HALP

[aesc]

It's that time of year again, when the cold, dry air vacuums every last drop of moisture out of my skin. Seriously, I have been through most drug-store lotions, a lot of Bath & Body Works, and post-shower body oil, and nothing has worked. My sides, my shoulders, the backs of my calves, and bizarrely, the front of my thighs, itch, burn, and sting and it sucks.

Those of you with dessicated skin: what do you use? I was thinking of springing for some LUSH body lotion, but I'd rather not wait a week for relief.

(My local skin care resources are: drug stores [but pretty much everything I've found there hasn't worked well, or smells terrible], Bath & Body Works, Body Shop, Sephora, and Ulta. Of course there is also the Interwebs, but... instant gratification.)



Brendan's chafing too. No one's happy!

Comments

[harriet-spy.livejournal.com]

Neutrogena, yes. The Emulsion (at least that's what it's called in the U.S.).

I love things like Lush's Sympathy for the Skin, but I honestly don't think they're significantly more moisturizing than drugstore brands. Basically, if you are paying more than drugstore prices, you are paying for scent and brand name, not for increased moisturization. Of non-drugstore brands, I've found that both B&BW body creams (if you can find a scent you like--B&BW isn't exactly subtle) and the Body Shop body butters that are specifically for extra-dry skin work decently, but no better than what you can get in the drugstore.

If you want to go hardcore, olive oil + Vaseline.

[chopchica.livejournal.com]

Straight-up cocoa or shea butter with nothing added should work wonders.

Re: Dry Skin

[aesc.livejournal.com]

*invites John over!*

[rilestar.livejournal.com]

Heh. My office has a glass wall onto the corridor, so I won't be trying anything like that!

[bitter-crimson.livejournal.com]

I use Cetaphil moisturizing skin cream.

Mostly for my face, which gets super-dried-out due to my meds, but also sometimes for my hands and other body parts, when they dry out.

But I haven't really tried a lot of different things, so I can't compare to anything else.

[aesc.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm, cocoa butter I remember from my days o' sunburn when I lived in Florida.

*pets your black puppy!*

[aesc.livejournal.com]

I use Cetaphil for my face too! It doesn't seem to clog things up.

*wonders if brains have moisturizing properties*

[bitter-crimson.livejournal.com]

Well, they are filled with CSF!

[jrho.livejournal.com]

I will second the Nivea. That and Eucerin have been the best brands for me.

[mirabile-dictu.livejournal.com]

My husband has super dry skin that makes him miserable, too, but I found Alba Botanica's very emollient body lotion (http://albabotanica.com/?id=66) and it really works for him. I get it at Whole Foods -- do you have one there? Not only does it help his skin, it's made locally (to us), is hypoallergenic, and is 100% vegetarian ingredients. (I use a lot of Alba's products -- my poor lips get so dry but their lip balm (http://albabotanica.com/?id=304&pid=185) is a miracle worker.)

Good luck!

[aesc.livejournal.com]

Oh, hey, we do! I completely forgot about Harmony Market, our tiny whole foods store. It's not a big place, but they do have a good selection of bath/body stuff.

[aesc.livejournal.com]

For a bright eye and a smooth, glossy coat!

[beeej.livejournal.com]

Winter skin sucks. I usually trade in the lotions for heavier creams in the winter. Body butters and things that come in big tubs. I've found that if you leave your skin slightly damp from the shower when you rub in body cream, it helps hold the moisture in better. Oh, and also check what kind of cleanser you're showering with. A creamy liquid cleanser like Olay Ribbons Cream Oil with one of those shower poufs makes your skin soft and smooth to begin with. :)

[ariadne83]

Almond oil-based creams work well. I have a hand cream from The Body Shop that I swear by.

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Gah, dry winter skin is the worst! Aside from lotions, I've found using a humidifier helps a lot. And to use a very gentle soap, or none at all when you bathe.

