De Ultieme Gids voor Dove Zelfbruiner Lotion

How we picked

You have thousands of lotions to choose from. They come in all manner of scents and colors and promise a swath of therapeutic benefits. No major dermatological society offers a list of recommended brands or products, so we had to start from scratch.

We don’t want to use it unless we have to (when our skin is dry and damaged), but by the time we have to, a normal lotion can’t help us.

Research and interviews taught us two main lessons about lotion. Despite newer ingredients that “absorb” into the skin to add moisture, the main way that lotion prevents and heals dry skin is by adding a thin layer of oil to the surface to prevent water loss. So the only thing our best lotion needs is an oil (or another occlusive, like petrolatum).

Even people with chronic skin conditions that cause them to suffer from itchy, red skin throughout the year struggle to find the motivation to apply lotion every day. In two studies, only 20 percent of people with diagnosed dry skin conditions managed to stick to a daily regimen. Why? Because it takes too much time and lotion feels bad on their skin. “Make sure you like the way it feels on your skin,” said dermatologist Dr. Angela J. Lamb. “If it doesn’t [feel good], you aren’t going to put it on.” Our mission was clear.

After scraping “top lotions” lists of nine major publications, we accumulated nearly 100 products. The lists rarely overlapped in their recommendations, and few of the lists presented any evidence or explanation for why the recommended products were good products. Given the recommendations’ lack of transparency, we did not consider them further, except for noting the rare repeats for further testing.

We ignored all claims of antioxidants, ceramides, amino acids, or other therapeutic additives because evidence doesn’t exist that off-the-shelf moisturizers contain enough of these ingredients to make a difference.

What’s in there

All lotions do the same basic thing: Combine ingredients that protect your skin with ingredients that make the product easy—and even pleasant—to use. Though packaging may promise vast differences between one lotion and another, they all include the same basic types of ingredients.

Petrolatum was a common occlusive ingredient among lotions we liked. Lotions that were greasier and harder to rub in, like Lubriderm, contained mineral oil (liquid petrolatum) instead of petrolatum proper. (See The Competition.)

This isn’t a foolproof rule, though: One petrolatum lotion (Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Lotion) was thick and waxy, as if it had too much petrolatum in the formula. The one product with both petrolatum and mineral oil—Nivea Essentially Enriched Lotion—landed on the greasy end of the spectrum.

To make occlusives feel less greasy, manufacturers add water. This basic addition gives you the wide variety of lotions, creams, and ointments available. Lotions have the most water, creams have less, and ointments have even less.

Some lotions include humectants, ingredients that draw water from deep skin layers to the surface. If a product claims to be “long-lasting,” the manufacturer is probably referring to humectant ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids, urea, or lactic acid, according to Dr. Bailey.

Many off-the-shelf moisturizers now include additional ingredients to convince you to buy them. But this new stuff isn’t necessary.

Manufacturers often add fragrances and dyes to lotions to make products smell and look better. Lotions are a particularly problematic vehicle for fragrances because they are rubbed into dry skin that is more sensitive to irritants, which fragrances can be for some people. Another problem is that if people will be allergic to anything, it will most likely be a fragrance or dye. “[Fragrances are] one of the top allergens, including natural fragrances like citrus,” said Dr. Bailey, warning, “Don’t taunt your skin’s immune system.” The American Academy of Dermatology and our consulted experts recommend using only fragrance-free lotions to avoid allergic reactions. But even then, you can’t necessarily trust the label on the bottle, some manufacturers add fragrances to make their lotion smell “unscented” or “fragrance-free.” A general rule of thumb is that if the lotion makes your skin feel worse (such as itching or burning), throw that lotion out and try a new one.

Kun je een zelfbruiner gebruiken tijdens de zwangerschap?

Tot slot: juist als je zwanger bent wil je misschien zon vermijden. Is een zelfbruiner dan veilig te gebruiken? Begin vorig jaar is er een rapport van de SCCS (Scientific Committee for Consumer Safety) uitgekomen waaruit blijkt dat een maximale concentratie van 10% DHA veilig te gebruiken is. Toch zijn er soms nog zorgen dat DHA iets verder de huid kan doordringen. Dat zou in principe niet moeten gebeuren. Voelt het voor jou niet fijn, laat je kleurtje dan lekker achterwege.

Spray tans (in een salon) zou ik je wel afraden. Het effect van het inademen van DHA is (nog) niet goed bekend. De meeste salons bieden trouwens sowieso al geen spray tan aan in de eerste drie maanden van de zwangerschap.

Beste voor onder de douche: Nivea Body Lotion Douche

Voordelen:

• Verrijkt met amandelolie
• Hydraterend
• Te gebruiken onder de douche
• Budgetvriendelijk
• Geen vette huid meer na het smeren

Nadelen:

• Geur vervaagt na afspoelen
• Douchevloer wordt heel glad

Een bodylotion voor onder de douche werkt tijdbesparend. Je kan je lichaam hydrateren terwijl je nog onder de douche staat. Je smeert jezelf in met de lotion en spoelt deze vervolgens weer af. Na het douchen kan je jezelf meteen aankleden en ben je klaar voor de dag. Voor degenen die de bodylotion na het douchen weleens durven overslaan, is dit de ideale oplossing.

Deze variant van Nivea werd verrijkt met amandelolie. Amandelolie werkt zeer hydraterend doordat het vocht in je huid vasthoudt. Wat sommigen opmerken is dat je huid na het douchen gehydrateerd aanvoelt, maar dat de geur verdwenen is. Wanneer je de bodylotion afspoelt, verdwijnt de welbekende Nivea-geur grotendeels. Let op, de lotionresten die op de douchevloer terechtkomen creëren een zeer glad oppervlak.

Geschikt voor: Droge tot zeer droge huid | Zonder parfum: Nee | Inhoud: 6 x 250 ml