When it comes to body care and personal hygiene, we all recognize the importance of basics like cleaning with soap and staying fresh with deodorant. However, we often overlook the impact of smaller products we apply daily—like lotions, perfumes, and oils—on our skin and overall health. We may not think it’s a big deal or rather simple to put whatever smells good, but just like looks can be deceiving so can scents and body nourishment. It is just as important to be mindful of what we put on our bodies as it is what we put in them. Our bodies absorb everything that we give it and use it for energy. It’s up to us to be mindful of what we are feeding our mind, body, and spirits to function accordingly.
Having a fragrance scent can be the most pleasing aroma, but not all scents are made the same. Some scents and oils are chemically combined to make such a strong everlasting scent and if not careful or used on skin too much then it can be harmful over time. What is the issue with perfumes and body scrubs, lotions, ect? Well, it’s not a matter of it being an issue because you can use it and nothing happens to your body instantly, but we have to think bigger picture and the long term. Most things we use and do in life, we won’t see the affects until later down the line. This is why we must apply discernment and patience so we can weigh out all the options of what works for us and what is best in the long run not just in the moment gratification.
Having scents that smell good is no concern but rather what is in and why. There are so many oils and butters that can have natural scents that come right from the very ground we walk on. All scents and products come from some type of plant or herb, tree, or even animal, but its what we do with it that will make the difference in the affects it will have when applied. There are a lot of products and lotions that must go through chemical processing in order to preserve it or even to get certain scents and fragrances to stick for long-lasting effect. While that seems good, at what cost does it pose to your bodily health versus something that smells just as good with little to no processing?
Body butters tend to have a longer lasting effect than a regular lotion. Its creamy and buttery. It doesn’t have to be super oily depending on what you mix with it to allow it to still absorb fast. But if you are looking for high water content, then lotions and creams will be your go to. If you are looking for high oil and moisturizing effect, you’ll want an oil or butter. Think of applying butter to a slice of toast versus applying water to a slice of toast. Both provide moisture for sure but the way its absorbed and the effect it has on the bread is different. One get soggier quicker and the other is moisturized but not as soggy as the
other so quickly.
A little bit goes a long way when it comes to butter. While our bodies won’t crumble and get soggy exactly like the water on toast it is the taste and texture that makes the difference. How many times do we have to reapply certain lotions versus a body butter or oil that requires one application and we are moist all day long? The goal is to spend as little as possible and get the most out of our time and money, so why not use things that allow us to do just that. That’s not to say lotions are never good or worth it because many lotions in itself have the oils and butters included. Lotions tend to require a bit more ingredients to be able to get that quick absorbing fast application effect verses a butter is just a solidified oil.
The less hands of man that are in it, typically the better. Allowing the beautiful plants and trees of the earth to work its course naturally is a gift of life that we often misuse and abuse because we think we must do something with it to make it “better”. And that’s not to say that preservatives are never needed, but again be mindful of what type. There are plenty of ways to preserve scents and aromas naturally while keeping a pleasing scent at the same time providing the nourishment and energy your body needs. Most herbs and oils are preservatives themselves when combined correctly, such as frankincense, rosemary, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and the famous all-purpose peppermint, to name a few. When applied to perhaps a fruit smell like watermelon, strawberry, or even vanilla and other citrus-pleasing scents that we love to smell on our skin, all can be preserved with applying the Art of Body Butters and Essential Oils.
