Winter Dryness Relief: Almond Shower Oil & Immortelle Shea Body Balm – L'Occitane Hydration Essentials

When I was little, I always remembered my back itching unbearably in autumn and winter. With thick clothes on and my hands frozen cold, I couldn't reach to scratch. Each time I could only twist my body left and right, using my clothes to rub my back, and occasionally I would rub a few times while walking. At that time, I didn't understand that it was actually because my skin was dry in autumn and winter. In the south, there was no habit of showering frequently, and the whole family, from the elderly to the children, might only shower twice in the entire winter, and each time the water was so murky that it left a deep impression.

It wasn't until I grew up that I learned that I needed to apply body lotion in the winter. When I first started using it, it did have some effect, but the moisturizing didn't last long, and I had to reapply it every day. Some body lotions, although moisturizing after use, always felt like a layer of dust on the skin's surface, which still felt uncomfortable.

This year, I took part in a mall promotion, and joined a membership program that gave out samples. I gradually tried samples from Sulwhasoo, Avene, Lancôme, and L'Occitane, and eventually fell completely in love with L'Occitane. Both Eddy and I prefer natural ingredient skincare products and dislike brands with too many chemical elements. Although these brands have overwhelming marketing and constant celebrity endorsements, the products are average and not cost-effective.

For an introduction to the L'Occitane brand, you can refer to: Our Favorite L’OCCITANE bath and hair care products , 4 Mild and Moisturizing Picks When I wrote that article, it was my first time purchasing L'Occitane. After using it, I would repurchase the balance and repair series shampoos, the almond shower oil, and the skin-beautifying lotion. Today, this article focuses specifically on sharing my experience in caring for dry skin in autumn and winter, with a focus on product application techniques and the care routine.

The sweet almond oil is decanted into a MUJI bottle. L'Occitane's bottles and jars can be recycled.

In addition to the common areas like elbows, knees, and ankles, I unexpectedly discovered two new "disaster zones" this year: the sides of the shoulder blades near the arms and shoulders, and the connection between the waist and hips. Because I had been ignoring these two areas, the skin became so dry that it started to flake.

A few weeks ago, I went to the L'Occitane store to experience an arm treatment, and I realized that I had been using the almond shower oil incorrectly. The sales assistant's correct way of using it is to apply the shower oil directly with dry hands and massage it in, without adding water. Previously, the way I saw on Xiaohongshu was to lather it with water, perhaps because the shower oils recommended on Xiaohongshu were from other brands that emphasized lathering with water to avoid clogging pores. Now that I think about it, those shower oils might contain glycerin or mineral oil, which do tend to clog pores. L'Occitane, on the other hand, uses natural ingredients, such as grapeseed oil and sweet almond oil. The high-quality formula naturally doesn't have this concern, so I started applying it directly.

After learning how the L'Occitane sales assistant does it, when I came back and showered, I would rinse my body, then turn off the shower, wipe off the water droplets, and wait until it was slightly dry before applying the oil. I no longer vigorously rub the oil and water on my hands to create foam, and I don't use a bristle brush. I plan to use the bristle brush in the moist spring and summer, when the shower oil is mainly for cleaning and not for moisturizing in the fall and winter.

I apply the sweet almond shower oil evenly, usually only on my limbs, all the joints of the limbs, and the two overlooked areas I mentioned earlier. It mainly serves for moisturizing. As for cleaning, I first scrub with soap and a bath towel before applying the shower oil 5 Budget-Friendly Chinese Soaps: Real User Reviews & Why to Avoid Stenders. In this way, my showering is just like my hair washing: I do it twice, once for cleaning and once for moisturizing.

After applying the oil, I brush my teeth or do 30 chest expansion exercises in the bathroom, leaving 5 minutes for the shower oil to absorb. Normally, when I shower, I sing or say a bunch of random things, and it's very noisy. Because I had to do chest expansion exercises and wait for the shower oil to absorb, I was very quiet. Eddy was frightened and asked, "Why has it been so quiet for so long?" He almost cried when he pushed open the door.

After drying off from the shower, I apply the body cream first. This is a skincare tip I learned from the L'Occitane sales assistant that day: hot showers cause pores to open up. When you dry yourself and apply face cream and body cream immediately after showering, the skin's absorption of skincare products is at its best. Before, I would always dry my hair first and wait until I finished drying my hair before taking care of my skin. My pores would have already closed, and the absorption effect was much worse.

To further enhance the skin's absorption effect, some products also add essences, such as L'Occitane's Immortelle Shea Body Balm. This product is more moisturizing than the regular Shea Butter series. The moisturizing effect is long-lasting, and the texture is more natural, but the price is double. Frankly speaking, my overall impression of L'Occitane's pure shea butter series is average, but this one with immortelle is a pleasant surprise, and it's a product I'm willing to repurchase many times. Eddy even suggested that we give this cream as a gift to our parents during holidays, so they would think of our love for them every day when they use it.

I use L'Occitane's Shea Immortelle Body Balm. Her family's well-known shea butter series is popular, but I tried this version with immortelle and found that it is more moisturizing and longer-lasting, with a more natural texture, although it's twice as expensive. Honestly, I don't like any of L'Occitane's pure shea butter products, only this one with immortelle. And like the shower oil, it's a product I'll repurchase many times. Eddy suggested that we can give this cream as a gift to our parents, so they will use it for a long time, and they will know that this was a gift from us every day.

Here, I also have to mention the difference between body cream and body lotion. This is another thing the sales assistant told me: lotions are suitable for spring and summer because of their light texture, while creams, which are more moisturizing, are needed for autumn and winter. My conclusion is that I don't need anything in spring and summer, but I need body cream in autumn and winter. The texture of creams is thicker and more substantial, while lotions are usually too thin. No wonder the body lotions I used before were never very effective.

Cream and lotion are similar to whipped egg whites. If you whip the egg whites longer, they become more firm and strong (left finger), while the ones that are not whipped well are more dense and flat (right finger).

Also, this Shea Butter Immortelle Body Balm is not only excellent for moisturizing but can also be used on the face, and its moisturizing effect is better than the Sweet Almond Skin Beautifying Lotion, and its texture is also more solid. I now shower once every two days, and usually, I only apply it on my face every day. On shower days, I use the Immortelle body cream to focus on applying it to the elbows, knees, ankles, and those easily drying areas of the shoulder blades and waist-hip area. In this way, the whole body can stay moisturized, and I no longer have any dryness issues.

Here's my current product ranking of L'Occitane products I like:

To try: Immortelle face cream

Favorite, will repurchase indefinitely: Shea Butter Immortelle Body Balm, Sweet Almond Shower Oil

Can repurchase: Sweet Almond Skin Beautifying Lotion, Balance and Repair Shampoo Set

Don't like: Shea Butter Series, Cherry Blossom Series

Other L'Occitane products currently leave me feeling neutral.

by: pamperherself