This Hand-Whipped Body Butter Will Revive Dried Out Summer Skin

If you haven't added body butters to your skin care repertoire just yet, now is the time. Yes, even as the summer months approach.

While convos about hydrating skin products are usually reserved for winter, it's still important to moisturize your skin in the summer, too. Warmer temps means more time in the sun, which can dry out your skin and strip it of its natural oils.

Butters, which have a thicker consistency than lotion, give skin a major moisture boost and a natural glow. Plus, some formulas can have skin-healing benefits, too. But it's important to choose the right one so you don't end up feeling like a greasy mess.

One that fits the bill? JENTL.

The Atlanta-based body butter company, created by Kiana Baldon, was first created in 2017, and after her mother and a few coworkers tried it and raved, she went on to turn her hobby into a business, launching her e-commerce website in 2019.

Then in 2020, the line started to generate buzz, thanks to its luxe, fluffy, hand-whipped body butters. And the skin-healing properties found in each formula, plus the eight addicting scents — Original, Milk + Honey, Bay, Lavender, Oak, Pomegranate, Citrine, and Vanilla — didn't hurt either.

To top it all off, the butters are cruelty-free, organic, and produced in small batches (Baldon told InStyle she and her team of two made 4,400 jars in 2020 with only hand mixers).

There are a few body butter brands that I swear by, but with one application of JENTL's Vanilla Body Butter, it quickly became one of my faves. The level of care that went into the production of it was immediately clear. The scent alone was tantalizing. And the butter itself was lush and ultra-creamy. It made my skin feel moisturized all day, but not weighed down.

"I'm a nerd about essential oils and fragrances, and that translated into my self-care practices, like what I put on my skin, how it works, and how it makes me feel," Baldon shares over Zoom. "It helps people who have extremely dry skin too because there is cocoa butter, mango butter, and shea butter in it, and all of those butters reach different levels of your skin. So, it delivers hydration throughout the day and you won't have to reapply it unless you shower or take a bath."

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In addition to the butters, each jar contains organic jojoba, castor, and coconut oils as well. "Jojoba oil is a wonderful oil because whatever your sebum levels are, it will bring them to where they actually need to be," Baldon explains.

And for eczema sufferers in particular, who have to be very careful about what they put on their skin, this product seems like a safe bet. But, keep in mind that you should always be sure to check in with your dermatologist before testing anything new.

"I always tell [people with eczema] to try the unscented first, just because anything with fragrance can affect your skin, depending on how sensitive your skin actually is," Baldon suggests.

But if you are into fragrance, there are aromatic benefits that make other scents perfect for self-care Sundays as well. "The lavender in the butters is actually a high grade of lavender essential oil. So, it will aid you in going to sleep and telling your body to shut down and rest. The citrus in citrine is very bright. There's lemon and tangerine, and that will elevate your energy and boost your spirits, so that it's not just a product that you put on and forget about…it's a reminder throughout your day."

And to really drive the message of self-care home, there's a note on every jar that further emphasizes that notion: "You are unlike anything that the universe has ever known."

"I love that the message allowed people to have a better relationship with themselves," Baldon shares. "That is the most impactful thing for me, because I always wanted JENTL to be more than just a physical product. I wanted it to be something that impacts people."

From non-toxic makeup and skincare to sustainability practices, Clean Slate is an exploration of all things in the green beauty space. Find out what's really in your products — and what's being left out.