whether the lotion is suitable for all body areas and types of skin. Check if you can apply it on areas like broken, cut, chapped, irritated, scraped skin, or on a recently shaved area of the skin.

Wrapping Up

When it comes to nourishing and moisturizing your skin, body lotions are the best option. There are multiple options available in the market with different ingredients to provide you with the required benefits (like sun protection, anti-aging, skin-lightening, etc.). Choose the right body lotion as per your need and provide your body with the daily dose of nourishment and hydration.

Begin By Knowing Your Skin