Body Care and What You Really Need to Know!
There is very much to read about skincare on my blog, but I haven’t often talked about body care. Even so, I still receive many questions about the body each day. High time for a blog about it. Because what do you need to watch out for when looking for suitable body products?
Skincare goes further than your face
It is important to remember that what applies to the face also goes for the body: avoid, if possible, irritating ingredients in your skincare products. Substances such as perfume and denatured alcohol often ensure problems.
The daily washing routine
Lots of people still wash their bodies with normal soap and water. I will explain why perhaps this isn’t such a good idea. An ordinary, old fashioned soap is made by letting an alkaline substance (a substance with a high pH value, used to degrease) react with an oil. This reaction results in a cleanser which easily removes oil. This does make your skin clean, but because the natural oils in your skin also dissolve, your skin dries out very quickly. Furthermore, the high pH irritates your skin. Not so nice! In order to prevent this, plant extract oils are often added to these soaps, but it is still not ideal …
In recent years you will have seen many soap-less soaps on the shelves; “the synthetic soap”. In contrast to normal soaps these soaps have more or less a neutral pH value. As a general guide the synthetic soaps use a surfactant (meaning the cleaning ingredient) called Acyl-Isethionate. These soaps are more mild for your skin than the old style soaps.
Instead of the bar of soap, you can also clean your skin with water soluble washing products. These also contain surfactants, substances capable, therefore, of dissolving grease and dirt. The most popular ‘surfactants‘ are Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) and Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS). You should really leave washing products with Sodium Lauryl Sulphate alone, they aren’t good for your skin at all. Sodium Laureth Sulphate is more mild, but can still lead to problems for sensitive and dry skin. Whether it irritates your skin also depends on the concentration that the product contains and if moisture reviving oils have been added. A good rule of thumb is if your skin feels very tight after washing then the product is too severe for your skin.
Pot, tube or…?
Finding a body product with a high concentration of active ingredients is really like looking for a needle in a haystack. Nevertheless body products are important in keeping your skin in top condition. There are a number of things to take into account when purchasing such a product. It begins with the packaging. If you go for a product in a pot, keep in mind that bacteria will begin to grow in the pot in no time. Preservatives are added to a cosmetic product, but they will eventually succumb to a daily finger in the pot. Unless there is a very high concentration of preservatives in the product, but you don’t, of course, want that either. A tube or dispenser is a better option!
Which ingredients
It is particularly important that moisture retaining ingredients are added to body products. These can include Glycerine, Petrolatum (or Vaseline) or Paraffinum Liquidum. Also natural oils such as argan oil are very suitable for hydrating your skin. Substances such as Niacinamide or Panthenol are able to strengthen the skin barrier and soothe the skin. But perhaps the most important thing is to avoid irritating substances. Far more body products are crammed full with perfumes and colourings than face products. And without realising it your skin can become damaged. No matter how nice it looks or how lovely it smells, don’t fall for it! Then you will be doing your skin a big favour…
Scrub your body?
Although I advise against scrubbing your face, provided you use a mild scrub and don’t suffer from eczema or other skin problems, you can treat your body with a scrub cream. The best choice for your skin is “elastic granules”, but unfortunately it has been found that such polyethylene granules are not so environmentally friendly. Whatever you use, scrub preferably no more than twice a week. I don’t scrub myself but prefer to use an Exfoliant. If you want to know more about this than read the blog about this product.
Grease, grease and grease
If you want your skin to stay attractive then it is essential that you oil it regularly. Preferably right after showering when your skin is still damp. In this way you will keep the skin well hydrated, and skin containing enough moisture is able to protect itself properly. Additionally, of course, it is essential to protect your skin sufficiently against the sun. One more golden tip, apply a cream with UV factor on your hands each day! This will prevent you from getting old hands with those betraying age spots…
Products
Below you will find a few body creams that I can recommend. And if you know of a good product, please let me know!
Dr. Jetske Ultee Repair Cream
Aqua, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Panthenol, Caprylyl Glycol, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Ceramide NS, Phytosphingosine, Cyclohexasiloxane, Ceramide NP, Lecithin, Squalane, Ceramide AP, Cholesterol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium AcryloyldimethylTaurate Copolymer, Tocopherol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium AcryloyldimethylTaurate Copolymer, p-Anisic Acid, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, Polysorbate 60, Ceramide EOP, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Carbomer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum (last updated March 2017)
Dermolin Body Milk
Aqua Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Ethylhexyl Stearate Cetearyl Alcohol Glycerin Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Saccharide Isomerate Cetearyl Glucoside Xanthan Gum Pentylene Glycol Butylene Glycol Dipropylene Glycol Caprylyl Glycol Glyceryl Caprylate P-Anisic Acid Lactic Acid Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid Citric Acid Sodium Citrate. (last updated January 2016)
Dermolin Body Crème
Aqua Cetearyl Alcohol Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Ethylhexyl Stearate Stearic Acid Glycerin Cetearyl Glucoside Saccharide Isomerate Xanthan Gum Pentylene Glycol Butylene Glycol Dipropylene Glycol Caprylyl Glycol Glyceryl Caprylate P-Anisic Acid Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid Citric Acid Sodium Citrate. (last updated January 2016)
Dermolin repair cream
Aqua Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Cetearyl Isononanoate Coco Caprylate/Caprate Ethylhexyl Stearate Glycerin Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate Polyglyceryl-3-Diisostearate Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Zinc Stearate Cera Alba Magnesium Sulfate Urea / Ureum Saccharide Isomerate Panthenol Pentylene Glycol Butylene Glycol Dipropylene Glycol Caprylyl Glycol Glyceryl Caprylate P-Anisic Acid Tocopherol Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid Citric Acid Sodium Citrate. (last updated January 2016)
Neutral bodylotion
Aqua, Glycerin, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Ceteareth-12, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Citric acid, Sodium hydroxide, Sodium gluconate, Phenoxyethanol. (last updated January 2016)
Neutral Body Creme Intense Repair
Olus Oil, Glycerin, Aqua, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Behenate, Ceteareth-20, Ceteareth-12, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sucrose Laurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ascorbyl palmitate, Citric acid. (last updated January 2016)
Vaseline Intense Repair
Water (aqua), Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycol Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Mineral Oil, Dimethicone, Petrolatum, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Acrylates/c10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Propylparaben, Disodium Edta, Stearamide Amp, Cedrol, Dihydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydroxyethyl Urea. (last updated January 2016)
Regards Jetske
(Dr. Jetske Ultee-Reserach Physician Cosmetic Dermatology)
Click here for product advice for Moisturizers and sun creams.
You can also read the blogs ‘The Cleanser‘,
‘A Must’ (Vaseline for dry skin!),
‘Such Dry Skin‘,
‘Alcohol in Skincare Products. Rather Not!’,
‘Argan Oil: The New Wonder Drug?’ and
‘Do Anti-Oxidants Really Work in a Cream?’
or do the skin analysis.