Coping in A Winter Wonderland - or, How to Keep Your Skin Hydrated & Happy in Winter

Of all the seasons, the onset of winter is the one I dread most. The switch to winter-time, the too-early sunsets and consecutive, dark, cloudy days that go on for weeks on end is enough to play havoc on your sense of time – and your skin.  For those of us who grew up in less temperate climes, it becomes a real challenge to keep your skin hydrated and happy.

Even as the leaves turn yellow and all the plants slowly turn dormant, my skin instantly knows. If I am not diligent enough, the back of my hand starts to resemble papyrus overnight.  My heels crack, leaving unsightly and painful cuts that make walking difficult. After the temperature drops to less than +10 Celcius, I find it impossible to go out without some sort of thermal underwear on top of my jeans, which makes my legs suffer even more.

Here’s a tip: Ladies, if you have sensitive skin or are prone to UTI or thrush (candida) infections, avoid polyester base/thermal layers. They keep you warm, but don’t wick away the sweat well enough, and at least in my case, usually aggravates the infection. It’s still best to stick to cotton (not so warm, but cheap), bamboo (uncommon, Gudrun Sjöden has some, fairly warm but costly), wool (toasty, but expensive – check sports stores like Intersport or Stadium) or wool blends if you can’t find woolen ones that you like (most common – Åhlens , Twilfit, Kappahl, etc carry these). 

It took me a few years of struggling with off-the-counter lotions and cremes that Apoteket and The Body Shop carries before I had the courage to experiment with non-commercial products. After that I learnt to make my own lotions and creams. So here I have compiled some of the oils and butters I have tried that have been most helpful.

For completeness sake, here is a short list of moisturizers that I've tried that didn't do much for me: Nivea crème (metal tub); Aco Body Hudlotion; Body Shop’s Cocoa body butter; Atrix Intensiv; CCS Hudlotion(older variant); Locobase Repair; various Yves Rocher stuff, don’t remember which ones though.

If you've used any of these products or similar,  and still suffer from horribly dry skin, read on. 

Let's start with some commercial brands.

-          L’occitane Shea butter series.  Shea butter blends are becoming ubiquitous, and you’ll see it being used in many brands. But if you’re prone to terrible dryness, use only their Pure Shea Butter (available in 10ml and 150ml tubs). Unlike normal lotions,  pure shea butter gives your skin a slightly water-resistant coating, which means your hands don’t get dry just because you had to rinse it during cooking etc. If you use strong soap /detergent, it will wash off, but it will not make your hands feel drier afterwards, as some other formulas can. However. Despite the organic label, their shea butter is white and odourless because it has been refined. They don't mention how it has been refined, but many seed butters are refined with hexane, which has some nasty side-effects at high exposure rates. Doubtless any hexane residue amount is negligible if there is any left in shea butter refined this way, so the risk of toxicity is probably very low.  

-          The Body Shop Hemp series. If you can stand the exaggerated earthy smell, their Hemp body butter is a fairly rich, moisturizing cream that works better than the chain’s other body butters. Be aware that it does contain preservatives, fragrances and colour dyes.

-          Weleda brand. I have only sampled their lotions, and have not been impressed by the cost-effectiveness of their products. Their body oils seem to have fairly good ingredients, but I would prefer to see more jojoba-heavy based blends, and less or no olive-oil.

Pure oils/butters I've tried with great (and not-so great) success.

Shea Butter/ Sheasmör

As far as possible, get organic and unrefined shea, to ensure that your skin benefits from all the good vitamins inherent in the butter. The colour of the butter, as noted above, ranges from a light creamy white to butter-yelllow.  The unrefined stuff has a distinct (faint to fairly strong) nutty scent, which can be masked by an essential oil of your choice if you find it objectionable. It can last up till 2 years if kept cool (put it in the fridge in warmer months). Because it is a nut butter, if it gets too old, you'll know when not to use it – the rancid nut butter smell is unmistakable, resembling stale cookies.

Shea butter is used as a food item in African communities, so I am rather less worried about cooking  or touching my mouth after application. The taste is not unpleasant or bitter, just unusual.

For extremely dry skin, nothing beats shea butter. Even if you have cuts or painful cracked heels, using this butter hurts less than washing it with peroxide or an alcohol wipe, and can help the healing process - rub some on your cracked heels before sleeping, pull on a pair of socks to protect your bedding, and you'll notice a remarkable difference the next day.

There are 2 kinds of shea butter. The one that is more common, Butyrospermum parkii, tends to come from Ghana /West Africa. This is the same stuff that ends up being used in many commercial shea butter blends.

The other, East African shea butter (mainly from Sudan/Uganda) is marketed as Shea Nilotica. It is a little harder to find, and usually sells for much higher than its West African cousin.

