Dry Skin in Winter!
 

I'm convinced that, some morning, I'm going to wake up with just piles of dust on the ends of my arms. My hands are just dying! All my knuckles are cracked!

Where are your best tips for keeping your skin healthy during the cold months?

I resist the urge to take super hot showers, since the hotter they are the more dry my skin is.

I also moisturize with coconut oil, the kind you cook with. I keep it in the fridge so it doesn't go bad, and slather it on right after a shower. It helps lots, and makes me think of warmer places!

I agree on the hot showers...but it is soooooo hard....cuz they feel good. I also think drinking more water helps. I am not a big water person...so I am trying to drink more water!

I had this problem when I visited my sister during Thanksgiving (flew from FL to NYC ><)

solution?

lathered cocoa butter on my face at night
washed my face with face wash for sensitive dry skin
semi dried my face/body and put on lotion when skin was still moist
stayed hydrated
re-applied lotion during the day

Susan, since you're a nurse, you'll probably have to give up on the nice, moist hands in the winter--I know you wash every time you turn around!! Avon used to make some kind of lotion that was supposed to stand up to several hand-washings, but I don't remember which one it was. Maybe Silicone Glove?

We even have a bacteriostatic lotion that is supposed to support our waterless hand cleaners. It helps but oh man!

Maybe I should have asked Santa for cocoabutter ;)

Try Mary Kay Satin Hands. The best hand treatment I've ever had. Just keep the items next to the sink and use when needed. I also use the hand cream religiously.

I suffer from a horribly dry skin on my legs in winter. I tried a lot of different moisturizers but the only thing that works for me is the Body Shop's Coconut Body Butter. It is pricey ($22 per tub) but it works wonders on my skin.

Originally Posted by bacilli:
I resist the urge to take super hot showers, since the hotter they are the more dry my skin is.

I also moisturize with coconut oil, the kind you cook with. I keep it in the fridge so it doesn't go bad, and slather it on right after a shower. It helps lots, and makes me think of warmer places!

I've been wanting to try that. Does it make your sheets greasy?

I use Cetaphil moisturizer in the jar. They also have lotion, soap and body wash. It's wonderful and I don't have to apply it every time I wash my hands. It is allergen-free and unscented.

I slather my hands with olive oil and then wear surgical gloves for an hour or so. The oil disappears completely and even the insides of the gloves aren't greasy. Works fine for me. Now if I had surgical socks, I could do my feet!

Get a humidifier for your house or for the room you spend the most time in. It helps, a lot.

Our last one broke and my hands, legs, well actually, all of me is very dry! I need to go out and buy a new one. Ah, living in the high desert.

I have a pair of white cotton spa gloves that I wear to sleep at night when I feel this problem starting. I slather L'Occitane hand creme with shea butter on my hands & put on the gloves before I go to bed. (I think the gloves are more important than the moisturizer brand.) I have to watch it with hand cremes. I am allegeric to lanolin & that is a favorite ingredient in moisturizers. It makes my hands break out in a rash & itch.

My skin is so dry that it will crack and bleed. I found the "wonder cream" a couple of years ago,,,Amlactin. It used to be by prescription, but is now over the counter.I get it at Walgreen's. My skin is soft and smooth all over now. It does not smell very good, so I add essential oils to it, like Patchouli, lavender etc.

Drinking lots of water and adding ground flax seeds to food really helps too.