"Sprinkle a little between the sheets..."

August 8, 2019 9:34 AM

Do you use body powder/dusting powder? What do you use it for?

I've been playing around with natural cosmetic recipes, and thinking about maybe selling some in the future. Body powder is something I make for myself, so I know what I like, but I don't really know what other people do with it. How do you use it? What is your preferred application method? Or do you hate it for some specific reason (smells like babies/old ladies, messy)?

I'm not specifically looking for brand recommendations but if you have one, I'd check it out.

posted by cabingirl to Health & Fitness (20 answers total)

I live in a Mediterranean climate, so I use (starch-based) powders in place of deodorant or antiperspirant. Fromonda's minty stuff for after exercise, and Clubman's Whiskey Woods otherwise. I just shake some into my hand and slap it under my arms and other spots.

I'll also sometimes sprinkle some on the floor before sweeping or vacuuming.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:10 AM on August 8, 2019

I sometimes dust some on parts of my body that might rub or chafe. These days I'm doing that via powder puff rather than shaking it into my hand, but honestly that's mostly just because it amuses me, hand delivery methods were also fine.
posted by Stacey at 10:24 AM on August 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

i'm in the midwest and i hate body powder but need it in the summer in the groin area. i apply it with a big $2 elf powder brush. i do not like baby powder smell or most smells, but cannot find a totally unscented powder. blech.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:26 AM on August 8, 2019

groin and between the toe-beans!
posted by Dressed to Kill at 10:36 AM on August 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

I always try to bring some to the beach with me- dust some on your feet at the end of the day to remove all of that annoying sand that ends up between your toes. It works a treat!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 10:43 AM on August 8, 2019 [3 favorites]

I use a Lush one at night on my thighs, under my boobs and sometimes my armpits if I’m feeling gross. I like the powder brush application idea!
posted by tatiana wishbone at 10:58 AM on August 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

I use it after drying with a towel, esp. in winter I don't feel properly dry without. Use it on crevices, between the toes, the lady-garden, under the boobage, also small of back. Apply it with a pouf from a tub. Since talc went evil I just use cornstarch from the grocery store, with a coupla drops of some kind of essential oil mixed in to transformit into a toiletry.

Am also using it at the mo to keep my skin feeling dry under my mallet-finger splint.
posted by runincircles at 11:25 AM on August 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

When I shower in humid weather, it can be tough to get dry enough afterwards. Sometimes I'll put powder where my bra straps and band are going to go, just to make it easier to get on. And maybe a little to keep my thighs from rubbing before I get pants or shorts on.

Lately, I've been using straight cornstarch instead of buying powder, just because it's cheaper. The other day, I accidentally almost sprinkled tempura batter on my damp skin.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:37 AM on August 8, 2019 [7 favorites]

in my foldy bits. i use lush's silky underwear.
posted by koroshiya at 11:50 AM on August 8, 2019 [3 favorites]

I use Lush body powders with a powder puff after showering in the summer. Under and between the boobs and on the inside of the thighs. I love it but I don't always remember to do it.
posted by fiercecupcake at 11:59 AM on August 8, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I noted misanthropicsarah's desire for an unscented powder. I like the brush idea too. I have trouble with the shakers making dust everywhere.

Followup question: would you prefer a refillable container or a recyclable/compostable container?
posted by cabingirl at 12:13 PM on August 8, 2019

i prefer the brush because it is easy to wash and tell when it is dry. the poufs always felt a little gross to me for some reason.

i think i would prefer a refillable container, a smallish one with then a big container i refilled from. that way, if i spill the container while applying, i don't lose ALL of it. i currently decant mine into a rubbermaid lunch type container for this reason.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 12:53 PM on August 8, 2019

Im using corn starch these days to keepthe knit material of some of my shorts from snagging on tiny hairs on my legs. I'd love a pleasent smelling corn starch based powder that came in a recyclable container.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 1:26 PM on August 8, 2019

Use: I often go sock-less in summer because heat. Powder goes in first on hot days.

Container: honestly not something to which I've ever given thought.

Scents: I personally tend to dislike floral stuff but that's just me and my powder use is infrequent enough that I rarely care (I'm still working my way through a container I got at The Body Shop in like 1995).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:32 PM on August 8, 2019

I use talcum when I travel to humid places. A little sprinkle on the bedsheets, and it absorbs the dampness from the humidity, and makes the sheets feel warm and dry instead of cool and clammy.
I would want a small - like travel size - recyclable container, and a nice essential oil smell, and for it to be made of something that doesn't make me feel like my body is being filled with unhealthy mineral dust (so maybe cornstarch? But I haven't tried the bed trick with cornstarch, I just accidentally discovered it works with talc).
posted by nouvelle-personne at 2:31 PM on August 8, 2019

I'm also an unscented type of person. Either refillable or recyclable sound good to me, as long as it isn't going to be damaged by dropping it or accidentally getting water on it.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:23 PM on August 8, 2019

Love my talc free perfumed (not too strong) body powders during the hot humid summer. I like a soft puff. I prefer a refillable container, but not adverse to recycling a cardboard box one. Sprinkle container sounds messy. I would love smaller amounts as I love to use different scents and but I have limited storage
posted by ReiFlinx at 5:35 PM on August 8, 2019

I use a body powder under my bust as I'm top heavy and get horrible rashes from my bras otherwise. I also use it between my thighs in hotter weather. I had a really lovely Victorian Rose scented talc but have switched to Curash (talc, cornstarch, powdered zinc) because of the aforementioned terrible rash. The zinc is super helpful for healing and the main reason I switched. I'd love a talc free version.

As for containers, I really despise having to remember to take the thing to the place for a refill. It's taken my whole adult life to get into the habit with bags. Recyclable would be best for me.
posted by Jilder at 4:13 AM on August 9, 2019 [1 favorite]

I use medicated (menthol-y) talc free powder from the dollar store or target daily on the lady-folds and under- boob areas. I’ve been just throwing it on by the handful post- shower, which makes a bit of a mess. Does the brush/pouf method make less mess?
posted by sarajane at 7:51 AM on August 9, 2019

Like everyone else who went to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego in the mid-to-late-1980s, I was instructed to put a shake of Mexana powder into each boot every time I put them on. This is a habit I have continued throughout most of my life. The mild eucalyptus scent is the only thing I can stand to have on my feet or anywhere else on my body that needs cooling off. Thank heavens for internet ordering, because Walmart stopped carrying the powder a few years ago.

To me, it is one of the three smells of Boot Camp that can instantly transport me back 33 years to being an 18-year-old recruit. The other two smells are Wind Drift aftershave (inexplicably issued to everyone who arrived there) and Break Free CLP firearm cleaner, lubricant and preservative.

Those were the days in Boot Camp when Drill Instructors would instruct a recruit to fill one spray bottle with aftershave and one spray bottle with mouthwash. A few minutes before any inspection by high ranking officers, the command would go out to "Open your mouths and close your eyes!" Then they would walk down the formation, dispensing olfactory rehabilitation to each of us. Sometimes they weren't too picky which bottle got sprayed where, and I got a face full of mouthwash and a mouth full of aftershave. Ah, memories.
posted by seasparrow at 12:59 PM on August 20, 2019 [1 favorite]