Tweak and Tinker

  • Soap Making
  • Homemade Skincare
  • About Celine
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Soap Making
  • Homemade Skincare
  • About Celine
search icon
Homepage link
  • Soap Making
  • Homemade Skincare
  • About Celine
×
Home » Homemade Skincare » Body Butter Recipes

Body Butter vs Lotion vs Body Oil

Published: Jan 11, 2023 · Modified: Jan 12, 2023 by Celine Logan · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

15 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Body butters, lotions, body oils - ever wondered what the difference between those skincare products is? Find out what each of them is good for, which one works best for you and how you can make your own.

woman's hands applying lotion.
Jump to:
  • What is body butter
  • What is body butter good for
  • What is body lotion
  • What is body lotion good for
  • What is body oil
  • What is body oil good for
  • The differences at a glance

What is body butter

Body Butter is a thick cream that contains no or very little water. It's usually made with few natural ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter and mango butter. Butters are oftentimes blended with carrier oils, like coconut oil to deliver extra ingredients, like essential oils, vitamin e oil and honey.

What is body butter good for

  • soften rough patches
  • protect skin during the winter months
  • moisturize dry and flaky skin
  • soothes and protects sensitive skin
  • strengthens skin barrier
  • great on very dry areas like elbows, knees, hands and feet
  • good for dry skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis especially after an oatmeal bath

How to Use: Rich body butters are best applied before bed to give skin plenty of time to absorb. It's best to apply them on slightly damp skin or on top of a lightweight body lotion. This will help lock in moisture.

Ready to Make Homemade Body Butter? Try whipped body butter and non-greasy shea body butter.

What is body lotion

A body lotion has similar ingredients than a body butter except for the natural butter. The main difference is that body lotions have a much higher water content ~70%). Common ingredients that can be found in lotions are water, vegetable-based oils like jojoba oil or avocado oil, water, hydrosols, aloe vera, emulsifiers and preservatives. Since the essential ingredients in a lotion are water-based and oil-based - two things that don't mix - an emulsifier is needed to bind the two together.

What is body lotion good for

  • provide deep hydration due to high water content
  • deliver specialized ingredients (like vitamin c or hyaluronic acid) to deeper layers of the skin
  • intense hydration helps reduce fine lines
  • great option for daily use
  • beneficial for oily skin and acne-prone skin

How to use: Lotions can be used anytime you feel like your skin needs some extra hydration. Ideally after a shower or bath when pores are open.

Ready to Make Homemade Lotion? Try easy natural lotion for beginners .

hand holding bottle with oil.

What is body oil

Body oils are made up of lightweight oils (like avocado or rosehip oil) and essential oils that are chosen for specific skin benefits. Surprisingly, they don't feel greasy on the skin and are fast absorbing. Similar to face serums they're designed to deliver essential nutrients and fatty acids to promote healthy skin.

What is body oil good for

  • nourish skin
  • promote supple skin
  • can be used as lightweight moisturizer on dry skin
  • can target different skin concerns, like acne-prone skin by adding tea tree oil, for example
  • can improve wellbeing through aromatherapy
  • can be used as massage oil to benefit skin and body

How to Use: as a lightweight daily moisturizer, apply after shower on damp skin or as massage oil

Ready to Make DIY Body Oil? Try argan plum body oil.

The differences at a glance

The main difference lies in consistency, water content and absorption rate. But what moisturizer is best for you also depends on your skin type, the time of year and your skincare goals.

The are also differences when and how to use each product. Let's take a look:

Body ButterLotionBody Oil
thick texturethinner textureliquid
little to no waterup to 80% waterno water
sits on top of skinabsorbs fast and deepabsorbs fast
great for dry skingreat for oily and dehydrated skinall skin types
moisturize and protecthydrate and moisturizemoisturize and nourish
dry, rough areaswhole bodywhole body
wintertimeeveryday useeveryday use or once in a while
nighttime after showeranytimeanytime, best on damp skin
use by itself or on top of lotion use by itself or on top of body oiluse by itself or before body butter or lotion
easy to DIYmore complex to DIYvery easy to DIY
Should I apply body oil or lotion if I have oily skin?

Both are suitable for oily skin. If you skin is dehydrated as well, which happens even if you have oily skin, use lotion. When choosing a body oil, look for one that's made for oily skin.

Should I use body oil or lotion for my extremely dry skin?

Use both for best results, first apply body oil then follow up with lotion. Alternatively a body butters works great too.

Which one should I use first after bathing an oil or a lotion?

Use oil on damp skin when fully absorbed follow up with a lotion.

Can you use body butter and lotion at the same time?

I would use the lotion first and then the body butter to lock in moisture.

I hope you found this post informative. Until next time. Happy Tinkering!

More Body Butter Recipes

  • body butter lip balm and roses.
    Best Natural Butters for Skin Care
  • hand with grainy body butter.
    Grainy Shea Butter? Here's How to Fix it.
  • body butter in jar with wooden spoon.
    How to Make Body Butter Less Greasy
  • lotion in glass jar.
    Breastmilk Lotion Recipe
15 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Luke Smith says

    January 12, 2023 at 10:04 pm

    It's great that you mentioned how natural body butter is great on very dry areas like elbows, knees, hands, and feet. It seems my wife is quite worried about the dry skin areas on her body and she is trying to find a good way to moisturize. Using body butter seems like a pretty good solution, so I'll try to talk to her about it later.

    https://popgirlorganics.org/body-butters-la

    Reply
headshot celine.

Hi, I'm Celine, I've been making my own soap and skincare since 2015 to help my family's sensitive skin. You can do it too, I'll show you how right here.

More about me →

Popular Posts

  • whipped body butter recipe
    Homemade Whipped Shea Butter
  • soap bar in soap dish
    How to Make Goat Milk Soap (3 Different Ways!)
  • woman wondering.
    Soap Making Equipment I wish I hadn’t bought (right away)
  • baby soap with toys and rattle.
    Gentle Bastille Baby Soap

Footer

↑ back to top

Privacy Policy

Disclaimer

Contact

Food

Gardening

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 Tweak and Tinker LLC