It seems like you can’t walk down the street or open an app on your phone without seeing at least one ad for the latest skincare item. In 2019, these items aren’t just for your face. Butt, breast and even vaginal skincare have made their way into the current self-care conversation.
And honestly, their marketing is working — at least for me. Every time I see one of these ads I just get more and more intrigued. “Should I be taking care of these areas?” I start thinking to myself. “Why am I getting this ad? Why is this boob scrub literally $40?”
The one that stuck out most to me, however, was the butt care. Personally, I love my butt. Like, a lot. I always want the best for it, and I know it also wants the best for me. I caved in about a year ago and purchased anese’s That booty tho. butt scrub.
Butt skincare: is it really that hard of a concept to understand? When I told people I was doing this article, half of them said, “Ew, why?” and the other half said, “Oh my God, please send me the link when you’re done.” These conversations made me think there are two types of butts: the perfect one that needs no maintenance and the other one — the one that could benefit from a little care now and then.
I first bought the anese scrub because I kept noticing random blemishes on my butt. I’m not ashamed! It can happen to anyone, and I wanted them gone ASAP. After shelling out almost $30, I sheepishly picked up my package from my dorm’s resource center with its “THAT BOOTY THO” sticker emblazoned across the box.
The verdict? I loved the scrub, but only after a while. I found it so hilarious — and fun — to just stand in the shower and rub my butt for a minute straight. It cleared up my blemishes and made my tush so soft it didn’t even feel real. I initially used it everyday then only used it periodically when I felt like I needed to. But I didn’t love everything about it.
It smelled weird. Plus, it was advertised as being made from walnuts, an ingredient known to be abrasive to the skin. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good. It was also pretty expensive, although it was the cheapest of the butt products offered on the website.
Furthering my butt-care adventures, I recently stopped at Lush to see what they had to offer for my backside. The employee instantly sat me down and brought out a couple of items for me to try.
The ones that stood out to me the most (and the ones I left the store with) were Buffy, a scrubbing body butter bar, and Rump, a “cheeky balm,” which is basically a moisturizer specifically for your butt.
After using Buffy once, I was hooked. Formerly known as Buffy the Backside Slayer, the Lush employee told me this was initially advertised as another booty scrub, but is now advertised as an entire-body scrub.
Unlike anese, the results from Buffy were immediate. Just using this bar one time had the same effect as using That booty tho. for weeks.
Rump, which I was advised to apply after showering and using Buffy, was not entirely a lotion or body butter but had a consistency that reminded me of a paste or pomade. It paired perfectly with the scrub bar and definitely locked in moisture on my cheeks and thighs, not only leaving my butt so soft but so smooth as well.
Both Buffy and Rump were around $12, so for less than the price of That booty tho. alone, I got two products that I liked even better. But I’m not entirely swearing off anese — I still love my butt scrub, and they also sell butt masks and butt oil, which I am not entirely opposed to trying.
If I did have to limit myself to one anese product, I’d buy the scrub, not only because it is cheaper, but because I think that you don’t really need to buy the mask along with it. Ultimately, if you want more bang for your buck and butt, I’d go with Lush.
Overall, I think the care and nourishment of your butt is important, but not a necessity. It serves as a nice extra step in taking a little more care of your body that’s also pretty fun at the same time. As a little girl, I never thought in my womanhood that I’d be practicing butt self-care, but now that I am, I can’t really imagine not doing it. And who knows? Maybe it’ll become a norm in the future. You can scrub a floor, your face and your dishes. Why not your butt, too?
A version of this article appears in the Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, print edition. Email Bella Gil at [email protected].
