Can you help me find a moisturizing body wash that actually moisturizes?
July 26, 2013 10:57 AM   Subscribe

Looking for a body wash that accomplishes the same as a salt/oil scrub but without the exfoliating. Snowflakes inside.

I've been bouncing around between Aveeno Daily Moisturizing, Dove Deep Moisture, and this one from Nivea for years. I shower in the mornings, usually (but not always) wash with one of those plastic loofah-like poofy things and a little squirt of body wash. I follow up with Aveeno Daily Moisturizing body lotion right after the shower, because my skin always feels dry after half an hour if I don't. I find that if I use a lavender salt scrub from Trader Joe's that's basically just salt and oils I don't have to moisturize, because the oils in the scrub keep my skin happy. I would like to streamline my routine and find a moisturizing body wash that has the same effect as the scrub but without the constant exfoliation.

The thing is, I've started going to a yoga class at night and getting sweaty enough to require a second shower, which I already hate because it dries out my skin even more. It is currently summer where I live, so twice a day showers aren't so bad but come fall/winter when the air is dryer this will be more of a challenge, and going through lotion twice as fast. I know the best solution would be to shower exclusively at night but that's not an option.

Can anyone suggest a body wash that has the same moisturizing properties as the TJ's scrub but without the scrubby salty bits? I would prefer to buy at a brick and mortar shop and have access to drugstores (CVS/RiteAid/Walgreens), Whole Foods and the usual mall suspects (The Body Shop) and there are a couple of specialty 'naturals' places near me (we call it them hippie-marts), but feel free to suggest online retailers if the product fits the bill. Thanks, all!
posted by hungrybruno to Shopping (20 answers total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Have you considered using a bar soap that doesn't contain SLS? All the body washes you list contain SLS and it can be super awful drying to your skin. I too am a sweaty gorilla monster in the summertime and have been known to shower up to 3x a day, and with non-SLS bar soaps I hardly have to bother with lotion at all compared to the gallons I was using post-body-wash.
posted by elizardbits at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2013


I think you might like B&BW's True Blue Spa Super Rich Shower Cream.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:07 AM on July 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Moroccan black soap (savon noir) sounds like just what you are looking for. It is made of crushed olives and is used in the hamman cleansing ritual prior to worship. It leaves your skin feeling just lovely.
posted by goo at 11:13 AM on July 26, 2013


I don't think you are going to find a body wash with the same feel as a scrub that's just salt and oils. That's because the cleansing agent in the body wash is designed in part to wash away oils.

If you just want a moisturizing cleanser (as opposed to a cleanser that leaves behind a layer of oil) you could look into superfatted soaps and cleansers. These are soaps that are made with more fat than the amount of lye in the recipe can react with. The extra fat works as a moisturizer.

There are also facial cleansers that have an oil base that may be somewhat moisturizing. They can be expensive because they are sold for the face, not the body. If you have a big Asian market you may find a selection there. Don't confuse these with the "oil cleansing method" of face washing which is simply using oil (not an oil cleanser).
posted by payoto at 11:14 AM on July 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


I can't get enough of Lush Olive Branch. It has an olive oil base, smells great, gets me clean, and leaves me moisturized.
posted by puppetsock at 11:15 AM on July 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Instead of a lotion use an oil for moisturizing.

I like Neutrogena Body Oil, it has a light, pleasant fragrance and it keeps you soft all day. Your skin will slurp it up and smile. The other good news about it is that grocery stores and big box markets have their own store brand of it. Specifically Kroger and CVS.

The reason the salt scrubs hang out on your skin is because the salt is suspended in oil.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:16 AM on July 26, 2013


My two favorites are Nivea's new Frangipani body wash and Soft Soap spa [...] something body wash...it's blue and has microbeads but the beads are just oil, not gritty bits like other exfoliating soaps.
posted by Eicats at 11:40 AM on July 26, 2013


Response by poster: elizardbits, I totally do the no sulfates thing with my hair and constantly recommend it for other curly girls. I don't know why I never thought of trying that with my body, too. I'll bet the hippie mart on my way home has an SLS-free soap aisle - will definitely check it out.

