Winter brings Christmas, Hanukkah, and new reasons to go shopping, but along with lattes and stylish coats come dry hands and chapped skin. However, with your preventative measures in full effect, we’re still looking out for you: here’s our guide to the best winter-ready body lotions, why you need them and the ingredients you need to keep a lookout for.
Ingredient: Butter
Finally “ copious amounts of butter-anything that we can embrace fully thanks to its beneficial qualities. Shea butter and cocoa butter are key ingredients in certain products that help retain moisture better than most, and while simple lotions do the moisturizing trick, products like The Body Shop’s Shea Body Butter (which contains antioxidant vitamins A and E to both nourish and protect skin) or Lush’s Buffy Body Butter (for use in the shower with no need to moisturize afterwards), take winter readiness to whole new levels, saturating your skin for continued long-term effects.
Ingredient: Oil
While some oils come in liquid form, certain extracts are essential to winter-ready moisturizers that may be cream, butter or bar-based. By using ingredients like Kukui nut oil (rich in omega fatty acids), avocado oil (contains Vitamins A and E) and coconut oil (which works to soften and moisten skin), the skin is naturally enriched without the presence of chemicals or artificial additives. And with the likes of Bath and Body Works’ Lemon Body Cream, The Body Shop’s Coconut Milk Body Lotion and even Fruits & Passion’s Eucalyptus Pure Essential Oil (which also works to help clear breathing passages in the winter), it’s safe to say the idea of essential oils is not just fodder for ad campaigns any more.
Ingredient: Waxes
Proving that the best ingredients are often found in our own backyards (or kitchen cupboards), Burt’s Bees have made a name for themselves by using honey extract and waxes to turn our dry and damaged winter skin into the stuff of baby bottoms. Combining the power of essential oils, orange and beeswax (which hydrates and revitalizes skin), the company’s Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey & Orange Wax Body Lotion is a further testimony to nature’s offerings. But they’re not alone “ Lush also offers Ultrabalm: an all-purpose vegan balm made from candelilla wax, rose wax and jojoba oil that creates a protective barrier on your skin and locks in moisture.
Joining forces: lip protection
While lotions, butters and waxes can aid in the prevention of dry faces, hands and other extremities, lip balms (particularly the classic sticks we’ve all grown up with) are essential in combating chapping and dryness, and with products like The Body Shop’s Cocoa Butter Lip Care Stick, you’ve got the benefits of a body butter without the perfumes or products that aren’t super healthy to digest. Burt’s Bees classic Replenishing Lip Balm with pomegranate oil also replenishes moisture with the antioxidant qualities of the ever-powerful fruit, while Aveda’s Lip Saver (with an added SPF of 15) uses waxes, cinnamon leaf, and anise oils to seal in moisture and cement lasting protection.
