Things I Love: Lotion!



There’s that age-old question: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you want with you?  One of the things I would want is an endless supply of lotion.  I use it several times a day, so not only is it something I love, but also something I need.

I have been a lotion user since I was about 8.  It must show since I have heard the same comment more than once: my hands look like they have never seen a day of work.  This isn’t true though—my hands have seen plenty of work.  I just take care of them (maybe too much) so it doesn’t really show.  I am one of those people who lather on lotion after every shower, after every hand wash.  I have a bottle by every sink in my house, at my desk at work, in my bag at all times, and more than five bottles on my dresser at any given time.  I couldn’t live without it.

Not only am I a heavy lotion user, but I love the variety of lotion products out there.  First and foremost, I couldn’t live without my Gold Bond Ultimate lotions.  This is my everyday go-to lotion.  It’s rich and thick, and it’s the only lotion that will keep my dry, itchy winter skin nicely moisturized without a sticky feel.  I use the Shea Butter variety in the winter and the Restoring CoQ10 variety in the summer since it’s light and nourishing with a gentle scent.  I have used the SPF 15 lotion when I’m out and about in the sun, but it’s not a high enough SPF for the beach (for me).  I have used the line of body washes, which are okay, but I actually prefer Oil of Olay body wash.  I have yet to try the Gold Bond Sheer Ribbons lotion but soon I will.  Finally, since I work in a public building, I often use hand sanitizer which can dry out my skin somewhat.  Gold Bond had a moisturizing hand sanitizer which will be my next sanitizer purchase.

On the weekends or for special events and days, I like to ramp up my lotion scent.  For this, I often turn to Bath and Body Works lotions.  I have to be careful here though—I am often bothered by strong scents so I have to choose lotion scents on the lighter side.  Just going into this store can result in a headache.  Some of my favorites include Moonlight Path, Warm Vanilla Sugar (but only in the fall and winter), White Tea and Ginger, and Eucalyptus Spearmint (mainly used when I’m looking to relax, as it reminds me of yoga class).  As I’m looking at the website, I see there are some newer scents that I’m interested in sampling: Rosemary Mint, Lemon Leaf, Country Chic, and Coconut Lime Breeze.  For Christmas I bought my husband the Classic Lotion for Men, as he was always using my girly stuff.  It does smell manly and nice but it is strong.  Next time I’ll have to choose something a little less potent.

For a little touch of shimmer, especially in the spring and early summer months, I use Jergens Natural Glow.  It works pretty well but I can’t use it for more than a week.  My feet turn orange otherwise (surprising though that it’s the only place that turns an unnatural color).  Jergen’s used to have a Cooling Cucumber lotion, which I absolutely loved on those hot summer days—it had a very pleasingly light scent and offered just a touch of cooling (think Vicks VapoRub without the awful smell).  I don’t know why they stopped producing it, but now that I know it’s available through Amazon, I may stock up for the summer.

I have also been searching a long time for a suitable lavender lotion.  Bath and Body Works does offer one, as well as other brands, but they’re never quite what I’m looking for—many of them include vanilla (which I like but not with lavender) or are too thick and greasy-feeling.  I want a nice light true-lavender scent.  The closest I have come is Johnson’s (baby) Bedtime Lotion (yes, I have been known to shop in the baby lotion section).  It’s so calming (the lotion, not the baby section).  I basically use this lotion at night or if I’m particularly stressed.  It helps quite a bit, but because it’s made for a baby’s skin, it doesn’t have the ultimate moisturizing effects I need in an everyday lotion.

You can see that there isn’t a lotion brand that I won’t try.  I have bought almost every brand out there, most of which I don’t like for an array or reasons.  But that wouldn’t stop me from trying a brand’s new product should it appear on the shelves.  This is one item I couldn’t live without.

What brands do you like?

Comments

  1. I love Suave Lavendar and Vanilla lotion. I am not usually a big fan of Suave, but I am on my fourth bottle of this fragrance.

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  2. Hmm, I'll have to check the Suave version the next time I'm at the pharmacy. Thanks!

