Buying guide for Best body oil
Is your skin dry, dull, or irritated? If so, you may appreciate the restorative powers of a luxurious body oil. Extracted from natural sources such as nuts, vegetables, and fruit seeds, body oil is a recommended skincare product used to treat and prevent dry skin.
As the name suggests, body oil is an oil-based beauty product. While other body creams and lotions are water-based, body oil forms a barrier that traps water from the atmosphere or a bath or shower and holds it next to your skin, hydrating it. You can find some terrific body oil products today that are ightweight, fast-absorbing, and non-greasy. The question is, would a body oil be right for you? If so, which one? They’re not all the same. For example, some are non-comedogenic, meaning they don’t clog pores. If your skin is prone to breakouts, this is an important consideration.
To help your skin look radiant — visibly smoother, softer, and refreshed — a body oil may be just what you need. Discover more about the benefits of body oil.
Body oil benefits
Body oil adds moisture to the skin.
The skin on your body is unlike the skin on your face. It’s thicker and less exposed, with areas prone to roughness and chafing. During cold, dry months, a lack of humidity and exposure to cold can cause the skin to lose moisture. During hot, dry months, sun exposure can leave your skin parched and in need of hydration. A body oil can improve skin cell cohesion and limit transepidermal water loss. In other words, your skin gains moisture.
Used in conjunction with massage, body oil can help relieve pain and tension.
Body oils containing essential oils with anti-inflammatory properties are formulated to alleviate aches and muscle pain. These oils offer a natural alternative for people who want relaxation and relief without pills. You can harmonize your body and spirit with a relaxing body oil designed specifically for massage.
Body oil vs. body lotion
Some consumers wonder exactly what the difference is between body oil and body lotion.
Hydrating effects
Body lotion is a creamy emulsion with a high water content. Most lotions are lightweight in texture and easily absorbed. Because of the high water content, however, lotion is not as long-lasting as body oil. It eventually loses its effectiveness, and you must apply more to keep the hydration going.
The moisturizing effect of body oil tends to last longer. Applied directly after bathing to warm, damp skin, body oil softens and heals. It also seals in moisture. Many people consider body oil to be a better skin moisturizer than body lotion for these reasons.
Ingredients
Another point in favor of body oil: many products contain few, if any, unnatural ingredients. Body lotion, on the other hand, may contain a host of ingredients you cannot pronounce. If you’re looking for something pure and natural, an oil may be the better choice. However, the best way to know for sure is to read the label of any body lotion or body oil you’re considering.
Common body oil varieties
Almond oil
Derived from pressed almonds, almond oil is loaded with fats, proteins, and vitamins A, B, D, and E. Almond oil delivers nourishment and moisture to skin and hair without blocking pores or causing buildup. It’s rich in antioxidants and thought to help fight free radical damage. You can use almond oil as a carrier oil for essential oils, too — it’s great for hair, skin, and aromatherapy practices.
Jojoba oil
Derived from the desert jojoba shrub, this lightweight, hydrating body oil has endless applications because it mimics the natural oils found in hair and skin. Whether your skin is dry, oily, or somewhere in between, you can benefit from the moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antiseptic properties of jojoba oil. It doesn’t clog pores or leave a greasy residue, either.
Coconut oil
If you’re looking for an oil that’s great for your hair as well as your skin, consider coconut oil. It glides on smoothly and is thought to help eliminate blemishes, fade dark spots, and diminish scars. As a hair dressing, coconut oil adds glimmering shine, mending split ends and helping prevent breakage.
Arabica coffee bean oil
Known for its skin-revitalizing properties, this oil, extracted from the seeds of the arabica coffee plant, contains one of the best botanical sources of free radicals. The oil helps combat antioxidants to rejuvenate tired skin, even skin tone, and protect skin from environmental stressors.
Argan oil
Rich in essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamin C, argan oil proves amazingly effective in restoring moisture and nutrients to hair, nails, and skin.
Squalane oil
Squalane oil is a time-trusted oil that was traditionally harvested from the livers of sea sharks. Today, it is sustainably harvested from plant sources including organically grown olives, rice, and sugarcane. Squalane oil boasts powerful anti-aging properties that help increase moisture retention while improving skin elasticity.
Oil mixtures
Not all body oils are single-ingredient products. Some are oil mixtures. For example, a blended body oil might combine healing botanical carrier oil with an energizing mix of citrus and floral essential oils. This mix may also contain essential fatty acids, proteins, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Popular blends include geranium and neroli oil to nourish and protect the skin against aging, orange and apricol oil to give the skin a radiant glow, and primrose and calendula oil to soothe irritated skin.
