Lotion recommendations
 

In the past I've been pretty bad about using lotion. I always would use it in an emergency, once my hands were already chapped. But now I've gotten into the habit of lotioning up every night before bed and it feels great. Only problem is I don't like my lotion. It's Curel, I don't like the smell of it and it's a little greasy, I don't mind the greasy part too much but the smell lingers.

So are there any good lotions that promise good things like firming up, getting rid of cellulite, younger skin, blah blah? Any that work?

I use either Vaseline Intensive Care Extra Strength Unscented, or Aveeno. Nothing with any of the firming stuff. Any lotion will help skin look younger though, as it is hydrating, and moisturized skin will look healthier and younger.

Although they don't make any specific claims, I really like Neutrogena's Light Sesame Lotion and Palmers GEL Cocoa Butter Lotion. Both are non-greasy and absorb quickly, but they really combat dry skin.

I like the light sesame lotion as a full-body lotion, but it also works great for my face. Super hydrating without causing breakouts.

The gel cocoa butter has vitamin E in it, which is supposed to help with skin elasticity. At the very least, it helps dry skin and its less than $4 a bottle. Only buy gel lotion though, or else its really greasy. I use it everywhere except my face. Its great for dry feet too. Just put a lot on your feet and put on socks overnight. Your feet will heal up within the week.

I swear by Gold Bond Ultimate Healing with Aloe. It's the only lotion I will use. I use the cream and not the lotion, it's a lot thicker.

I use a variety of lotions from the supermarket/target, usually Nivea. But I really love body butters from The Body Shop. Nice variety of scents and they work really well. It was my everyday lotion for all three pregnancies. I never got stretch marks (from pregnancy), but that's probably genetics more than lotion.

Psychic, I've always been curious about the sesame oil -- that will be my next purchase!

You should definately try it. Its the best lotion I've ever tried. However, it can be a bit pricey. I bought two huge bottles at a discount store not too long ago though.

I'm using Johnson & Johnson Baby Milk lotion, not greasy light to the skin and smells good.

Vaseline used to make this wonderful lotion that smelled like baby powder. They don't make it anymore, at least i can't find it. I loved that stuff!

I'll try to find the Neutrogena light sesame lotion. The smell of cocoa butter is off putting though.

My husbands uses the one in the green bottle hehe. It smells like menthol, not too sexy lol.

I make my own or I use natural oils and butters. I also sometimes use a Nivea "in-shower" lotion, which is kind of handy. However, when I was in America, I liked Aveeno. It actually was some lotion with menthol as well, but there are so many kinds. My skin just liked the oats.

I actually attempted to make a lotion once with colloidal oatmeal, but I got the percentage a bit wrong and ended up with some porridge-like substance :-) Haven't tried again after that.

I second the Gold Bond Ultimate. I get the one with CoQ10; makes your skin look younger an increases its ability to hold on to moisture.

I like using cream that has no mineral pill (fossil fuels byproduct.) I use Body Shop (the olive oil one is hardly fragrant) and Burts Bees (theor shea butter is super sweet smelling - ugh) for moisturizing lotions.

The Gold Bond, though is pretty cool. It has a waxen finish and isn't greasy. Great for at work!

I'm allergic to detergent and the stuff has caused me a lot of skin related grief. For really, really dry skin I've found that baby oil in the form of gel is the best moisturizer.

I would also recommend taking fish oil pills. At least in my case, they don't prevent allergic skin reactions, but they do speed up skin recovery. Before I started taking a fish pill every day, recovery after exposure would take MONTHS (if ever...). Now, my recovery time is a couple weeks. Fish oil has many health benefits and I can personally vouch for the skin one!!

I'm with Sparkly Bunny on this one; I make my own. The cheap and easy option is just to get an oil (favorites ranging from thicker to thinner; coconut, olive, sweet almond, grapeseed, ricebran) and if you want it to smell pretty, GENTLY warm it with herbs and then strain (or just use a couple drops of 100% essential oil).

NOTE: I can't really recommend 'vegetable' oil, because it's usually safflower or canola, or both. Unfortunately, both of these oils actually become rancid very quickly, and are 'deodorized' during processing in order to combat consumer aversion. Erm, at least according to the stuff I read. ;)

It's also pretty easy to make a basic skin butter with 1 part beeswax to 2-3 parts oil - just shave the beeswax with a grater or knife, and toss the whole mix in the microwave (in a micro-safe container!) until the wax is melted. Let it cool slightly, and pour into a container or jar (I love using 4oz mason jars; they have a wide mouth so easy to scoop up 'butter', and beautifully easy to clean).

A lot of the more expensive lotions have refined petroleum byproducts, glycol, silicones, and sometimes alcohol; these make your skin FEEL smoother and more moisturized, but that's because they actually create a film on the surface of your skin.

If you like using lotion (or oil) before bed, I HIGHLY recommend a pair of bed gloves, socks and full-body pj's; your bedlinen will thank you. =)

However, if you choose to purchase, I can also recommend Burt's, as well as Weleda if you feel like splurging. But, personally, I like the cheap option of homemade. Best of luck in your search!