Body washes
Body cleansers, body washes, and body shampoos are just what they sound like?they?use the detergent cleansing agents typically found in hair shampoos to clean the body?and they are excellent for all skin types. They tend to be less drying than bar soaps and bar?cleansers, they leave no residues from the bar on the skin, and the chance of irritation or?dryness is greatly reduced. (A moisturizing body wash can leave a slight film on the skin?if it contains oils, but that?s how these body cleansers moisturize the skin after you get out?of the bath or shower.) Bar soaps and bar cleansers can be problematic for the body, just?as they are for the face. Body washes are just as effective as soaps are, without any of the?problems soaps can stir up, such as clogging pores or drying out the skin.
Please do not be fooled by the claims high-end cosmetics companies make about the?body cleansers they sell. There is absolutely nothing that differentiates an expensive body?wash from an inexpensive body wash. It is pathetic how brazenly identical the ingredients are?between the pricey versions and the less pricey ones. Spending your money on these products?is a waste regardless of your financial wherewithal and wasting money is never pretty.
Many body washes designed for dry skin claim all kinds of moisturizing properties. What?they contain is simply some kind of oil. Vitamins, proteins, amino acids, and other fancy?water-binding agents may be in there, too, making you think you?re getting something?special, but while these ingredients can be good moisturizing agents in a cream or lotion?you leave on the skin, in a body wash they are just rinsed down the drain.
Oils tend to stick around a bit longer and are not easily washed away, so they do provide?some emollient benefit for dry skin. Some people don?t feel quite as clean after using a moisturizing body wash. They prefer the gentle cleaning effect of a regular body wash, followed?by a moisturizer applied after getting out of the shower, but the choice is yours.
Here?s a list of great body washes to consider: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash?($6.79 for 12 ounces); Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash Fragrance-Free ($6.79 for 12 ounces);?Burt?s Bees Naturally Moisturizing Milk & Shea Butter Body Wash ($8 for 12 ounces);?Caress Exotics Oil Infusion Japanese Cream Oil Body Wash ($5.99 for 15 ounces); Doctor Bobby Body Wash ($15 for 8 ounces); Dove Beauty Body Wash Sensitive Skin ($8.79?for 24 ounces); Eucerin Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil ($7.49 for 8.4 ounces);?Ivory Simplement Body Wash Fresh Snow ($5.59 for 24 ounces); Jason Natural Cosmetics?Fragrance-Free Satin Shower Body Wash ($10.99 for 16 ounces); Johnson?s Softwash Body?Wash Extra Care ($5.99 for 20.3 ounces); Nature?s Gate Hemp Velvet Body Wash ($7.49?for 18 ounces); Neutrogena Rainbath Deep Moisture Body Wash Butter Cream ($8.49 for?6.7 ounces); Olay Quench Body Wash ($8.79 for 23.6 ounces); Olay Ultra Moisture Body?Wash ($8.79 for 23.6 ounces); Paula?s Choice All Over Hair & Body Shampoo ($12.95?for 16 ounces); Softsoap Skin Essentials Nutraoil Moisturizing Body Wash ($5.99 for 18?ounces); and St. Ives Collagen Elastin Moisturizing Body Wash ($4.89 for 18 ounces).
Body scrubs
Exfoliating skin from the neck down provides the same benefits as it does from the neck?up: It helps the skin absorb moisturizer better, unclogs pores, and allows healthier skin cells to?surface. There are lots of ways to help get dead skin cells off the body. You can use anything?from a gentle washcloth to a well-formulated AHA or BHA product. Topical scrubs are also?an option, but are no better than a washcloth. Even though the skin on the body can handle?mechanical scrubbing a bit better than the skin on the face can, you still need to be gentle?with this kind of physical scouring (except on the heels?callused heels can take a bit more?rough treatment to get the built-up layers of thickened dead skin cells off ).
Loofahs have one major drawback you need to be aware of. Because they hang around in?the shower and are often not cleaned or rotated with a new one, they are an ideal breeding?ground for bacteria such as staphylococcus. Overscrubbing or scrubbing over blemishes?and cuts with an old loofah that has not been properly cleaned is unwise. Washcloths are?easy to throw in the laundry and tend to be less rough and less irritating on the skin and?that is always a benefit.
