The majority of body creams have ingredients like mineral oil, petrolatum, artificial fragrances, and artificial preservatives. They often have few or no effective ingredients.  Many natural skin care products like natural lotion have essential oils, plant extracts, and vitamins.

The better skin care lotions and creams including natural lotions are going to cost more than the ones from the big cosmetic companies but they are a much better product. Using natural body lotion and creams that are made with poor quality ingredients will do nothing for you. You could use vegetable oil and get the same results.

You should consider what parts of your body need some attention. Are your elbows or heels extremely dry? Would you like to make your stretch marks or scars less noticeable? Do you have sagging skin? You can treat all these problems if you find the right body creams for them.

The following are some ingredients to look for and information about how they can help you. These are natural ingredients that are going to be safe and effective. You should avoid synthetic ingredients like mineral oil, petrolatum, parabens and artificial fragrances.

What Does Vitamin B5 Do?

Using body lotion and creams with Vitamin B5 will improve the condition of your skin tissue. These products will also help protect your skin from the sun and treat your sunburn if you have one. They will also help you get tan while protecting you from the sun’s UV rays.

What Does Grape Seed Oil Do?

Body creams with grape seed oil are a great choice to make your stretch marks less noticeable. Grape seed oil contains Vitamin E and essential fatty acids that mimic the ones your own body produces so they are easily absorbed into your skin. These products will not cause your skin to feel greasy or give you clogged pores.

What Does Jojoba Oil Do?

Body lotions and creams with jojoba oil are great for making your scars less noticeable. This ingredient mimics the sebum your skin produces better than anything else. Not only does jojoba oil moisturize your skin, it also coats your skin to keep the moisture in but does not leave your skin feeling oily or greasy. That means your pores are not going to end up with a bunch of dirt and grime in them. Jojoba oil helps with skin issues like acne and psoriasis as well as many others.

These are some natural ingredients you should look for in natural body lotions and creams. The best body creams would have all these ingredients, as well as protein complexes and antioxidants that will keep your skin looking young and keep it healthy.  Read about the skin care products you are using to learn what they do for your skin.

Natural lotion should contain nothing toxic or harmful. Because when you rub something all over your skin, it eventually ends up in your bloodstream. So, body lotion and creams should be safe enough to eat.

Here is a list of some of the best ingredients for natural lotion. It may be difficult to find them all, but they could make a big difference in the appearance and health of your skin.

• Vitamin E

• Olive Oil

• Honey

• Jojoba Oil

Natural vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, which has been shown in many scientific studies to reverse the effects of aging on the skin. It reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and also helps prevent the appearance of age spots.

It is oxidation that causes skin damage. Antioxidants reduce the harmful affects of oxidation. That’s why you find them in your vitamin supplements, but when applied topically, body lotion and creams that contain vitamin E do more for your skin’s health than a vitamin pill.

In most body creams, the vitamin E is a synthetic version, which is not as effective as natural forms.

Then, there’s honey. Yes, honey is a great ingredient for body lotion and creams. For many years, honey has been applied to irritated and injured skin, but no one knew why it worked. Recently, it was learned that it acts as an antibacterial, an antiseptic and an antioxidant. So, it can be very beneficial.

A specific kind from New Zealand has been found to be unique. In that the activities mentioned above are amplified. When used in body creams, scientists have shown that it supports the skin’s own cell renewal process and assists in the formation of stronger collagen and elastin. These fibers are responsible for the skin’s elasticity.

Olive oil has been used for centuries to hydrate and rejuvenate. Body lotion and creams that contain it must use a special emulsification process or it can become rancid, very quickly. When processed correctly, the oil is very close to the sebum found in human skin.

Jojoba Oil body creams are deeply moisturizing, without being overly oily or greasy. It actually helps to balance sebum production, so that your skin is soft and velvet like, but neither too oily nor too dry.

In facial and body lotion and creams, it has been shown to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and stretch marks. Both jojoba and olive oils also have antioxidant activity. Neither of them will clog the pores like mineral oils and petrolatum, which are cheaper and used in the average body creams.

The best body lotion and creams will not be found in department stores or advertised on TV. When companies spend that much money in advertising, there is little left to spend on expensive high quality ingredients. So, they often use cheap additives and fillers.

When you have glowing, healthy skin, you feel better. Your skin is a living, breathing organ and should be well cared for. As we begin to age the cell renewal process slows down and skin becomes drier. Look to age-old remedies from nature, ingredients derived from plants and vegetables, when you are looking for a quality hand and body lotion. Applying a moisturizing hand and body lotion is necessary for skin to maintain its elasticity and to prevent premature skin aging. Some of the skin nourishing oils and body butter added in a quality hand and body lotion include the following:

* Shea Butter: Forms a breathable, water-resistant film and is the leading natural product for moisturizing. Natural Shea Butter has a high amount of Vitamins A and E which help to repair skin damage. Natural Shea Butter is widely used to help protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays and is known for softening and healing cracked and aged skin. It also provides some relief to itchy skin. Look for natural shea butter that is unrefined or is refined by a natural filtering process which is used to remove any botanical impurities usually found in unrefined shea butter. The refining process produces a shea butter that is lighter in color and does not have a smoky or nutty scent. When you read the label look for the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) name, Butyrospermum Parkii.

