Moisturizer on your legs and arms keeps skin feeling baby soft, moisturizer on your hands and feet keeps cracking skin at bay, and moisturizer on your face scares away those dreaded wrinkles. There are many benefits to moisturizing, but I’ll bet there’s a part of your body that’s in serious need of a little extra moisture that you’re neglecting—your vagina.
Thin, dry vaginal and vulvar tissues affect 40% of postmenopausal women. But it’s not just midlife or older women that suffer from vaginal dryness. There are a number of other circumstances that can reduce natural lubrication in any age woman such as having a baby, nursing, taking hormonal contraception, being treated for cancer with chemotherapy or radiation, and medications such as antihistamines or decongestants.
For starters, you know that the right vaginal lubricant is an essential ingredient for turning “sandpaper sex” into slippery sex. When choosing a lube, keep in mind that most water-based versions are gloppy, sticky, and contain a propylene glycol preservative, which can be irritating. To enhance intimacy I recommend premium silicone lubricants, which are more slippery, last much longer, and are non-irritating.
But lubricants are just to be used at the time of intercourse to reduce friction—and they don’t address the cause of vaginal dryness; they just make things more slippery. To replenish the everyday moisture your vagina needs, try a long-acting moisturizer to change the water content of the tissue (hence “moisturize”) resulting in tissues that are more elastic, thicker, and with enhanced ability to produce fluid, that will, in turn, reduce friction. Replens Long-Lasting Vaginal Moisturizer is the leading long-acting moisturizer that has been shown in clinical studies to help replenish vaginal moisture and decrease painful intercourse.
Sometimes the ravages of menopause make the vaginal walls so thin and dry that the only way to reverse the vaginal clock and make intercourse comfortable is estrogen. But for most, adding a vaginal moisturizer to your regular moisturizing routine one to two times a week is just the solution you need to slip back into everyday comfort—plus a more satisfying sex life.
How to Choose the Right Body Moisturizer for Your Skin Type
Finding the best product will depend on your unique needs. Is your skin prone to dryness and irritation, or do you get oily and suffer from breakouts easily? We’ve put together this guide to help you figure out which body moisturizers will work best for you.
First, we’ll cover the main types of body moisturizers.
The Main Types of Body Moisturizers
We’ve discussed this topic in detail in the past, so here’s a quick summary of the main types of body moisturizers and how they differ from one another.
Body Lotions
Body lotions are light and hydrating. They contain a lot of water, so they sink into the skin quickly and combat dehydration with ease. They’re very low on oils, plant butters, or other ingredients that’ll make the skin feel greasy, but this also means that they’re not great when it comes to creating a protective seal for preventing water from evaporating from the skin.
Body Creams
Body creams are probably the most common category of body moisturizers. They’re a little thicker than lotions, but they still contain a good amount of water. They offer a blend of hydration thanks to water and humectants and moisture-binding effects thanks to oils and emollients. They’re a fantastic choice, although a rare few might find them to be a little heavy or greasy.
Body Butters
Body butters are the thickest of the body moisturizers. They’re often made without any water – just oils and plant butters. Because of that, they do a powerful job of binding moisture into the skin, but they’re not hydrating on their own. Some brands do have body butters that also include water and humectants, in which case, they’re more like thick creams.
Body Oils
Similar to butters, body oils are also made without water. They’re actually very simple since they’re just a blend of different oils or oil-like emollients. They’re fluid, and they often leave a bit of a sheen on the skin. They can be a little greasy for some, while others swear by them.
Choosing the Best Body Moisturizer for Your Skin
The first consideration you should have when choosing a body moisturizer is whether its texture will fit with your body’s oil production and moisture levels. Most of us are familiar with our facial skin type, but the skin type on our body doesn’t always match, nor is it always as obvious.
In general, the body tends to produce oil in a more stable way than the face, so it’s less prone to extreme dryness or extreme oiliness. However, some still experience more severe dryness, especially in areas like the elbows or knees. Others find that their skin gets oily, especially on the back or chest.
These are our recommendations based on skin types, but later on, we’ll cover other factors that should figure into your selection process.
Normal Skin
If you have normal skin, you’re probably not dealing with any serious skin concerns. Maybe your skin gets a little dry after the shower, but otherwise, you just want to maintain the softness of your skin and prevent dryness.
Body creams are best for normal skin because they offer the perfect combination of moisture-attracting and moisture-sealing ingredients. You can switch to a lighter lotion in the summer if creams feel too heavy, or you can try body butter on top of your cream if things get dry in winter.
Dry Skin
For those dealing with dry skin that gets chapped, tight, or flaky, a body moisturizer is a must. For day-to-day, a body cream is best because it’ll restore your skin barrier with its emollient ingredients while also helping to combat dehydration with moisture-attracting humectants like glycerin.
If you’re coming straight out of a shower, body butter might be better, however, since your skin will already be saturated with water, and you’ll just want those moisture-locking effects.
To really take things to the next level, you can try to layer your body moisturizers, just as you would your skincare. Apply a lotion or cream first, and then top it with a body butter or body oil to seal everything in.
Oily Skin
If the skin on your body tends to get quite oily, and you rarely suffer from dry patches, you’ll want to look for lighter body moisturizers. Contrary to popular belief, however, you’ll still want to moisturize since your skin can still be dehydration-prone.
Your skin won’t need its oils replenished, but it could benefit from the dose of water and humectants that are so plentiful in body lotions. Since body lotions are so light, you should find their texture quite pleasant, and they won’t make you feel too oily. If needed, you could also use body creams in the winter, when even the oiliest skin can get a little parched.
However, you should avoid body butters, which can be quite greasy on oily skin. Body oils might be okay, as long as you choose formulas that feel silky rather than oily or greasy.