A Taste of Milk and Honey: Burt's Bees Body Lotion

Author's Rating:

Pros: The natural ingredients soothe and calm my skin. Nice light scent, feels so luxurious.

Cons: I wish it could be a larger size, I use it so much.

The Bottom Line: 
If you have very sensitive skin, and winter dries it out, this can be the solution. The natural ingredients are soothing and luxurious.

Author's Review
My Perspective

I love my skin feeling its softest and most luxurious. I have used all different types of lotions and crèmes in all price ranges for as long as I can remember. But in recent years, I have developed extreme sensitivity to almost everything.

I developed strange allergies I’ve never had before. And it always showed up in form on my skin. I could get reactions for many reasons: an ingredient, or certain combination of them. And the weather started affecting my skin. With the cold winter air, and the heated indoors, my skin was hurting and causing me discomfort.

My sensitive skin takes the form of hives, rashes, bumps, sunburn (without sun), itchiness, and/or a tight scratchy feeling.

So I had to move away from my familiar lotions and name brands and look for a new solution. I needed something to help my sensitive skin be nourished through the winter, without causing me any more distress.

On the Radar

I first saw Burt’s Bees at my local Ulta store. It was prominently displayed in a main aisle. I took a quick glance, but the yellow and black bottles didn’t attract me to look much closer.

But then I started seeing it everywhere, and a few of my friends were raving about this and how it was made from natural products.

Burt’s Bees

The natural aspect really peaked my interest because it presented a possible solution for my skin. The company advertises itself as making “natural, Earth-friendly personal care products”. It seemed worth a try to find a lotion that could moisturize my skin.

If you check out the website, you can learn in detail the benefits of different natural ingredients. I have listed the ingredients from my bottle. I also looked up a few ingredients to see what purpose they serve for the lotion. (Definitions in parenthesis are from the bottle).

Water
Sunflower oil: high Vitamin E content makes this oil especially helpful for delicate and dry skin.
Vegetable glycerin: non-irritating and soothing, and can be used on even the most sensitive skin.
Coconut oil: sweetly-scented, super-moisturizing oil
Stearic acid (vegetable fat)
Beeswax: helps to seal and protect the skin when used in moisturizing formulas.
Fragrance
Glucose (sugar)
Xanthan gum (natural thickener)
Tocopherol: natural vitamin E, soothes and regenerates skin
Orange wax
Aloe barbadensis leaf extract: moisturizes and soothes
Sucrose stearate (sugar emulsifier)
Sodium borate (natural borax)
Honey: easily attracts and retains water
Milk powder, beta carotene, rosemary leaf oil, vegetable oil, glucose oxidase
lactoperoxidase (natural preservative).

At this time this is 98% natural and the company is striving to eventually reach 100%.

My Experience

First morning: The first time I went to use it, I braced myself. I wondered if I would get that burning feeling from ingredients to powerful for my skin, or would it be so watery that it was useless.

The bottle has a flip cap (no worrying about the pump getting stuck). It came out a little more “liquidy” than I expected but not at all watery. It just wasn’t the slow thick texture I was used to.

It felt very luxurious. The smell was subtle and really nice. My skin was absorbing the lotion, as if it was so thirsty for a much needed drink. Even for being eight months pregnant, all my skin was so soft to the touch.

There were no immediate skin reactions. My skin felt serene, not agitated or itchy the way some products could make it feel. So far so good.

That First Night: No tightness, no itchiness, no reactions. This was vital because this would be the time period that my skin would have reacted. I couldn’t stop stroking my arms. They still had that sweet softness. It felt as if my skin received all the right vitamins and nutrients all at once and it was at its best.

Next day: Same experience, my skin was getting softer, even in the dry patches that cause me more trouble. And I wasn’t getting bumps or reactions. I found a lotion!

Two weeks: It was clear now that this was nothing but wonderful. The true natural ingredients that made up this product were hugely benefiting my sensitive skin. This lotion achieved what I needed: 1) moisturized nourished soft skin 2) and a product that didn’t cause any reactions.

A Little Straying

I strayed away for a few days from my new love. With the kids getting sick, me getting sick, I stopped using the lotion. My skin is quick to react so my skin with the cold weather was starting to get that dry feeling very quickly. So out comes the lotion and I got that instant sensation of quiet, of softness. I know to use it consistently for it to work optimally for me.

I highly recommend this Milk and Honey Lotion. I am going through this quickly, it’s only 8 oz and being January, this is a much needed product. Fortunately, the pricing is extremely affordable compared to the $35 lotions and $55 crèmes that I used to purchase.

If you suffer from sensitive skin and need help against winter weather, this may be a solution for you, too!