Ruthless Bunny, I used that stuff ages ago, and loved it (thanks for the reminder!) but I'm really looking for a product I can use in the shower to eliminate the after-shower moisturizer step.

Will stop threadsitting now, but please do keep the recommendations coming if you've got them!
posted by hungrybruno at 11:41 AM on July 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


So it's not a body wash and maybe you've already tried it but how about:

Olay Ultra Moisture In-Shower Body Lotion

Olay Quench In-Shower Body Lotion
posted by driedmango at 11:47 AM on July 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


I pretty much only buy soaps off of Etsy these days, although two of my favourite sellers have moved on to their own websites. I can recommend Middlebury Soap Co, Sweet Olive Soapworks, and Haunt Soap. The last one only does very rare seasonal sales these days, alas. None of them are in any way inexpensive; all are excellent quality. (none are shoddy melt-and-pour glycerine soaps with added stinky perfume oils, which is unfortunately pervasive in the craft soap online industry)
posted by elizardbits at 11:48 AM on July 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Oh also, my boyfriend started cooking and drinking stuff with coconut oil and all of a sudden he stopped having dry cracked lips. So try using straight up coconut oil and/or find a coconut oil based lotion at one those natural food stores.
posted by driedmango at 11:49 AM on July 26, 2013


Best answer: I really like this aveeno oil for use in the shower. It may be too much of an extra step, but it feels great and smells YUMMY.
posted by emkelley at 11:50 AM on July 26, 2013


It doesn't fit your store-buyable requirements, but Kiehl's Bath and Shower liquid is the reason I have to ask people to stop....stroking me. My arm, I mean.
Anyway, it's because of the Sodium PCA, which, I gather, steals the soul of babies (ok, takes moisture out of the air and leaves it on my skin). It's not cheap. But it's awesome. So, maybe something else with Sodium PCA?
Note: This summer, I've been working out 2x a day, so, 2 showers a day. This Kiehl's stuff is what is stocked in my gym showers, so I also use it liberally. I'm silky smooth, and moisturized. Recommend.
posted by atomicstone at 12:28 PM on July 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Best answer: This is an oil based body wash that doesn't require after-shower moisturizing. Even my ultra-sensitive dry skin likes it. Good on multiple shower days.
posted by monopas at 12:29 PM on July 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


slap on some coconut oil when you're in the shower. should have the same effect.
posted by hejrat at 12:40 PM on July 26, 2013


Along the lines of elizardbits' s suggestion, I use Kiss My Face olive oil soap. I get it at my local hippie mart. Dr. Bronner's is good too but not quite as moisturizing.
posted by jeoc at 12:58 PM on July 26, 2013


I make my own body butter with shea butter and coconut oil following these instructions, although she doesn't mention that the bit where you let it sit to solidify before whipping it will take several hours--I just let it sit overnight.

I put it on after showering, and then, because it's a bit oily, buff myself with a hand towel. :) I get BADLY itchy skin during the winter, enough that I've drawn blood scratching myself, and this is so far the best thing I've found to combat it.

(What I also do is forego a morning shower on the days after I shower in the evening/afternoon after workouts, or skip the soap and just rinse off in warm, not hot, water if I feel the need for one. Two showers within 24 hours with soap equals an extremely itchy Telophase.)
posted by telophase at 1:03 PM on July 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


I'm a big fan of Lush Ro's Argan - it's a 'body conditioner' you use in the shower. I wash the important bits with my regular soap or body wash, then I smooth Ro's Argan over my arms and legs, wait a few seconds, then rinse it off. It smells amazing, it's nearly as moisturing as slathering on lotion, and it's way faster.

If you want something richer you could try one of Lush's solid lotion bars, like King of Skin.

(I don't work for Lush, I promise! But I am lazy and have quite dry skin, especially in winter, so these products have inspired a slavish devotion.)
posted by escapepod at 7:06 PM on July 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thanks, all! Will give some of these options a try.
posted by hungrybruno at 5:57 AM on July 28, 2013


I live in a desert climate, and I've been taking my dog on twice-daily jogs, so I started showering twice a day. I use a store-brand generic version of Olay's Quench Body Wash and my once scaly elbows are now soft, and my skin isn't flaky like it used to be, when I used to shower once a day and use other body wash.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:30 AM on July 29, 2013


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