"Pure sea buckthorn oil, an ingredient in many face and body oils, may cause an allergic reaction in people with sensitive skin, coloring the skin orange. "
STAFF
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Features
Application
Body oil comes in a number of application styles. Oil sticks are portable vessels that contain dense, nourishing oil. You can use an oil stick to highlight cheek and collar bones, instantly moisturize dry skin patches, and soften heels and cuticles. Brush-on liquid applicators and roll-on tubes are similar vessesl that allow you to fine-tune the oil’s application.
You will also find body oils for sale in pots, bottles, pumps, and sprays. With a spray, you can aim the oil at target spots with ease. Pots, bottles, and pumps may require you to spread the oil with your fingertips. Alternatively, you could pat the oil onto your skin with a damp makeup sponge.
Most body oil is sold in glass or plastic bottles. Containers with around four ounces of oil tend to be the most common, but you may find products with as much as 16 ounces of oil within.
Fragrance
Some body oils are fragrance free; others are enhanced with fragrance. If you like a body oil with fragrance, determine whether you prefer something sweet, spicy, floral, or clean and crisp. It’s fun to experiment with different oils until you find your favorite scent.
Purpose
Different body oils are aimed at different beauty concerns. Some are multi-purpose oils for face, hair, and body. Some promise skin nourishment. Here’s a deeper look at the different purposes a body oil can serve.
Nourishing the nails, hair, and skin: Some body oils are multi-purpose oils that can also be applied to the hair after shampooing, applied to ragged cuticles, and used on a cotton ball to remove makeup. Coconut, almond, and squalane oils are oft-seen multi-purpose oils.
Adding shimmer: These oils act like drops of golden sunshine, reflecting light to give the skin a healthy glow. This type of oil is often applied to the shoulders, cheekbones, and brow.
Fighting cellultie: Some oils are thought to increase blood circulation and reduce the appearance of cellulite. Chestnut extract, ginger, and/or ginseng may be added to body oil for this purpose.
Organic
Body oils, especially seed and nut oils like sunflower, grapeseed, rosehip, sesame, almond, and apricot oil, can differ dramatically. Are the seeds from which the oil is pressed non-GMO and organic? Not always, so if it’s important to you, you’ll want to check. Organic seed oils are cultivated using time-tested, chemical-free farming methods. This type of farming is quite different from conventional oils grown with the help of toxic chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers.
Body oil prices
Inexpensive oils
There are many splurge-worthy body oils, but with a bit of savvy shopping, you can find an effective body oil with a budget-friendly price tag. For a pure nut or vegetable carrier oil without added fragrance or extra ingredients, expect to pay $5 to $16 for an eight-ounce bottle. Oils in this price range tend to be sold in larger quantities of eight or 16 ounces.
Mid-range oils
In this price-range, you can indulge in carefully curated blends of pure, nutrient-dense botanical body oils from better-known brands. Prices range from $18 to $36 for a four-ounce bottle.
Expensive oils
Expensive body oils contain costly all-natural ingredients such as moringa kernel oil, tamanu oil, neoli oil, and prickly pear oil. Some high-end oils cost up to $50. If you’re really going to indulge, you could find yourself paying up to $230 for a well-known anti-aging body oil with top-shelf ingredients.
Tips
- You can use body oil to prevent shaving irritation. Before shaving, prep skin with body oil to protect it against razor burn.
- Start your day with body oil. To keep skin moisturized all day, apply body oil after your morning shower, focusing on areas that need extra hydration.
- When purchasing a body oil, look for a product with an ingredient list you understand. If you are unable to pronounce half the ingredients, you may not wish to put those ingredients on your skin.
FAQ
Q. Can a body oil really moisturize my skin?
A. Not exactly. Body oils are not water based, so they do not add moisture. Rather, body oils seal in moisture, keeping skin hydrated, glowing, smooth, and soft.
Q. Will body oil clog my pores?
A. Botanical body oils are non-comedogenic, which means they do not usually clog pores. However, if you are prone to clogged pores, you should avoid applying body oil product to facial areas where blackheads and blemishes occur.
Q. Can I use squalane oil if I have oily skin?
A. Yes. Squalane oil is seemingly weightless and suitable for every skin type, including oily skin.
