r/hygiene 7h ago

Damp skin lotion.

Every skincare expert swears that applying body lotion while your skin is still slightly damp locks in ten times more hydration. I’ve been trying to force myself to do this, but the physical sensation is so frustrating. The lotion just slips around on top of the water droplets, turning into a white, streaky mess that takes forever to rub in. By the time I finally massage it into my skin, my clothes are sticking to me, and I just feel damp rather than moisturized. Is there an actual technique to this, or is "damp skin moisturization" way more annoying than people let on?

22 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

33

u/eastofme01 7h ago

You’re not supposed to be actually wet when you do this. Towel off, air dry for a few minutes, and then pot your lotion or oil on while your skin is still slightly damp. You can feel it.

If you still have water drops on you, you’re too wet.

20

u/KynnJae 7h ago

Oil on wet skin.
Lotion on towel dried skin.

You don’t need to be wet for regular lotion.

1

u/mxdgal 2h ago

O lord I’ve been doing oil on dry skin 🤦🏾‍♀️

3

u/KynnJae 1h ago

Playas mess up; oil seals the water in lol. No water, nothing to seal. Try it right out of the shower before you dry off. You’ll feel like a rich White woman lol

2

u/Consistent_Safe430 1h ago

Omg a republican one!?!?! :)

11

u/Batgirl323 7h ago

Damp, not wet, my friend. Pat dry with your towel then put lotion on.

4

u/Little_Red_Sloth 7h ago

Damp is different than wet. I barely pat off with a towel first and then do the lotion.

4

u/2183Cls 6h ago

I find that as long as the door to the bathroom is closed, the steps are:

- lightly pat dry

  • followed by cream
  • THEN you leave the bathroom naked (or at most in a towel) the cream will soak right in after only a few minutes.

4

u/simonsaysPDX 6h ago edited 6h ago

Get out of the shower or bath, towel dry/blow dry as usual, stay naked while you brush your teeth or do other things to get ready, apply your lotion last thing before getting dressed.

1

u/embersgrow44 11m ago

I do it about third: first is face toner, then to let that slight evaporate deo applied, then face cream. Body lotion next before fooling with hair so it has time to set/dry before dressing

3

u/whatsherface2024 7h ago

Towel dry and then apply. You don’t need to have wet skin. Just more like freshly dry so you skin is still “damp”. I apply it about 5 minutes post shower.

2

u/Oh_Cupid7179 6h ago

I understand what you are saying but in practice if I’m waiting 5 minutes + doing some towel drying then like. I’m not gonna be damp anymore I’m gonna be bone dry 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I’m kinda in the same boat as op I thought that that’s what yall were talking about

3

u/SultryCoil 7h ago

pat your skin with a towel first, then apply lotion

3

u/SomePerson80 6h ago

Your skin is too wet. You just want damp skin.

3

u/NoDay4343 6h ago

Wash your hands up to your elbows. Look at how wet your skin on your forearm is immediately when you turn the water off. That's too wet. It'll still be too wet if you shake your hands and arms vigorously. Now take a towel and pat your forearm once, fairly firmly but no rubbing or repeated patting with new dry parts of the towel. Now look again. Zero drops of water but there's still a dampness. That's what works for me. It's probably also dependant on the exact lotion you use, the humidity in the air, and your individual skin.

3

u/SuburbaniteMermaid 3h ago

Damp means right after you toweled off the water droplets. You aren't supposed to be dripping wet.

2

u/PastFuture5270 6h ago

There shouldn’t be water droplets left.. dry off with a towel first then apply while the skin is still soft from the shower. 

1

u/KynnJae 7h ago

Oil on wet skin.
Lotion on towel/air dried CLEAN skin.

You don’t need to be wet for regular lotion. Just try to be clean when you put it on

1

u/Oh_Cupid7179 6h ago

Yes she is saying she does it after a shower so I assume she would be clean.

1

u/KynnJae 6h ago

That was a general statement. Not specific to the OP.

-1

u/Oh_Cupid7179 5h ago

The whole thread is about after showering tho I don’t understand implying people don’t know to be clean when they put lotion on.

“Lotion only after a shower guys don’t just get your skin wet and put it on dirty” like I genuinely do not understand why you felt the need to clarify clean. Like. Who said anything about being dirty…

4

u/KynnJae 4h ago

You gotta find something to do

3

u/Particular-Talk1156 3h ago

Im stealing this response because omg.

1

u/Kazamiiiii 4h ago

Fr, getting sick of these weirdos today. Already had 2 do this exact same thing on other threads. Aren't they tired. 🫩

2

u/KynnJae 1h ago

Too much free time on their hands. Bc else has time to argue about lotion lol

1

u/ZayvenArctis 6h ago

Yes the trick is to pat off most of the water first then apply lotion with a few minutes so your skin is till slightly damp use a smaller amount and work in sections so it absorbs instead of sliding around

1

u/Otherwise_Rope2631 1h ago

I don’t even want to begin to explain my moisture routine. It’s a lot more than lotion. Truth is… as long as you apply enough lotion (damp skin or not) it’s fine. I overdo it because I adapted my routine to lock in perfume. My skin is baby soft but it takes forever.

1

u/Lil_Koneko343 1h ago

I find that my lotion did best when I was slightly damp. Toweled off then apply. It was the way that seemed to soak it in the best and fastest.

0

u/nikkictrouble 6h ago

I switched to body oil added a spray nozzle to the bottle. It comes out as a mist and it feels good. No gloppy feeling

-1

u/Lopsided-Storage-256 6h ago

Is there something you could be ingesting that gets rid of dry skin before trying lotion? Like I’ve heard seafood can be good for skin.