* Cocoa Butter: A soothing ingredient that helps minimize dryness and helps improve the skin’s elasticity. Cocoa Butter is a yellowish vegetable fat most often used to soften the skin. It is solid at room temperature but melts on contact with the skin. Cocoa Butter is made during the manufacture of cocoa and chocolate. It is known to help prevent and minimize stretch marks, protect dry, chapped skin, treat skin irritations, help erase wrinkles on neck, around eyes and mouth and adds a firming agent to skin care products. The INCI name for Cocoa Butter is Theobroma Cacao.

* Sunflower Oil: It supplies more Vitamin E than any other vegetable oil and contains vitamins A and D. It offers smoothing properties in hand and body lotion and is easily absorbed into the skin; a great vegetable oil for massage products. It softens and moisturizes skin and is highly recommended for dry, weathered, aged, and damaged skin. The INCI name for Sunflower Oil is Helianthus Annuus.

* Jojoba (pronounced Ho Ho Ba), Olive, Grapeseed, Avocado and Sweet Almond Oils are also great additions to hand and body lotions. Each has unique characteristics that are beneficial to your skin. Jojoba Oil is especially good for mature skin, while Grapeseed Oil is often recommended for acne and oily skin. Avocado Oil penetrates the skin easily and Sweet Almond Oil is suitable for most skin types.

Other ingredients to note:

* Vegetable Glycerin: It has emollient like properties which can soften and soothe the skin. It is hygroscopic which means that it attracts moisture from the air and it assists the outer epidermis layer of the skin in retaining moisture. Glycerin is available in vegetable and animal derived forms. I prefer Glycerin that is derived from vegetable oil, palm or coconut. The INCI name for Vegetable Glycerin is Glycerin.

* Emulsifying Wax: If you have ever purchased a bottle of natural lotion that separates, it may be due to the lack of or an insufficient amount of an emulsifier. Lotions are made by combining oil and water which is not an easy task. The addition of an emulsifier helps bind the oil and water together and it is also a thickening agent. There are at least six types of emulsifiers that may be added to lotions, but I prefer vegetable based Emulsifying Wax. Emulsifying Wax can be plant or petroleum based so you may want to ask the person you purchase your lotion from whether it is plant or petroleum based. The INCI name for Emulsifying Wax is Emulsifying Wax NF or Cetearyl Alcohol & Ceteareth 20.

* Stearic Acid (Palm): Like Emulsifying Wax, Stearic Acid is used to emulsify, thicken, bind, and stabilize hand and body lotions. Stearic Acid occurs naturally in vegetable and animal fats; however it has to go through a hydrogenation process to convert it to the end product. I prefer stearic acid that is 100% Palm derived, with no added chemicals, emulsifiers or other agents. The INCI name for Stearic Acid is Stearic Acid.

* Rosemary Oil Extract (ROE): Acts as a natural antioxidant, a natural preservative that reduces the rate of oxidation in oils that oxidize quickly and extends the shelf life of your lotion. Natural substances such as ROE show antimicrobial activity, however it is usually not adequate for broad spectrum protection and an additional preservative is needed. The INCI name for ROE is Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract.

* Cosmocil CQ and Optiphen: Some creams and body butter do not contain water, however, most lotions do and water based products need preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria. The two I prefer are Cosmocil CQ and Optiphen because they are gentle, effective preservatives that are paraben free and do not release formaldehyde. Cosmocil CQ is commonly used in baby wipes and contact lens solutions. The INCI for Cosmocil CQ is Water, polyaminopropyl biguanide and the INCI name for Optiphen is Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol. Commercial hand and body lotions and some handmade lotions are sometimes loaded with preservatives so they remain fresh for a long time. The preservatives do extend the shelf life of the lotion and help keep them free from bacteria but sometimes the preservatives used are unhealthy and may cause skin problems. Some commonly used preservatives are either paraben or formaldehyde based. Germaben (INCI: Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben), Liquid Germall Plus (INCI: Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynl Butylcarbamate), LiquaPar Optima (INCI: Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben), and Phenonip (INCI: Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben) are preservatives that contain parabens.

* Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils: There is a lot controversy these days regarding fragrance oils being added to hand and body lotions due to the fact that most fragrance oils contain phthalates. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) did a study that evaluated phthalates in children’s toys and recommended that toy manufacturers remove phthalates from soft rattles and teethers until more study is done. (cpsc.gov/). The Phthalate Information Center states, “Safety reviews by European and American scientific panels have specifically cleared phthalates for use in toys and in nail polish. The different reviews use phrases such as “safe as used,” or “no concern,” or “no demonstrated health risk.” No governmental review has found any phthalate unsafe as used in products for the general public.” (www.phthalate.org) Essential Oils are extracted from flowers and herbs and are natural; however, there are some that should not be used on the skin (e.g. clove oil). Also, some essential oils should be avoided while in the sun and if you are pregnant. For some people, fragrance or essential oils may cause skin irritations.

