Lotion, oil, or both?

Lotion or oil is one of the questions we are asked most, and the honest answer is that they are not rivals. They do different jobs, and on the days your skin asks for more, they do their best work as a pair. Here is how each one works, which one your skin needs, and the order that gets the most from both.

First: why skin gets dry

The outer layer of your skin works like a wall of bricks and mortar: skin cells held together by natural oils. When that mortar thins, water escapes, and skin feels tight, looks dull and turns rough on the shins, elbows and hands.

Everyday life thins it faster than you would think:

• Hot showers dissolve the skin's own oils. Warm is kinder than hot.
• Air conditioning and dry winter air pull moisture out of the skin all day.
• Sun dries the surface and leaves it rough.
• Harsh soaps clean away more than dirt. A glycerin soap cleans without stripping.

So a good body routine has two jobs: give water back, and stop it leaving again. That is exactly the split between a lotion and an oil.

What the lotion does

• Basil
• Honey

A lotion is mostly water with a little oil, so it hydrates: it gives the skin moisture it has lost. Our body lotion is basil and honey. The basil keeps skin feeling fresh and awake; the honey feeds it and helps it hold its moisture. The texture is light and it absorbs fast with no greasy afterfeel, which is exactly what an everyday product has to be, because a moisturiser you have to wait for is a moisturiser you will skip.

The best moment for it is straight after a shower, on skin that is still damp. Damp skin drinks; dry skin resists. It comes in lavender or mint, which is really a choice between winding down and waking up. 300 ml, EGP 320.

What the oil does

• Basil
• Coconut

An oil has no water in it, so it does not hydrate on its own. What it does brilliantly is soften the surface, fill the gaps in that mortar, and slow water from escaping. Our body oil is basil and coconut. It hydrates deeply, leaves a soft pearly glow rather than grease, and it is the one to reach for when skin looks tired and matte.

It is also made for massage, and releasing the day is part of its job. 90 ml, EGP 150.

Lotion gives water back. Oil keeps it there.

Lotion or oil, at a glance

The layering trick

Here is the part worth stealing: on very dry days, put the lotion on first, then a little oil over it. The lotion delivers the water; the oil seals it in. That order matters, because oil over lotion locks moisture down, while lotion over oil never quite gets through.

Which one does your skin need?

• Very dry, tight or flaky: both, every day in winter. Lotion on damp skin, then a few drops of oil over the driest places.
• Normal: lotion daily; oil two or three evenings a week, or whenever skin looks dull.
• Oily or in hot weather: lotion alone, a thinner layer. Save the oil for dry patches like elbows, knees and heels.
• After sun: lotion straight after a cool shower, and plenty of water to drink.

How to massage with body oil

1. Warm it. A few drops in your palms, rubbed together until warm.
2. Long strokes first. Sweep up the legs and arms towards the heart, slowly.
3. Circles on the tight places. Shoulders, the back of the neck, the calves.
4. Finish on the dry spots. Elbows, knees and heels take whatever is left.
5. Give it a minute before you dress, so it can settle into the skin.

Most people find the relaxation is immediate. It is five minutes, and it is the best five minutes of the evening.

A rhythm that works

1. Every day: lotion after the shower, on damp skin.
2. Two or three times a week: the body scrub or a natural loofah first, so everything after it absorbs better.
3. When skin is very dry, or the evening deserves it: lotion, then oil on top. Elbows, knees and shins first.

None of it takes more than three minutes. Skin mostly does not need more products; it needs the right two in the right order.

Quick answers