Dry skin issues

[Grammabear]

Has anyone else experienced exceptionally dry skin with the start of cold Winter weather?  I am not referring to the dry skin that is an occasional bother.  I am talking about the dry, itchy skin that keeps one awake at night.  I have tried all manner of body lotion, calamine lotion and even Vaseline none of which give relief for very long.  I suspect dry skin is caused by the heat in our homes but this is absolutely the first year I have been bothered so much by dry skin this early in the season.   

[walkerwally1]

I have always had a problem with dry skin plus I have psoriasis, thankfully only around my ankles now.  Our humidity here is normally quite low, usually in the single digits, but things like heating your house can also dry things out.  I have tried a variety of creams and lotions but the only thing that seems to do the job for me is Cetaphil, cream, not the lotion.  It was recommended by my dermatologist and it works pretty good for me.  YMMV but it may be worth a try.

[Shanny]

I've used Triple Lanolin lotion for years - either the original or the Aloe Vera version.

[skb]

The Indian tradition is to apply Coconut oil to the skin. You must also apply it to your navel and massage that area very well. Worth a try ?

[rocky]

Castor oil should also help, though it is much thicker and heavier.

Aloe Vera is pretty good. Can you source the plant leaves. If so, peel the skin and use the natural gel.

[Shanny]

Aloe Vera plants are so easy to come by and so easy to keep as a houseplant. When I worked in food service, we even kept one on a window sill in the production kitchen for all the slight burns we might occasionally incur. Just break off a spear & rub the gel into the burn for immediate relief.

[Grammabear]

I have heard that the Aloe Vera plant is good for many things, however for some strange reason I haven't been able to find such a plant.  I think I will try the local nursery in hopes that maybe they could order a plant for me if they don't have one in stock. 

[Shanny]

A local nursery is the first place I'd look.

I just googled 'where to buy an aloe vera plant', and it seems they're available just about everywhere under the sun.

Walmart
Lowes
Home Depot
Amazon
Ikea
White Flower Farm
eBay

[Grammabear]

I had absolutely no idea you could buy a live plant online.  I will look at one of these places for the aloe vera. 

p.s.  I ordered one from eBay that will hopefully arrive around Dec 19th and if I'm lucky - it will grow nicely.

[skb]

I had absolutely no idea you could buy a live plant online.  I ordered one from eBay that will hopefully arrive around Dec 19th and if I'm lucky - it will grow nicely.

That is great. Since it is a tropical plant you may have to keep it indoors. It will not survive the cold winter.

[Shanny]

And since it is a succulent/cactus, be sure not to water it too much. It will thrive on a sunny windowsill. Perhaps there will be instructions coming with it. If not, be sure to let it dry out completely between waterings, and if the tips of any of the thick leaves begin to turn brown, reduce watering even more. Let the soil dry out about 1½ - 2 inches deep between waterings.

[Skhilled]

Baby oil works for me. I'd assume that anything without or has very little water should work better than those with water as it will evaporate faster. Baby oil will also help keep you warm too.

[Grammabear]

And since it is a succulent/cactus, be sure not to water it too much. It will thrive on a sunny windowsill. Perhaps there will be instructions coming with it. If not, be sure to let it dry out completely between waterings, and if the tips of any of the thick leaves begin to turn brown, reduce watering even more. Let the soil dry out about 1½ - 2 inches deep between waterings.

Since it is getting to be quite cold here in IL, we have brought all of our plants indoors.  I keep the really fussy ones on a buffet with filtered sunlight.  I am looking forward to trying my hand with the aloe vera because if it helps the dry skin, it will be a 'winner' in my book.

[Grammabear]

Baby oil works for me. I'd assume that anything without or has very little water should work better than those with water as it will evaporate faster. Baby oil will also help keep you warm too.

There are very, very few brand names in the area of creams and lotions where the first ingredient is not water.  I haven't tried baby oil, but it sounds like it might work well.

[Shanny]

Moisturizing creams/lotions have to have SOME water or they wouldn't be able to moisturize! The deal is that the water can be absorbed by the dry skin, and the oil can seal it in. Putting plain oil on dry skin does very little good. And it's also why you should apply the cream or lotion right after a bath or shower when your skin is hydrated.