If you use a new skin care product, testing a small amount on your inner arm to see if any irritation occurs is recommended. If irritation or sensitivities do occur, discontinue use and dilute affected area with vegetable oil, not water, and dry to reduce irritation.

A good hand and body lotion should contain botanical oils and butters but not necessarily a lot them. It does not need to contain a plethora of ingredients to work. Whether you use a lotion that is unscented or scented with essential oils or scented with fragrance oils is up to you. Your lotion should not leave your skin feeling sticky and it should be lightweight so you can apply it as many times throughout the day, as needed, especially if you frequently wash your hands.

When you are looking for a quality hand and body lotion, read the label, the order of how the ingredients are listed is important. Ingredients are required to be listed in descending order; therefore, if the first ingredient in your hand and body lotion is Sunflower Oil, for example, it has a higher amount of that oil than the remaining ingredients.

African healers have known about shea butter for thousands of years and have used it for burns, stretch marks and dryness and for many years, natural oils have been applied to the skin because they contain vitamins, minerals, fats, and proteins. To quench your dry skin’s thirst and for that youthful, healthy looking skin you deserve, look to nature and find yourself a moisturizing hand and body lotion made from age-old remedies.

Chamomile (or camomile) is a common name for several daisy-like plants. The greeks named them “earth-apple-on the ground” for their apple-like scent. There are several varieties of Chamomile – each one used for slightly different purposes or intensities of properties. German or blue chamomile and Roman (English) chamomile, or the “garden” chamomile are the most commonly used.

These two types of chamomile are used for health conditions and are most commonly found in skin care or beauty products. While the two kinds are thought to have similar effects on the body, the German variety is more commonly used in the United States. Chamomile, is one of the oldest of all herbs, dating back to ancient Egyptians. It’s both a pretty flower and an ancient healer. Chamomile has been widely used for children and adults for thousands of years for a variety of health conditions.

Chamomile Provides Natural Skin Healing

Chamomile is an essential addition to the herbal first aid kit. It is a useful herb in many situations. It can relieve anxiety and calm someone down in the event of stress. It can also relieve gastrointestinal upset – after a big meal, or when stress doesn’t mix well with your meal. Chamomile is even an excellent herb to use as compresses for eye problems. Warm two tea bags with chamomile flowers to ease itchy eyes, especially when traveling to different parts of the country and you are not immune to the allergens in that area. It is also used topically for skin conditions and for mouth ulcers resulting from cancer treatment.

How It Is Used

The flowering tops of the chamomile plant are used to make teas, liquid extracts, capsules, or tablets. The herb can also be applied to the skin as a cream or an ointment, or used as a mouth rinse.

Chamomile in Skin Care Products

This versatile herb is also recognized as a natural healing treatment that helps rejuvenate the skin. There are many wonderful natural facial treatments on the market today that incorporate Chamomile as a key ingredient.

To make a quick and easy tea facial, simply apply a paste made from one teaspoon of fine cornmeal mixed with cooled tea to the face, let dry, then gently rub off.

This very gentle skin tonic is ideal to replenish and enrich dry or sensitive skin. Its bactericidal, anti-itching, and antiseptic properties help to refresh the skin and reduce swelling.

Making paste with extra-strong brew and using it as an external wash or part of a hot compress can also help soothe burns, skin rashes, and sores.

Chamomile has excellent anti-inflammatory properties. Chamomile contains an anti-inflammatory compound called alpha bisabolol which helps to soothe itchy, red skin. For this reason, Chamomile along with some other herbs and natural treatments has shown promise as skin treatments for eczema.  It is a common ingredient in natural lotion.

Chamomile has been used throughout history to treat various skin conditions and some studies have shown it works as effectively as low dose steroid creams without the side effects. Chamomile oil can be purchased at some health food stores. It needs to be diluted with a carrier oil such as almond oil or jojoba and can then be applied as a skin treatment for eczema. Bathing in warm water containing chamomile flowers may also help to soothe inflammation and itching. Simply make a bath bag using chamomile flowers and float it in a tub of warm bath water.

For easing skin inflammations and acne, make a strong chamomile tea, and wipe the cooled liquid over your face each morning. This effective daily rinse tones and cleanses.

Essential Oil Usage

Both Roman and German chamomile have excellent calming properties, but Roman chamomile is more effective for irritation, impatience and feeling disagreeable, and has great value in treating PMS and other menstrual and menopausal problems, while German chamomile  is superbly effective on the skin, not only to sooth and calm, but to heal and for tissue regeneration.

Side Effects and Cautions

* There are reports of rare allergic reactions in people who have eaten or come into contact with chamomile products. Reactions include skin rashes, throat swelling, shortness of breath, and anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction).
* People are more likely to experience allergic reactions to chamomile if they are allergic to related plants in the daisy family, which includes ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and daisies.
* Tell your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This helps to ensure coordinated and safe care.