Unequivocally and without exception, no amount of scrubbing or beating at the skin?will change or eliminate one dimple on your thighs. The only benefits from exfoliation?are those discussed earlier in this post and above, and that?s really it. You might feel your?thighs look better after you have scrubbed them and applied various lotions and gels, but?all these products and massaging actions do is temporarily swell the skin on the thighs,?making them look momentarily smoother.
Antibacterial Cleansers
It?s hard to imagine that the popularity of antibacterial cleansers is a cause for concern,?but for a variety of reasons it is. Antibacterial cleansers are usually effective against many?types of bacteria on the skin but they end up causing problems for just that very reason.?The widespread use of antibacterial agents has created strains of resistant organisms that will?compromise the wider usefulness of triclosan, the most typical antibacterial agent in these?products (Source: American Journal of Infection Control, October 2001, pages 281?283).
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Source: CDC, www.cdc.gov)?states that hand-washing in warm water with plain soap for at least ten seconds is sufficient?in most cases (even for healthcare workers) to eliminate germs.
There are now more than 700 antibacterial products available to the consumer. According?to the CDC, ?The public is being bombarded with ads for cleansers, soaps, toothbrushes,?dishwashing detergents, and hand lotions, all containing antibacterial agents. Likewise, we?hear about ?superbugs? and deadly viruses. Germs have become the buzzword for a danger?people want to eliminate from their surroundings. In response to these messages, people?are buying antibacterial products because they think these products offer health protection for them and their families?. Besides resistance, the antibacterial craze has another?potential consequence.
?Reports are mounting about a possible association between infections in early childhood and decreased incidence of allergies. In expanding this ?hygiene hypothesis,? some?researchers have found a correlation between too muchhygiene and increasedallergy. This?hypothesis stems from studies that revealed an increased frequency of allergies, cases of?asthma, and eczema in persons who have been raised in an environment overly protective?against microorganisms. In one rural community, children who grew up on farms had fewer?allergies than did their counterparts who did not live on farms. Graham Rook, University?College, London, has likened the immune system to the brain. You have to exercise it,?that is, expose it to the right antigenic information so that it matures correctly. Excessive?hygiene, therefore, may interfere with the normal maturation of the immune system by?eliminating the stimulation by commensal microflora [normal and safe bacteria that live?on the skin].?
Even if the hypothesis that antibacterial products help create strains of resistant bacteria?doesn?t prove out and the theories about ?exercising our immune system? fail to be true,?antibacterial products may not be the help many think they are. Antibacterial products?are marketed under the notion that they will lower the risk of disease. However, flus and?most colds are viral infections, not bacterial ones, so antibacterial cleansers are useless as a?protection against them.
Bath oils
Bath oils are primarily just that: oils derived from all sorts of sources, including sunflower,?almond, coconut, and jojoba?and from a virtual plethora of plants and flowers. Some?bath oils contain volatile (fragrant) oils that can potentially cause allergic reactions. Other?bath oils are formulated with slip agents (ingredients that help the oils move over the skin)?as well as with mineral oil (mineral oil can be more soothing for the skin than plant oils?because it poses minimal to no risk of irritation). Some even contain water-binding agents,?which are hardly necessary since the skin will be water-laden whether they are present or?not, and because their effect is washed down the drain.
If there is any distinction between oils, it has more to do with how greasy they feel and?how much irritation they can cause than with any healing benefits they may have. Plain?mineral oil can be an excellent bath oil because it is fragrance-free, gentle and emollient,?and unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts. Safflower, sesame, almond, avocado, and even?olive oil can add the slip and emollience needed by dry skin because they stay on the skin?and are not rinsed down the drain before you step out of the bath or shower.
Bath Salts
Bath salts can be beneficial for many skin types. Salts and minerals, regardless of their?source, can soften water and, depending on the specific salts used, reduce inflammation?and swelling. Epsom salts are probably the best-known type; they work quite well and are?wonderfully inexpensive. Most of the salts added to bath products are just fine, although?ingredients such as borax, sodium sesquicarbonate, sodium carbonate, and phosphate can?cause irritation and probably should be avoided. Table salt and sea salt can also be a problem, because if they don?t get rinsed off well they can pull water from the skin and cause?dryness and irritation.
