What is Butter?

Butter? Body Butter? Balm? Filter Balm? 

What is all of this?

Where do I use it? And when? And also, how? 

If you've found yourself wondering about any of the above recently, you're in the right place. Let's discuss.

First of all, there's Butter, which is the subject of this post. 

Butter is the new replacement for the discontinued Beauty Butter, Facial Balm, and Sensitive Butter.

My goal with rebranding and redesigning my skincare collection was to streamline and create a more minimal set of products. The Beauty Butter, Facial Balm, and Sensitive Butter were all lovely, but also kind of interchangeable. So instead of stocking 3 different very similar products, I wanted to create one moisturizer that does it all. For everyone. No matter their skin type or concerns. 

But I'll come back to Butter in a sec... let me clear up a few other questions first.

What About Body Butter?

Body Butter and Butter are two very different products. Body Butter is a scented moisturizer that's meant to be applied to your body only. Butter is unscented and can be applied to your face and body. They each have different textures.

Body Butter is currently available in Lavender (I have three jars left,) but next I will be making a batch of Rose, then Nectar, using my single-note perfume fragrance blends. So keep an eye out for fun, limited-edition fragrances of Body Butter throughout the year to layer with your perfume.

Now, Balm.

Balm is the new name for All Over Balm. 

So, yeah. It's a balm that you can apply all over. It's a lip balm, a lotion stick, a very moisturizing salve, if you will, for hands, bodies, elbows, cuticles, dry patches on the face... or anywhere you need a well, balm. 

All of these natural moisturizers are quite rich, but the Butter and Body Butter are a bit lighter than Balm. Balm is wax based, so it's going to act more like a protective barrier layer on the skin, while the Butter and Body Butter soak into the skin. 

And finally, Filter Balm

Filter Balm is the new name for Facewhip. 

Filter Balm is a facial moisturizer. The texture of Filter Balm is more similar to Butter than it is to Balm, but I call it Filter Balm because it contains a small amount of wax, and will sit on the skin as a barrier layer, while the Butter is more apt to soak in. 

Side note: What's a barrier layer you ask? When I say this, I mean that these moisturizers create an occlusive layer as if creating a barrier between your skin and the environment. Applying a barrier layer can help hold moisture on the skin to prevent dehydration, and it can also help protect your skin from the elements. Butters, balms, and oils can all act as barrier layers - but wax-based balms tend to sit on top of the skin longer. 

A barrier layer created by a moisturizer is not to be confused with your actual skin barrier, which is the protective layer of oil that your skin naturally produces to protect itself from the environment. Sometimes, (like in the winter, extra dry weather, or if you've damaged your skin barrier by over-exfoliating or using too many products with harsh active ingredients,) your natural skin barrier needs a little help in the form of a non-pore-clogging plant-based oil, butter, or wax. (Or some combination of all three.) That's where these moisturizers come in.

I use Butter at bedtime to seal in my routine and condition and repair my skin while I sleep, and Filter Balm during the day, because Filter Balm has cosmetic properties that leave my skin looking extra glowy and soft - like a photo filter that you can wear on your face in real life. 

So. Now that that's all cleared up, let's answer the first question: what is Butter?

It's so simple.

 Butter contains all of the same ingredients as Oil (see my previous blog post if you're wondering what that is,) with the addition of shea butter, to give it a, well, buttery texture. Shea butter is a creamy, rich emollient that absorbs well into the skin without clogging pores. It's also full of skin-barrier-strengthening antioxidants, like vitamins E, D, and A. 

Combining Oil with shea butter leaves you with a rich, thick, but non-pore-clogging moisturizer that soaks in to help soften and repair your skin. Butter is basically a solid version of Oil. This is how I made my (discontinued) sensitive butter, and the texture is very similar. You also use it the same way.

How to Use Butter

Butter is usually applied at the end of your skincare routine. Ideally, you should cleanse, tone, then apply an oil-based moisturizer while your skin is damp, to seal in the water from your toner. You can moisturize with Oil followed by Butter, or, you can just use Butter. (You can also just use oil, but this post is about butter, so if you're reading this, I'm assuming you want to try some butter!) 

You may want to apply Oil all over and just apply Butter where your skin gets extra dry.

You may want to apply Oil all over your face and then follow with Butter all over.

You may want to apply Oil, then Butter, then apply more Oil on top of that.

You may want to mix your oil and butter together so you can apply them both at the same time.

There isn't one right way to go about it, despite all of the tips and tricks that influencers like to throw around out there about how to moisturize in the winter.

As long as you're moisturizing, you're doing something nice for your skin.

I recommend experimenting with different techniques and observing the changes in your skin, staying consistent but allowing yourself to make small tweaks as your needs change over time and across the seasons.

I'll give you a little tip though - the more consistently you moisturize, the less you have to worry about dry skin at all, in any season. These moisturizers help strengthen and repair your natural skin barrier, which helps your skin stay healthy and hydrated all the time.

Butter is unscented, so it's safe for even the most sensitive skin, and you can use it anywhere on your face or body.

If you want to minimize your routine, this can be your one and only moisturizer. 

 (I just love being able to say that!) 

And that's Butter.

It's available in a mini sample jar for $6, a 2 oz jar for $25, and a 4 oz jar for $45. Get the 2 oz jar if you're only planning to use it on your face because a little goes such a long way - a pea size amount or less is enough for a full face application. Get the big one if you're planning on making this your one and only moisturizer for your face and body.

Questions? I can't answer them here because the spam bots will take over, but you can head over to the product page of whatever product you're wondering about, click on the button that says "Ask A Question" to post your query, and I'll respond ASAP.

Hope you enjoy it, 

Stefanie