When you look at the back of the average lotion bottle at the store, the ingredients usually begin with water and alcohol. That means the bulk of what you're paying for to moisturize your skin is water and alcohol. Now, there are alcohols that moisturize, but those alcohols are derived in a chemical process from natural oils or synthesized from petrochemicals. From there, the ingredients proceed to what I would call Advanced Chemistry, listing multi-syllabic names and sometimes numbers, which is a huge red flag for me.

I want to use a product that has minimal alteration from its natural state.

Your skin is your largest organ, and it absorbs what you put on it. Make sure what you're applying is good. There are two logical benchmarks I use for this: the animal world and the spiritual world.

In the animal world, my skin is my hide. The hide generates its own oil - as long as nothing interferes with that production. But even if we do something to interfere, the body will adjust if given time. Humans tend to be impatient and want a fix immediately. We can get that fix naturally by applying oils from a different source.

In the spiritual world, we're told that Bible-era folks made themselves hygienic and/or healthy by applying oil - olive oil was typically used because it was the available oil in that region. Today, we have access to a world of oils, and we can blend them together to maximize their nutritive benefits.

So, for those of you looking for lotion, I would first advise that you use our soaps exclusively for a couple of weeks and watch your skin celebrate. If you've been using deodorant soaps or mass market soaps, your skin will be so relieved to not be daily stripped of its natural oils. You aren't going to need full-body lotion anymore.

If you need extra moisture for exposed or super-dry parts, try one of our Scrubs. They can be used all over - face, body, feet...  The salt scrubs are rougher and the oils we use in them are lighter oils. The sugar scrubs are gentler and more moisturizing.

We also have an On the Spot Moisture Body Balm in stick form - excellent for the heels!

https://www.stouderhouse.com/collections/body-care/products/on-the-spot-moisture-body-balm

And a Healer's Balm to help with particularly bad spots or boo-boos. 

https://www.stouderhouse.com/products/healers-balm

We have a Barrier Balm (tinted or plain) for sun and wind blocking.

https://www.stouderhouse.com/collections/body-care/products/barrier-balm

For your face, our Day and Night Serums are the bomb! Excellent blends of natural oils that nourish your face without adding toxins to your skin.

https://www.stouderhouse.com/collections/body-care

Our Shave Butter largely consists of whipped shea butter, so it also makes for a good moisturizer - although it is thick and greasy-feeling used that way, so be prepared.

https://www.stouderhouse.com/collections/body-care/products/ultra-soothing-shave-butter

The folks selling "natural lotion" are really selling balms and salves - a blend of natural oils and waxes - much like the products listed on our home page. These are likely all good products, but they aren't lotion in the traditional sense. The crafters are just calling it lotion, because customers keep asking for lotion. We call our balms by their true names.

At StouderHouse, we aim to educate. We don't make lotion, because you don't need it. Read our 'Why buy StouderHouse soap?' blog post to find out more.