Many cosmetics lines, particularly spa lines, brag about how their products contain?minerals from all kinds of sources: mineral springs in France, volcanic waters in Italy, Dead?Sea salts from Israel, and on and on. The question is whether minerals and salts from exotic?sources have any special effect on skin. In the long run, unless you have a skin disorder such?as psoriasis or seborrhea, those salts and minerals have no positive effect. Epsom salts are?preferred both for their skin-softening and anti-inflammatory properties, and because they?pose a minimal risk to sensitive skin.
Aromatherapy?
Fragrance is one of the most important aspects of body care, at least to many consumers. Ironically, it is one of the least important for the health of the skin. For some people,?fragrance can be as much a problem from the neck down as for the neck up. Although the?body is generally less susceptible to sensitizing reactions than the face, this can vary from?person to person; there can also be a problem even if you don?t feel a reaction.
Popularity has given aromatherapy a prominence in the world of body care, and it can?be difficult to avoid. Despite the risk to the skin, most body and bath products are highly?fragranced, and things are getting worse, not better. While women are becoming more and?more aware that fragranced skin-care products can cause problems for the face, they are?nevertheless likely to purchase bath and body-care products because of their scent.
Can a particular scent or blend of scents provide special benefits for your skin or your?emotions? When it comes to skin, fragrant oils are not helpful for any part of the face or?body because they can cause irritation, skin sensitivities, rashes, inflammation, and allergic?reactions. Fragrance is especially problematic for the genital area (Source: American Journal?of Contact Dermatitis, December 2001, pages 225?228).
However, as far as your emotions are concerned, only you can know for sure. Lots of?women indeed feel less stressed out after indulging their senses with interesting fragrant?blends, but they are also taking time out from their busy day while doing it. Does the fragrance cause the effect or the time out? That?s hard to say. What is easy to say is that scent?has nothing to offer the skin and everything to offer the nose.
Most people are greatly affected by pleasing aromas, and almost everyone feels invigorated?or supremely relaxed after a good long soak. Because fragrance can play such a significant?role in this experience, there is no reason not to partake. However, I would encourage?you to find other ways to please your olfactory sense than putting fragrant products in?the bathwater or all over your skin. Scented candles, plain candles drizzled with fragrant?oils, and oil lamps or diffusers (you can purchase the latter at most health food stores or?specialty body-care shops) are a great way to fill the air with sublime scents and leave your?skin unaffected. That is better for your nose and great for your skin.
Perfume and its mysteries
Women the world over use perfume and have been doing so for eons. When it comes to?buying perfume or cosmetics, one of the first things a consumer does is smell the product.?Why? Because a pleasing scent can make a woman feel confident, sensual, and happy. With?all that, who cares if it helps the skin?
Buying perfume is an entirely sensory experience. Minute drops applied to the ?warm??spots on the body?behind the ears, along the cleavage, inside the thigh, and on the pulse?points on the wrist, neck, inside elbow, and behind the knee?can provide all the radiating?scent you need to attract someone?s attention. Perfume is almost exclusively about love and?sex, and not necessarily in that order.
Unless you?ve been visiting another planet for the last 30 years, you won?t be surprised?when I say that sex is used as a sales tool for almost every product from shoes to deodorant?(if advertisers could figure a way to make the Pillsbury Doughboy into a sex symbol, they?would do it to sell more biscuits). Perfume ads almost always feature young, sultry, long-legged, breathless women; half-clothed, hard-bodied men; or both, in couples who can?barely keep their hands, lips, or low-lidded eyes off each other.
Most of us throw logic out the window when confronted with the hope of increased?desirability, and that?s what sells perfume, because there is nothing utilitarian, professional,?or rational about it. In short, perfume is a difficult subject for a consumer reporter because?it defies logic, and that?s as it should be. But let me throw in just a little information to help?you in making your selection.