Also, I love lotions and creams that contain lanolin. It feels good without being all greasy.

[slvrbld747.livejournal.com]

Collagen Elastin Moisturizer by St. Ives, Swiss Formula.

Collagen is one of the few things that is absorbed into the deeper layer of the skin, and is in fact one of the building blocks of healthy skin. A lot of the expensive stuff has collagen in it, and make a big deal of it. This is relatively inexpensive and has the good ingredients in it. Collagen is near the top of the ingredients list. Good luck. -SB

P.S. Have you considered running an evaporator? It will put extra moisture into the air, and will help your room stay warmer.

[aesc.livejournal.com]

I seriously hate winter skin! It used to be that I never got it, because I lived in Florida where there is no winter... But it seems like every year I've been up north the winter skin has got worse and worse. We're not even into December and already I'm prickly and itchy and unhappy.

But Joe... Oh, scruffy and headscratchy!Joe.... a;sdkjdflkjdf

[perspi.livejournal.com]

Cetaphil works great on my baby Z's winter scaliness...

[windysame.livejournal.com]

I have desperately dry skin and it cracks so badly it bleeds. My doctor ( older man whose wife evidently has dry skin) recommended something sold at Target in the US. I don't know who would carry something like this anywhere else. Oh, yes, the product is called Vaseline intensive rescue moisture locking lotion (hypoallergenic moisturizer). It's wonderful, and it MIGHT just help. It has done wonders for me.

[rissabby.livejournal.com]

Eucerin. No contest. Also, no fragrance for the allergy prone.

I've been seeing dermatologists for decades. Eucerin is the best, and the oldest of all the moisturizers I have used. And, it's readily available -- probably at your neighborhood Safeway.

It's a thick, white, simple cream. It's so thick it's difficult to apply to shower damp skin. You have to be dry before you put it on. There are also Eucerin lotions, but for Really Dry skin use the cream.

BTW If you like to take baths, try to find Domol bath oil. It's an oil that somehow disperses in water.

[unflexible.livejournal.com]

Surfing in randomly. Mustela "Stelatopia" Moisturizing Cream. It's for infants, so you can get it at Babies R Us and other places they carry infant stuff. Seriously amazing. I bought it for my little dude who has excema and it is so very awesome we all started using it. (This was my last stop before calling the pediatrician -- my guy was scratching himself raw.)

[kudra2324.livejournal.com]

sorry, my suggestion would be lush :(. i know most people swear by dream cream, but i actually prefer sympathy for the skin. and pied de pepper for my feet and anything else particularly obstinate.

(also, do you have a humidifier? that helps.)

[kudra2324.livejournal.com]

i should add that i've also been through most of the brands everyone has recommended, and for whatever reason the lush stuff just works better for me. it seems to absorb faster, so that i don't find myself already trying to scratch away at my itchy dry skin while it still has lotion on it, and it doesn't leave any residue.

ALSO, i usually keep a tube of hydrocortisone cream handy at all times in case i get particularly itchy. it's a good temporary fix.

[stillane.livejournal.com]

I'll third the rec for the Neutrogena Norwegian formula stuff, although I don't know how it works on areas larger than hands. I like it because I can wash my hands pretty frequently during the day without losing the benefits of it. (Upon further reflection, I realize this makes me sound like a germaphobe. Note: I have not gone Monk-like. I just touch fairly icky stuff fairly often. I've had two labs on parasites in poop in the last week, for instance.)

One of the simplest tricks that I didn't know for the longest time (which likely means everyone else in the world does know it) for keeping skin from drying out is to moisturize like crazy right after a shower, when the room is still steamy and your skin is still receptive. It's kind of awesome how much of a difference it makes.

[aesc.livejournal.com]

Yes, knowing what you do most of your day, I can definitely say you can't be too careful with the handwashing :D

I've started to realize not having cracked/scaly skin may require a multipronged approach. An evaporator may be invested in tomorrow, along with a selection of lotions and creams.