Welcome to Ask a Derm, a series from SELF in which board-certified dermatologists answer your pressing questions about skin, hair, and nail health. For this installment, we tapped Susan Massick, MD, FAAD, an associate professor of dermatology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine focused on patient care, resident education, and community engagement. Her specialties include acne, moles, skin cancer, and eczema.
My bathroom shelves are already overflowing with so-called dry skin essentials—nourishing gels, soaps, serums, and creams. So when I heard about shower oils, yet another TikTok-approved miracle that’s supposed to clean and moisturize, I was pretty skeptical: Was this the holy grail I’d been missing to finally cure my rough, winter patches, or just an underwhelming letdown?
That’s the question I brought to Susan Massick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Her professional take? While a shower oil definitely shows promise, Dr. Massick tells SELF there’s some overselling to watch out for.
First, let’s get into what they can do. Think of these products as facial oil cleansers…but for your whole body. So unlike your typical bar of soap or favorite body wash, these products use, you guessed it, oils to lift away other oil-based substances stuck to your body (think sweat, leftover lotion, and sunscreen). Along with these grime grabbers, shower oils are “also packed with surfactants,” Dr. Massick says—compounds that break down dirt so it can be rinsed away. A notable difference, though, is that these surfactants are much gentler than the ones you’d find in standard cleansers, meaning they won’t remove your skin’s natural, hydrating oils. But don’t worry, Dr. Massick assures that you’ll still get a quality clean. In fact, a shower oil is so effective, you won’t even need a separate wash or soap afterward.
In addition to these cleansing ingredients, other hydrating heroes in these products (namely, ceramides and glycerin) will also work in tandem to prevent water loss, she adds. That way, all that goodness doesn’t simply evaporate into thin air as soon as you turn off the water and reach for your towel.
For all these reasons, Dr. Massick agrees that these products are definitely worth trying during the drier, colder months—when your skin tends to get extra tight and parched. The same goes for anyone dealing with chronic dryness who’s been let down by underwhelming “conditioning” or “soothing” body washes. After all, “shower oils are also gentle enough to be used daily,” she adds. Plus, they’re easy to use: Just mix the product with water to form a rich, milky emulsion, spread it across your body, then rinse everything off.
Before you enthusiastically add one to your cart though, it’s important to know that shower oils aren’t exactly the one-step promise TikTok hypes them up to be. As nourishing as they are, “they can’t completely replace dedicated moisturizers,” Dr. Massick says, since those thicker, cream-based formulas contain other occlusive ingredients (like shea butter and panthenol) that are designed to seal in hydration for longer stretches of time.
