Despite March approaching, winter shows no sign of moving on. Whether you are living in the cold Mid-West like we are at Asutra or a more moderate climate, this time of year brings dry, cracked skin along with stiff muscles and joints. It is time for a step beyond a simple moisturizer; it is time for body butter.
What is the butter in your body butter?
For our Melt Pain Away magnesium body butter, we chose shea butter. Native to West Africa, shea butter comes from the nuts of the shea tree. Rich in vitamins A and E, this highly moisturizing skin conditioner is a popular ingredient in massage oils and skincare products. It gives an immediate softness and smoothness to the skin, providing you with quick relief from cracked and dry heels, hands, elbows, and knees. And by helping tissue cells regenerate, this can reduce wrinkles as well as the appearance of stretch marks, scars, and cellulite.
How do you take the moisture up a notch?
We add sweet almond oil to the shea butter in our Melt Pain Away. This oil is made up of pressed sweet almond kernels. A mild, hypoallergenic oil that can be used on sensitive (and even on baby!) skin, it’s rich in vitamins E and A—enabling safe and gentle moisturizing and hydration. Sweet almond oil is also effective for deep skin cleansing, as it can easily penetrate far into your pores. Finally, it provides the amino acids needed to produce collagen (a much-needed protein for healthy, smooth skin).
What is that lovely scent in Melt Pain Away?
The short answer is soothing lemongrass essential oil. But lemongrass does much more than provide a lovely scent. Lemony with earthy undertones, the scent of lemongrass essential oil helps give you a feeling of calm and centeredness when you’re feeling lethargic, anxious, or need help focusing. It can also relieve muscle pain and headaches through aromatherapy, as well as when applied topically to the skin. Lemongrass is great for facilitating even, glowing skin for all skin types (including dry, oily and acne-prone). Meanwhile, the citral and limonene in this oil can stifle growth of and even kill various bacteria and fungi. To learn more about lemongrass essential oil, read our blog.
Beyond moisturizing, what else does your body butter do?
At Asutra, we always ask ourselves how to take things beyond one benefit to efficiently activate your self care. Combining magnesium, capsaicin (an FDA approved pain reliever derived from the chili pepper) and OptimMSM®, Melt Pain Away alleviates joint and muscle pain and stiffness and combats anxiety all while soothing your skin.
Research shows magnesium chloride (a natural salt of magnesium) has an abundance of health and beauty benefits. It can help ease stress, anxiety, muscle soreness, joint pain, constipation, migraines, headaches, PMS, asthma, eczema, psoriasis, combats restless legs, supports a healthy immune system, and aids in promoting restful sleep. Asutra uses the purest natural magnesium chloride from the pristine Zechstein Sea bed in the Netherlands, untouched by modern pollution. Used topically for pain management, it can relieve restless legs syndrome, reduce leg cramps and muscle spasms, and even improve collagen production for better skin. For more information on magnesium, read our Why Magnesium article.
OptimMSM® aids in magnesium absorption. Found naturally in plants, animals and humans, MSM diminishes pain and renews your skin. Applied topically, it can decrease joint and muscle pain, stiffness, swelling, and spasms, and even speed up recovery after intense exercise. Meanwhile, MSM restores collagen production, strengthens the keratin in your cells, and reduces inflammation—ultimately slowing down your skin’s aging process.