Yes, there is a difference, but slight. The lower melting point of the Nilotica means that it’s a lot easier to use directly as body butter; it spreads easily and smoothly, and imo is a little more readily absorbed by the skin. All butters feel somewhat oily on application, but after 10-15mins (15-20 for Western shea), the Nilotica should be fully absorbed. Whichever butter one you choose,  a little does go a long way.

By contrast, the West African butter has a higher melting point, and when you put it on neat, has a slightly waxy consistency. It will still melt readily with your body heat, just not as quickly as the Nilotica. However, it is a much more economical butter. I have experimented with blends of the Western shea butter with some other oils for my own personal use, with good results.

Apart from Nordic online stores (most of which sell the Western variety), eBay.co.uk is a good source for shea butter at reasonable prices.  If you’re worried about quality/purity, look out for butters sold with Pure Soil Certification.

Coconut butter/ Kokossmör

Coconut butter. Some people swear by it and can happily slather it on. To me, despite all its benefits, coconut butter is reminiscent of slightly rancid sun-tan lotion, so I can’t bear to use it by itself. If you don’t mind the strong coconut scent, then this is fine to use. It is a litte more greasy than shea, leaving a noticeable film on the skin not unlike olive oil, although it will eventually be absorbed if your skin is dry enough. (Otherwise, wait 15 minutes and wipe off the excess with a towel.)

Coconut butter has a lower melting point that shea, so it melts in summer even sitting in a dark shelf at home.  On the plus side, coconut butter is now easily available in most supermarkets, not just health supplements stores like Life, and there are several organic brands to choose from.

Tip: If you like to make your own popcorn at home, coconut butter greatly improves its taste.  Substitute half of the oil with coconut butter. 

Cocoa butter/ Kakaosmör

Cocoa butter is also common in commercial lotions, make-up and butter blends - such as Body Shop products (listed as Theobroma Cacao). At room temperature, it is very difficult to use because it has a much higher melting point than shea butter.

Holding it in your hand will eventually melt the butter, but don't hold your breath -  it takes longer than a bar of chocolate does. 

For this reason, I use cocoa butter in my DIY butter blends, but never more than roughly 30% of total fats, since I prefer a spreadable body butter that is fairly solid in the jar but melts readily in the palm of my hand. 

Like shea, cocoa butter is also readily available in online stores and eBay.

While it is edible, I can't  recommend eating it. Despite the familiar, mouth-watering scent, it will taste like… unsalted (cow) butter.  

Jojoba oil/ Jojobaolja

Of all the oils I’ve tried, jojoba is much more readily absorbed by the skin. Within seconds of application, it leaves your skin nice and hydrated, with little or no trace of oiliness at all. Some report slightly nutty scent not unlike sesame, but I have not noticed that myself.

Jojoba is a great all-rounder, you can use it on any part of the body; as a make-up remover, cuticle oil, etc. You will have to work quickly with this oil so that it spread out evenly, although I have noticed that your skin will only absorb what it needs – so for eg your hands might need a little more oil than the rest of your body.  While jojoba will give you a little water resistance, especially shortly after application, shea butter will give you much better water resistance (and better protection since it stays on longer).

The main disadvantage to this lovely oil is the price. 250SEK for 80-100ml is rather steep, if you use about 10ml (2 teaspoons) per all-over application. But to make up for the high price, jojoba oil typically has a longer shelf-life than most other oils/butters, 3-4 years. You'll notice too, that for extremely dry skin, you might need several applications to attain the same amount of skin hydration as a single dose of shea butter. 

I buy Aura Cacia from iHerb (http://www.iherb.com?rcode=PLH160), since even with shipping from the US it is slightly more cost effective. Try to keep your order from iHerb small, and you might be lucky enough to avoid import taxes on your purchase - but this doesn't always work.

  

Argan oil/ Arganolja

Marketed as a body and hair oil, prices have skyrocketed in recent years. The unrefined oil has a very faint nutty smell which can and does remind one of food (even though the oil I bought was not meant as a food item).  It has similar benefits as jojoba.

Absorption rate is somewhere between jojoba and shea, but due to its high price tag, I find that jojoba is a much better alternative.

Olive oil/ Olivolja

I was recommended this by a friend shortly after landing in Sweden.  Organic, cold pressed olive oil is widely available in Europe at fairly reasonable prices, but it is not without its drawbacks.

Firstly, it isn’t as absorbed as quickly or as well as the other oils, leaving a sticky, slimy feel long after application. Secondly, since I am sensitive to scents, I can't shake the feeling that I've been rolling around in salad oil for hours after application. 

Ostrich oil/ Stutsolja

Probably the most exotic oil I have tried, from Sahlins Struts (98kr /50ml).  It does work, but I find it rather costly in the long run, and the natural oil smells like used cooking oil (tbh, like oil that you’ve used to cook chicken in). The sample I tried had some sediments (the oil was not clear) but it did not seem to affect its effectiveness.

