Body cleansers, body washes, and body shampoos are just what they sound like—they use the detergent cleansing agents typically found in hair shampoos to clean the body— and they are excellent for all skin types. They tend to be less drying than bar soaps and bar cleansers, they leave no residues from the bar on the skin, and the chance of irritation or dryness is greatly reduced. (A moisturizing body wash can leave a slight film on the skin if it contains oils, but that’s how these body cleansers moisturize the skin after you get out of the bath or shower.) Bar soaps and bar cleansers can be problematic for the body, just as they are for the face. Body washes are just as effective as soaps are, without any of the problems soaps can stir up, such as clogging pores or drying out the skin.
Please do not be fooled by the claims high-end cosmetics companies make about the body cleansers they sell. There is absolutely nothing that differentiates an expensive body wash from an inexpensive body wash. It is pathetic how brazenly identical the ingredients are between the pricey versions and the less pricey ones. Spending your money on these products is a waste regardless of your financial wherewithal and wasting money is never pretty.
Many body washes designed for dry skin claim all kinds of moisturizing properties. What they contain is simply some kind of oil. Vitamins, proteins, amino acids, and other fancy water-binding agents may be in there, too, making you think you’re getting something special, but while these ingredients can be good moisturizing agents in a cream or lotion you leave on the skin, in a body wash they are just rinsed down the drain.
Oils tend to stick around a bit longer and are not easily washed away, so they do provide some emollient benefit for dry skin. Some people don’t feel quite as clean after using a moisturizing body wash. They prefer the gentle cleaning effect of a regular body wash, followed by a moisturizer applied after getting out of the shower, but the choice is yours.
Here’s a list of great body washes to consider: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash ($6.79 for 12 ounces); Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash Fragrance-Free ($6.79 for 12 ounces); Burt’s Bees Naturally Moisturizing Milk & Shea Butter Body Wash ($8 for 12 ounces);
Caress Exotics Oil Infusion Japanese Cream Oil Body Wash ($5.99 for 15 ounces); Doctor Bobby Body Wash ($15 for 8 ounces); Dove Beauty Body Wash Sensitive Skin ($8.79 for 24 ounces); Eucerin Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil ($7.49 for 8.4 ounces); Ivory Simplement Body Wash Fresh Snow ($5.59 for 24 ounces); Jason Natural Cosmetics Fragrance-Free Satin Shower Body Wash ($10.99 for 16 ounces); Johnson’s Softwash Body Wash Extra Care ($5.99 for 20.3 ounces); Nature’s Gate Hemp Velvet Body Wash ($7.49 for 18 ounces); Neutrogena Rainbath Deep Moisture Body Wash Butter Cream ($8.49 for 6.7 ounces); Olay Quench Body Wash ($8.79 for 23.6 ounces); Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash ($8.79 for 23.6 ounces); Paula’s Choice All Over Hair & Body Shampoo ($12.95 for 16 ounces); Softsoap Skin Essentials Nutraoil Moisturizing Body Wash ($5.99 for 18 ounces); and St. Ives Collagen Elastin Moisturizing Body Wash ($4.89 for 18 ounces).