Other than allergic reactions, there are no risks when it comes?to wearing perfume. How much you like a scent and how it affects the people around you,?specifically the people who get close to you, are all that count.
Speaking of the people around you, it is a complete mystery to me why some women or men?or teenagers (the explosive growth of the Axe products comes to mind) feel a need to saturate?themselves with a conspicuous amount of fragrance. The air around men and women who have?generously anointed themselves with their favorite perfume or eau de toilette or aftershave can?be so thick and pungent that their presence is announced by an overpowering hit of fragrance.?This is definitely one of those beauty steps that can be overdone and lose its original purpose,?which in this case is to exude a subtle scent for those you want to be close to.
Perfume should not be so pungent an emission that it overwhelms strangers in an elevator or business associates around a conference table. In addition, an overpowering scent?can trigger allergic reactions in others. I suspect many women put on extra fragrance in?the morning to make it last longer. Yet it is simple enough to touch up fragrance as the day?goes by, just as you would makeup. Most women who overdo their perfume would never?apply 20 layers of makeup to make sure it stayed on all day!
While we?re on the subject, the endurance of a fragrance has nothing to do with natural?ingredients versus synthetic ones or with how many products you apply. If anything, synthetic?ingredients create more stable products by taking the unreliability of plant extracts and oils?out of the equation. Yet there is no way to know which ingredients are used in any perfume?or eau de toilette because this is the sole area where the cosmetics industry doesn?t have to?reveal formulas. Consequently, fragrance recipes truly are secrets (Source: www.fda.gov).
Several master perfumers have told me that most fragrances are created from a vast combination of fragrance components that are both natural and synthetic. The art of creating?a nuanced, resplendent bouquet involves bringing together varying aromas in a cohesive,?unified scent that pleases the olfactory sense. That secrecy and complexity is why fragrance?knock-offs and inexpensive imitations just don?t work.
Some perfumers have blended hundreds of flower oils, plant extracts, and synthetic scents to create one perfume. How can a?formula that complex be duplicated unless you know the exact recipe? It can?t. And that?s?why a cheap version of the perfume you like won?t make your nose as happy.
Without ingredient lists to turn to, there are only two ways to determine how long a?fragrance will last on your body: product type and testing. In terms of product type, you?can count on cologne (which is about 1% to 3% fragrance) and eau de cologne (about 3%?to 5% fragrance) lasting two to three hours; eau de toilette (about 5% to 7% fragrance)?lasting two to four hours; eau de parfum (about 12% to 18% fragrance) lasting four to six?hours; and perfume (about 15% to 30% fragrance) six to eight hours or more.
Consider?purchasing perfume (which is oil-based) instead of cologne or eau de toilette (which are?water- and alcohol-based) if longevity is an issue for you. Perfume is more expensive, but?it does have a better potential for lasting the whole day because the oil and the fragrance?concentration cling better to skin, so it tends not to wear off as easily as alcohol- and water-based fragrances.
Testing is the next step. Body chemistry can greatly affect any fragrance a person applies.?How long any fragrance, regardless of type, will last or how well it will retain its scent during?the day is anyone?s guess. A fragrance can smell different at the beginning of the day than?it does by the end. Trying on a fragrance (only one at a time) is the best way to determine?how well it endures and which one you prefer. Do not choose a fragrance based on the way?it smells in the bottle or on a card because that is not usually representative of what it will?be like on your skin.
Should you buy body products that all have the same fragrance as your perfume? In a?word, no. As you already know by now, I would rather you not apply scented skin-care?products of any kind all over the body. It is best if your fragrance comes from a perfume or?cologne applied to the inside part of your elbow, knee, neck, and cleavage. That?s plenty. ?You do not need an additional bath product, dusting powder, body cream, perfume, or?cologne to make a fragrance stick around longer; that?s fragrance overkill.
One more point of interest: The most expensive part of any fragrance is the bottle (about?40% of the cost). Then comes the advertising (another 30% of the cost) and the celebrity?endorsement or designer insignia (another 10% to 15% of the cost). That leaves about 15%?to 20% actual fragrance cost. Now that stinks!
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