Like jojoba, it is absorbed failry quickly, but it feels a little oilier than jojoba. Thankfully the feeling of oiliness does not last as long as olive oil. 

It works as body oil, but I find that it works best as a foot oil. If you object to the natural scent, buy a scented version or add a few drops of your favourite essential oil and give the bottle a shake – this may improve the scent somewhat but unless you are using something strong like peppermint, you will likely still detect the animalistic nature of the oil.

Pure Lanolin/ Lanolin, ullfett

Derived from the fat of sheep’s wool, lanolin is almost always sold refined. Many lip butter blends / chapsticks and breast/nipple creams for nursing mothers include lanolin in their ingredients list.

It looks a lot like starch glue (old-style paper glue) with a yellow tinge, and feels rather like it too. It gives great water resistance (better than shea), but it does feel like you have to devote a lot more time massaging it in compared to the other butters or oils. It tends to stain much more, too.

Making your own blends.

Why DIY? You have better control of the ingredients, and as such can add your own custom scents with your favourite essential oil. With some patience, you’ll learn which butter or oil works best with your skin. 

And, if you buy in bulk, it may save you a tidy sum – for eg, L’occitane sells their 150g tubs of “pure” shea butter for around 380SEK. For roughly the same amount, you could get at least 250g-500g of unrefined, organic western shea butter. In fact, any shea that is completely white – such as the L’occitane one – is considered a lower grade, because it has been refined. This is why quite a number of eBay sellers claim that they are selling A grade butter – the unprocessed butter is usually cream or butter-yellow.

I frequently use a blend of shea and cocoa butters, and another liquid oil in my own blends to make a nice spreadable body butter.  Here  I have included 2 basic recipes that you can easily tweak to suit your own needs, especially if you prefer to avoid the commercial stuff.

Rich Body Butter Blend. Makes roughly 300g

150g shea butter

75g cocoa butter

75g jojoba or other liquid oil OR 25g coconut butter + 50g jojoba or other liquid oil.

15-18 drops of essential oil single or blend of your choice. ** (optional)

   eg, 5 drops lavender, 5 drops lemongrass, 6 drops rose geranium.

1. Using a bain marie or chocolate melting pot (choklad smältare - use one with a removable pan + handle), melt butters together. Transfer to a larger bowl or container.
2. Add liquid oil, and whisk (by hand or using a stick blender) until evenly combined.
3. Chill butter/oil blend by either placing it on top of a bowl filled with ice, or leaving it in your fridge for 3-5 mins.
4. Whisk for at least 1 minute. Return to fridge for a further 5 minutes.
5. Gradually add scents/ essential oils while whisking for the third time.
6. Repeat step 3-4 until it achieves a consistency you like. (Whisking/chilling longer will result in a harder body butter, which may be a little more difficult to use).
7. Spoon into sterilized jars. Leave to settle for 24 hours before use.

Non-greasy body butter blend 

It is not as “fat”/ rich as the previous blend, and is much easier to spread, and is quickly absorbed by the skin. If you dislike the oily feeling that a rich body butter can have, this one will be better for you. Makes roughly 250ml lotion.

90 ml Aloe Vera juice

90 g cocoa butter

60g wheatgerm or other liquid oil (such as jojoba)

20g coconut butter

12-15 drops essential oil of your choice ** (optional)

1. In a bain marie or a chocolate melting pot, melt coconut and cocoa butters.
2. Heat aloe vera juice until tepid (30-32 deg C).
3. Combine wheatgerm oil with melted butters with a stick blender.
4. Slowly combine aloe vera juice (one teaspoon at a time) with oils and butter until there is no separation of oils and liquids.
5. To cool, leave in fridge for 5 minutes. The lotion should have the consistency of toothpaste.
6. Add essential oils drop by drop, whisking/ run with stick blender until desired consistency is achieved.
7. Pour into sterilized jars or containers.

Your custom butter blend will last much longer if you keep it in the fridge. You can also google a whole bunch of recipes and youtube videos on how to make your own butter, but it will all come down to melting and mixing it up - avoid those that use beeswax (bivax), in my experience if you don't blend it well enough, it will turn up as small granules in your body butter, which does not melt at all! No worries if you're using it in chapsticks/ lip butter though.

 ** Since winter dryness affects the entire body, it may be useful to include essential oils that promote saliva or glandular secretions. These include lemongrass, cinnamon, peppermint, bergamot, ginger, and orange essential oils.  Always dilute essential oils, and watch out for allergic reactions – these may include severe itching, rashes, etc. Also citrus EOs such as bergamot and orange have been known to cause photosensitivity, and is probably best left out in products you want to use in the day time.