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  3. oooh! i have time to respond for once! i've been using johnson's baby lotion daily since i was like 10....so that's like 30+ years! (my 20-something pretty all-the-boys-like-me cousin used it at the time, so i did too and then it was the only thing i liked smelling)

    right now i've been looking specifically for a good hand lotion so i bought all the travel sizes available at our local meijer (7 different ones - lubriderm fragrance free, goldbond ultimate aloe, aveeno daily w/oatmeal, dial nutirskin w/true aloe, jergens ultra healing, eucerin fragrance free dry skin therapy & vaseline intensive care repairing lotion) . my faves so far are the lubriderm (although i don't like the way it smells - 'fragrance free' my ass) goldbond oh and i also have an eos cucumber one that i like as well. the vaseline is pretty good but it's 'fragrance free' and has a wierd neutral smell to it. so far i've learned that fragrance free is NOT fragrance free. i do have a neutragena hand cream but i don't like it as much. it's 'greaseless' but wierd. i'm still on the lookout for the perfect hand lotion but since i have all these samples, i'm gonna have to use them up first before i try anything else. what would you suggest for super dry winter hands? the gold bond shea butter? i also try and drink more water in the winter but it's not always easy since i'm always so cold and would rather drink coffee,,,which probably dries me up even more...

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  4. Neutrogena Norweigian formula foot creme, L'Occitane's hand cream w/shea butter, and Estee Lauder's 8 hour creme are my go-to's. I especially adore the L'Occitane, but must admit that the Neutrogena Norwegian formulas for both hand and feet are miracle workers...

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  5. SNARL - No, "fragrance free" does not mean without fragrance, just not a strong scent. I have learned that the hard way myself. I highly recommend the Gold Bond with Shea Butter, especially over the Vaseline (doesn't do enough for me), Lubriderm (too greasy for me) and Aveeno (wanted to like it but it just didn't have enough oomph).

    Ro - I have not tried the foot cream by Neutrogena, but with their regular lotion, I found it too greasy or something. I wasn't a fan. I've never heard of L'Occitane. I will have to look into it.

    Thanks for the info!

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  6. Haha! I totally have the Johnson's Baby Bedtime Bath in my shower right now. Totally soothing. I also have the Bath and Body Works Eucalyptus Spearmint- it has been one of my favorites for a long time.

    But I too am looking for that perfect lotion for crappy winter skin. Looks like I'll have to check out Gold Bond!

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  7. J, yes, the Gold Bond is something I recommend often. it's the best I have found. Hope it works for you!

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  8. I currently use Aveeno with oatmeal, and I have a sample size of Eucerin Calming Creme to see if that might be better. Neither of them really seems to be working for my poor hands that get washed about 15-20 times a day thanks to sharing the reference desk and riding the NYC subway. I'm thinking of trying Crabtree & Evelyn Goatmilk. My mom has used that and she likes it a lot (and she had very dry hands, like me). I'm going to have to check out the Gold Bond first - I figured it had the same ingredients as the powder.

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  9. Sheila - One of my friends uses Aveeno and loves it, and I so tried it once. It did nothing for me. It might be good in the summer, but as a winter lotion, it didn't work for me. Ooo, goatmilk - let me know how you like it if you end up trying it.

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  10. I'm not a big fan of perfume-so I like mildly scented oil/lotion. I love love Neutrogena Body Oil in the Light Sesame fragrance. My favorite lotion for smell is Jergens cherry almond--it reminds me of my mom and my Granny. Kind of old-fashioned-y. But for moisture--I find it's hard to beat Lubriderm and Cetaphil (altho I buy the generic ones)

    Great post!

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  11. I love lotions too! I mostly buy Body Shop ones, but I'll buy anything really if its from a brand I like :)

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  12. Rori - I have used the Jergens Cherry Almond. It is nice, and you're right, there's something about it that's old-fashion in a way (not that I'm saying your mom and grandmother are old fashion, it's just a feeling I get because of the scent). I haven't tried Cetaphil but I hear it's great.

    Millie - It's been ages since I've been in the Body Shop. I should see if I have one near me...

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  13. oooh, I can't do without my hand lotions either. Just like you I have bottles of them placed everywhere!

    My mother was the one who got me into the habit. She'd make me and my brother put it on whenever she did, and she did it a lot. Then I kind of adopted the habit when I got older.

    I absolutely hate having sticky hands after hand lotions, which is why I fell in love with SkinFood's Vita Juice Hand Essence while I was living in Hong Kong, it's moisturising without being sticky.

    Unfortunately now that I'm back in Australia I find it is nearly impossible to find SkinFood products. So now I'm using Mary Kay's Satin Hand Cream which is really nice when you use it with their Peach Satin Hands Pampering Set.

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    1. I have never heard of SkinFood, but it looks amazing. Of course there are only a few places in the US that sell it, and they're all in California - a bit too far for me. Oh well. I've never used Mary Kay products either, but I may have to look more into that. Thanks for the links!

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