Body care is essential for maintaining the health and function of the skin, your body's largest organ, which has a significant impact on your overall physical and mental well-being. The Wonder Valley approach to body care is focused on microbiome-friendly and antioxidant-rich formulations using our California extra virgin olive oil, which helps address oxidative and free-radical stress in the skin from the sun, lifestyle, or environmental damage.
There’s a distinction when talking about body care, which generally covers neck to toes, and skincare, which covers your face and often neck. This distinction occurs because these two regions of your skin have very different needs. To highlight some key differences: the skin on your face is thinner and more sensitive than the rest of your body. The body tends to lose moisture faster than the face, so heavier hydration is appropriate. The body is also in direct contact with our clothing and all that comes with it: detergents, fragrances, sweat, bacteria, synthetic fabrics - so there is a unique set of sensitives and support needed for this.
In short: no! These products are made specifically for your body. They are formulated with heavier oils, which are fantastic for giving your body the deeper hydration it craves but could clog the pores of your sensitive face. In general, your body is much heartier compared to your face and benefits from deeper moisturizing and exfoliation.
We recommend a simple but consistent daily approach to caring for your skin. The most important thing is to seek out products that are supportive (not disruptive) to your skin’s hard-working microbiome. Here’s our simple yet effective approach to body care.
Cleansing: Switch to gentle, plant-based products to cleanse without stripping, aggravating, or dehydrating your skin. We recommend our Hinoki Body Wash or one of our triple-milled bar soaps.
Exfoliation: We recommend 1 - 3x per week adding a gentle, manual exfoliation to your routine to help encourage cell turnover and address dry, dull, or rough skin.
Moisturize: An oil-based moisturizer will penetrate deeper and last longer than a water-based lotion. Our best-selling Hinoki Body Oil is a perfect daily moisturizer.
Your body is deserving of special attention through a daily, simple routine of cleansing, exfoliating, and hydrating to maintain a healthy barrier. We also recommend adding a reef-safe SPF to your routine.
Daily! As mentioned before, your body loses moisture faster than your face. There are many factors that can exasperate dryness: hard water, living in drier environments, winter, forced heat or air conditioning, your diet, and your hydration to name a few. You know your skin best, and we encourage you to pay attention to it and listen to it. But generally speaking, we recommend starting your day with a generous moisturizing from neck to toes.
Our body naturally produces oil to hydrate, heal, and protect itself. Taking an oil-based approach to skincare makes sense since they will bond and mix well with our natural oils, allowing them to penetrate deeper so all these wonderful ingredients, nutrients, and vitamins actually get past the surface to improve our complexion and skin effectively. Water is the key ingredient in lotions, which will evaporate quicker and can require re-application throughout the day. We reach for oils for support in softer skin, improved tone & elasticity, and day-long hydration.
