A shower oil and a body oil do two different jobs. A shower oil is a cleanser: you massage it onto wet skin and rinse it away, and it washes without the tight feeling some washes leave. A body oil is a leave-on step: you smooth it over the skin after bathing, ideally while the skin is still slightly damp, and let it settle. Used together, they make a simple ritual for skin that feels soft and comfortable. Below is how each works, how to apply it, and the oils we would choose.
What Is a Shower Oil?
A shower oil looks like an oil in the bottle but behaves like a wash. It combines oils with mild cleansing agents, so when it meets water it loosens and spreads, and many formulas turn milky or into a soft, light lather as you massage them in. That is the cleansing agents at work with the water. Rinse, and the skin is clean, with a supple feel left behind rather than a greasy film.
Shower oils suit dry skin, skin that feels tight after washing, and the colder months, when central heating and hot water take their toll. Use lukewarm rather than hot water, keep the shower short, and pat yourself dry rather than rubbing.
Topicrem's Ultra Hydratant Shower Oil pairs olive oil with glycerin for dry and sensitive skin, in a large pump bottle for the face and body; the house asks you to work it into a light lather. Isdin's UreadinCalm OleoGel Protector is a soap-free shower oil for dry skin, with soybean and castor seed oils and a subtle fresh scent. Eucerin's pH 5 Shower Oil Gel is a soap-free oil gel for very dry and sensitive skin, with panthenol, made to cleanse without stripping. For something more fragrant, Beauterra's Citrus Perfume Shower Oil brings macadamia and argan oils together with a bright citrus scent, for the body and face.
- Ultra Hydratant Shower Oil
- UreadinCalm OleoGel Protector Protective Shower Oil
- pH 5 Very Dry and Sensitive Skin Shower Oil Gel
- Citrus Perfume Shower Oil
Dry Oil or Rich Oil?
Body oils differ mainly in how quickly they sink in. A dry oil is light and fast-absorbing: it leaves a satin or dry-touch finish, so you can dress soon after, and many can also be smoothed through the lengths of the hair. A richer oil, built on heavier plant oils, stays on the surface for longer and gives a more cushioned, glossy feel. That makes it a good choice for the evening, and for massage.
Jeanne Piaubert's Peau d'Ange Beautifying Dry Oil is made for the body and hair, fast-absorbing with a non-greasy finish. Chanel's Chance Eau Tendre Body Oil has a light, fast-absorbing texture that leaves a satin finish and carries the delicate fruity-floral character of the fragrance; the house notes it also helps the hair feel more manageable. Payot's Herbier Revitalising Body Oil is a short formula of sunflower, soybean and olive oils with thyme essential oil, and a dry-touch finish. For a little light on the skin, Cocosolis's Glow Shimmer Oil is a lightweight body oil with mica pigments for a warm, light-catching sheen.
- Peau d'Ange Beautifying Dry Oil Body & Hair
- Chance Eau Tendre Body Oil
- Herbier Revitalising Body Oil
- Glow Shimmer Oil Body Oil
Why Apply Body Oil to Damp Skin?
Oil does not add water to the skin; it helps hold on to what is already there. Smoothed over skin that is still slightly damp from the shower, it helps keep that moisture close to the surface, spreads more easily and goes further, so a few drops cover more of the body. On completely dry skin you tend to need more, and it can feel heavier.
- Step out of the shower and pat the skin lightly with a towel, leaving it just damp.
- Warm a few drops of oil between your palms.
- Smooth it over the body in long strokes, starting with the driest areas: shins, knees and elbows.
- Give it a minute or two to settle before you dress.
Single oils are well suited to this. Dr. Organic's Pure Argan Oil is cold-pressed argan oil and nothing else, for skin, hair and nails, and the house suggests warming one to three drops on the fingertips and pressing them into damp skin. Melvita's Jojoba Oil is 99.9% pure jojoba oil, as the house states, light in texture and suitable for the face, body and hair. Instituto Español's Argan Body Oil, with argan oil, is made for the bath, the shower and massage, and can go on damp or dry skin.
Body Oils for Massage
For massage, you want an oil that glides and stays workable for a while, rather than one that vanishes at once. Warm it in your hands first, then use slow, flowing movements, lighter over bony areas and a little firmer over the shoulders, back and legs. A richer oil, or a classic carrier oil such as sweet almond, gives you the most time.
Diar Argan's Soothing Massage Oil combines Moroccan argan oil with thyme, eucalyptus and rosemary, and has a dry-touch finish. Rituals' The Ritual of Ayurveda Nourishing Rich Body Oil is a richer blend with sweet almond, moringa and coconut oils and Indian rose. Matarrania's Sensual Moisturising Body Oil is a blend of olive, sunflower, almond and sesame oils, with a warm, woody scent of patchouli and nutmeg. Melvita's Sweet Almond Oil is 99.5% cold-expressed sweet almond oil, a simple choice for massage and daily care.
- Soothing Organic Moroccan Argan Oil & Moroccan Thyme Massage Oil
- The Ritual of Ayurveda Nourishing Rich Body Oil
- Sensual Moisturising Body Oil
- Sweet Almond Oil Body Oil
For a fuller evening at home, we look at bath and body sets in An Evening Ritual at Home: Rituals' Relaxation Sets.
How Do Scent and Body Oil Work Together?
A scented body oil is a quiet way to wear fragrance. Warm skin and oil carry a scent softly and close to the body, which is why fragrance houses make body oils to sit alongside their perfumes. If you wear a perfume, choose an unscented or lightly scented oil, or the body oil of the same fragrance, so the two do not compete. If you would rather the oil be your scent, a blend such as Matarrania's patchouli and nutmeg can do that work on its own.
A Few Sensible Precautions
- Rinse the shower tray or bath after using an oil: oils can make it slippery.
- Keep oils away from the eyes.
- Oils with essential oils, such as thyme, rosemary or eucalyptus, are best tried on a small patch of skin first.
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or your skin is broken, sore or very itchy, ask your pharmacist or doctor before choosing an oil.
- Give a body oil a few minutes to settle before you put on light-coloured clothes.
The Ritual at a Glance
- In the shower: a shower oil massaged onto wet skin, lukewarm water, a thorough rinse.
- Out of the shower: pat the skin until just damp.
- A body oil: a dry oil for the morning, a richer oil for the evening.
- Now and then: a slower massage with a richer oil.
- Afterwards: rinse the shower tray.
If you begin with one change, make it the timing: apply your body oil within a minute or two of stepping out of the shower, while the skin is still damp.
