The most important beauty tip that black women teach their daughters is that you should always moisturize your skin. (And, we don’t play around either, when it comes to oiling up our largest organ. Black women use a number of heavy duty products from petroleum jelly, Castor oil, baby oil, cocoa butter and/or Shea butter.) A lot of use think lotion is too weak and actually prefer a thicker moisturizer such as creams, gels and oils.
I am usually the Vaseline-type moisturizer (even Tyra Banks swares by the petroleum jelly) to get my smooth soft skin, but lately I have been trying the following lotions and creams that produced surprisingly-good results.
AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion ($15.99 at drugstore.com)
This moisturizing body lotion contains an alpha-hydroxy acid that gently exfoliates and intensely hydrates rough, dry skin. I was a little skeptical about the product because the lotion was so thin and I just felt it’ll never work on my skin. Boy, was I wrong. I applied the lotion in the morning and did the scratch test and did not see any ash at the end of the day. The scentless product absorbed quickly and beautifully – without the grease. What a delight.
Crabtree & Evelyn Lily Body Cream ($36 at crabtree-evelyn.com)
This cream is housed in a beautiful glass jar that adds a bit of elegance to any vanity table. I started using this product with the AmLactin was done. I immediately felt like I was pampering my skin every time I applied to my body. This infused Lily scent cream is amazing. It is formulated with moisturizing shea butter along with rose hip and evening primrose oils, which are rich in essential fatty acids. The end result, my skin is smooth, soft and happy.
Since turning 30 last month, I am moving fast to add anti-aging formula to my beauty routine. Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair is a delight. It’s a moisturizer with accelerated retinol, which is a night treatment that I applied after washing the day off my face. I just started using it for a week now. It does a great job moisturizing, goes on lightly and has an extremely pleasant, fresh smell.
