Dry Skin

[Prakas]

My hands and face are very dry year round. I am constantly using lotion daily but it doesn't seem to help much. Any ideas on what to use?

[Georgina 22]

lol My skin on my face can sometimes be oily and dry. Depending what I use. I hate when my face is oily coz it makes my fringe greasy, and I hate it when my face is dry because you can see the flaky bits and it looks like i don't look after it.

Uhm..I dunno what I can recommand.

[Stilla]

Sounds tricky, I don't know what products you use but you could try switching to a lotion that has more fat or oil in it. And maybe the soap you're (both )using is to drying so you could change it as well and see if there's any difference.

[Prakas]

Originally Posted by Stilla

Sounds tricky, I don't know what products you use but you could try switching to a lotion that has more fat or oil in it. And maybe the soap you're (both )using is to drying so you could change it as well and see if there's any difference.

Hmm, well i get the cheap lotion from Dollar Tree, it has aloe vera. A lotion with more fat/oil, I will take a look for one today while I'm out and about. Same with the soap, I get the $1 soap from dollar tree. lol.

Thanks, I'll give it a shot

[bezoomny]

My skin gets really dry. I usually use cocoa butter (this stuff is cheap too), but if that doesn't work, I'll put olive oil on my legs right after a bath.

[nubly]

i apply cold cream to my face after showering. prevents it from going dry throughout the day.

[Amelia]

I use E45 lotion. I find it to be more effective and better value for money than other products. The E45 products have a healing effect in addition to being moisturising and are recommended for people with eczema. You can buy them at www.boots.com or www.pharmacy2u.co.uk.

[Paper Samurai]

I have a skin condition that makes mine suseptible to being irritated easily and incredibly sensitive - so I don't know if this advice is a bit OTT for you, but I'll give it a go. (I also have a dry/oily skin type like Georgina btw)


Personally what I find best is using coconut oil as a general body and hand moisturiser. The stuff is amazing, and you use small drop at time which makes a relative little container last ages. A very nice smell too btw.

For my face, which is probably the most sensitive of all - I use a very basic moisturiser (with Aloe Vera and no harsh chemicals or alcohol) and jojoba oil. 3 part jojoba to one part moisturiser is the ideal ratio.

General Advice

• Don't take scorching hot showers/baths, this will simply dry out your skin. A warm temperature is best.
• A slightly obvious one, but don't scrub too hard when washing.
• Avoid furnace like heat - this will dry out and irritate skin in equal measure. If you're too cold wear another layer - saves money too!
• Don't use anti-bacterial soap - the skin (like your gut) has bacteria that helps maintain it's intergrity.
• Keep hydrated throughout the day.
• Good nutrition - Omega 3's help lock in moisture, amongst other highly useful functions. And also make sure you have an adequate intake of the grand-daddy of all vitamins for skin - Vitamin A.

[layitontheline]

Yes, I've heard jojoba oil is really good though I haven't tried it myself.

[mooncake]

Paper Samurai posted some very good advice above... I second the recommendation for coconut oil, too. It's one of the only moisturisers that hasn't irritated my face, even including ones specifically targeted for sensitive skin. I get a large tub from a cheap drugstore for 99p which makes me a happy bunny

No matter what I do I cannot seem to get my dry skin under control completely, but other things I've found that do help somewhat are going to bed with quite a think layer of coconut oil/any moisturiser on your face (by morning it will have absorbed and hopefully made your skin slightly more supple.)... also, I find that showering even with fairly cold water is still incredibly drying for my skin, but if I put moisturiser on almost immediately after getting out, it stops things from becoming too bad.

It's a very annoying problem to have. I also have terrible skin in general, aside from the dryness, and it's a nightmare trying to use makeup when your face wants to flake off.

I have also heard good things abut jojoba oil. Might have to try it at some point. I use bio-oil on and off, mainly to try and improve my skin tone (not much good for that) but also because it works as a fairly good moisturiser. Emu oil I've had some people recommend, as well... although jojoba oil seems to be more the rage these days.

[whatsername75]

I used to get really dry skin on my face but it went away after I started using Sweet Almond Oil. A bottle of Almond Oil is only about $4 and can be found at any health store/grocery store. One thing that I like about it is that it's not super oily and absorbs quickly into the skin.

[ChadsWick1234]

Originally Posted by Prakas

My hands and face are very dry year round. I am constantly using lotion daily but it doesn't seem to help much. Any ideas on what to use?

My skin has been realy bad lately. I just quit acutane. My chest always breaks out and never clears up no matter what I do. I have stretch marks from weightlifting and gain weight but can't never get rid of them.

[Prakas]

Its annoying. No one has ever commented to it about to me, but I am still self concious. I put lotion on my face and hands, and they are moisturized for maybe 5-10 minutes, and the dried skin is back.

I'll be looking around again tomorrow for new lotions with extra oil, maybe look into the cocoa butter and all. Will keep this thread updated with results.

[millenniumman75]

For your hands, you could try putting lotion on your hands and then a pair of latex/cotton gloves to hold in the moisture. For your face, you would need something thick that would not clog your pores - they may have intensive care moisturizer stuff.

When I was on Retin-A (the wrinkle reducer) for acne, which works well, my face would dry and crack. I would have to put hand lotion on my face. It worked, but the smell .

[mrbojangles]

i usually use cetaphil for my face, its really good for people with sensitive skin and it has no smell.

[polythene]

Do you get acne? If your skin is clear, you can probably find an emollient cream from a company like Eucerin.

For the hands, I'd highly recommend Aquaphor, but try to purchase at a discount store like Costco - it's much cheaper. You can literally apply this everywhere - as a hand cream, lip balm, and face moisturizer if your skin is extremely dry. I wouldn't recommend you use this on your face if you tend to break out and don't wash your face thoroughly, though.

Bag Balm's also effective for cracked hands and elbows, but it smells funky.

And if you want a lighter lotion for your face, try Cerave cream. Both the Aquaphor and Cerave are frequently recommended by dermatologists for extremely dry skin.

[Prakas]

An update. I got a lotion from Walmart called Gold Bond Healing Therapy. Its suppose to work for 24 hours. It was about $9 for a bottle of it, but it seems to be helping so far. I can feel the difference.

[millenniumman75]

Let me know how it goes.

I have dry skin on my feet, well...did. I used a file on it and got a lot of skin removed, but I think I ground too far on my left foot. It's raw and feels like a sunburn. I have Avon Moisture Therapy that looks like a giant lip balm. It seems to work, but I am interested in the Gold Bond product. Does it have a strong odor? I like the scent; I just don't want my feet to smell like I used BenGay or something .

[semidetached]

As someone who has had severe full body eczema for the last 5ish years my recommendation for non-irritated but dry skin would be Emollient 50 (its liquid paraffin in a white soft paraffin ointment) and Oilatum.

Have a warm (but not hot) bath with 2 caps worth of Oilatum for no longer than 10 minutes, and the moment you have towelled down give yourself a thin layer of the emollient. It locks the moisture in and unlike most other emollients on the market it has no preservatives so no chance of irritation.

Personally I find that if I sleep in non-cotton bedding, or wear non-cotton clothing, my skin becomes dry at an alarming rate. Obviously there are exception materials, like bamboo and silk, but cotton is fairly cheap and does the job.

Added to all of the above if you still have problems with dry skin it can't hurt to increase your water intake.

Hope your skin gets better!

[Prakas]

Gold Bond lotion is working for me. Its EXCELLENT. It smells good too, and no the odor isn't too strong. I would definately recommend it if you have dry skin. Its making such a huge difference in just 2 days.