Dry Skin: Dry Skin Lotions, Cream Moisturizers, and Dry Skin Remedy
Dry Skin Lotions
With all the dry skin lotions available on the market, how is a person supposed to make a choice?
Is there one best skin dry lotion? Perhaps you stand in the skin care aisle and wonder about dry skin lotions, cream cleansers, and anti-itch ointments. It's often hard to know what to choose.
Humectants and Emollients
All of the best lotions for dry irritated skin will have a few things in common. They will contain ingredients known as humectants and emollients. Humectants are substances that attract water to your skin when used in conditions of high humidity.
An emollient is an emusion of water and oil mixed together. There are different types of oils used in these emusions. The better emollients for very dry skin are mostly oil with less water. These restore lipids (oils) to the skin resulting in smoother skin.
Glycerin is a humectant that is often used in lotion for dry skin. If a product is labeled "replenishing" or "hydrating," it probably contains some glycerin.
Some critics of glycerin say that it moisturizes the outer layers of skin by pulling moisture up from deeper skin tissues. They say that it actually makes the skin dryer in the long run.
Oil From Plants and Animals
The best dry skin lotions contain oils of different types. Some of the more common oils found are plant based oils such as cocoa butter, coconut oil, avocado oil or jojoba oil.
Shea butter is very healing and can be found in good lotions. Shea butter, from the nut of an African tree, has been used for healing and treating scars for many years. It is rich in vitamins and is an anti-inflammatory agent.
A relatively new ingredient in the best lotions for dry skin is called squalene. This is an oil found in sharks.
Another animal oil that is sometimes found in good quality lotions is emu oil. Emu oil contains omega 3 oils and essential fatty acids that are needed by dry skin. Emu oil is antibacterial, which makes it healing for dry irritated skin. It hydrates dry skin and helps prevent wrinkles when used on the face.
Miscellaneous Other Ingredients
The best lotions for dry irritated skin often contain aloe vera. This is a wonderfully soothing medicine taken from the succulent houseplant of the same name. Other ingredients to look for in lotions are vitamin E and A.
Calendula is a healing herb that has an emollient quality. It is found in some of the best dry skin lotions. Another ingredient that is moisturizing, especially for the face, is collagen. It is a substance that our own healthy skin makes. It keeps the skin firm. Pycnogenol is made from pine tree bark extract. It is a centuries old medicine for keeping the skin youthful looking.
Inexpensive Alternatives
If you are in a bind and need a good quality moisturizer, see if you have any shortening in the house. Shortening can be used like a dry skin cream and has been reported to work fairly well. Another way to save money is to buy a generic or store brand version of the lotion you want.
Ingredients You Don't Want in a Lotion
Make sure you are using a lotion that is alcohol free. Alcohol is very drying to skin and is not found in the best lotions for dry skin. For very sensitive skin, you should consider using a hypo-allergenic formula that is fragrance free.
Mineral oil is often a major ingredient in cheaper lotions, but critics say it leaches vitamins from the body. Another consideration in choosing a lotion is that when you use the same lotion over a long period of time, your skin can get used to it so that it doesn't work as well any more. It may help to change lotions occasionally.
Major Causes of Dry Skin Conditions
What are the main causes of dry skin conditions?
If you are wondering what leads to drying up of your skin that in turn becomes highly prone to wrinkles and early aging then you must analyze the following common causes which can include the following:
1. Skin does not retain enough moisture/water necessary to maintain the suppleness of skin.
2. Your skin gets exposed excessively to harmful UVA/UVB rays of the sun that degrades your skin’s collagen and elastin thus firmness of your skin gets lost.
3. The oil glands of your skin secrete inadequate oil/sebum that protects your skin from dehydration.
4. Accumulation of harmful toxins that aggravate your dry skin condition further.
So, don’t waste any more time and start pampering your dry and wrinkly skin with anti-aging facial cream if you want to retain and preserve the youthful vitality and vibrancy of your skin.
If you have dry itchy skin, then a quick oil massage should always precede your dry skin brushing sessions initially that will soften and moisturize your skin and facilitate effective brushing.
After oil massage make sure you dry your skin properly by wiping out excess oil with a dry cloth.
Dry Skin Remedies: It's as Close as Your Kitchen Pantry!
If you are looking for a dry skin remedies, look no farther than your kitchen pantry. You can make a dry skin remedies just by combining common foods and applying them to the skin. Some foods act as internal remedies for dry skin as well.
Some of the ingredients that can be used in as a remedy for extremely dry skin are honey, yogurt, olive oil, and oatmeal. Some herb teas are useful, too, as are a variety of other fruits and seeds.
Honey, Yogurt, and Oatmeal
Honey, a dry skin natural remedy, is a substance that is healing to the skin. When applied to the skin it is healing and moisturizing. It helps dead skin cells move from the surface and stimulates renewal and regrowth of skin tissues. It is also antibacterial.
In severe cases, you can put honey on skin that needs a bandage. It will keep the bandage from sticking to the wounded skin. Yogurt can be used as a skin cleanser, acting as a natural moisturizer.
Oatmeal heals and soothes dry skin, and helps the skin to slough off dead skin cells.
Olive Oil
Cold-pressed olive oil, another often used dry skin remedy, works as an emollient, which means it soothes and softens. It helps the itching of eczema, which is a itchy skin condition characterized by oozing lesions. Eczema is sometimes associated with dry skin but not always.
Olive oil can also be used on the scalp as a remedy for extremely dry skin and hair. Not only can olive oil be used externally, it is also an internal remedy for dry skin, along with other healthy oils.
If you suffer from dry skin, try adding some heathful oils to your diet. It doesn't take a lot, as oils are very high in calories. Nuts are full of beneficial oil, as are fatty fish, such as salmon and mackeral.
Recipes
Soap and body wash are drying to the skin. You can make an alternative to a bar of soap by tying oatmeal flour or in a cloth tea bag can be used instead of soap. For extra moisturizing, add a little almond meal and aloe vera gel.
The following dry skin remedy is a soothing facial mask that can be made from ingredients in your kitchen.
Combine an egg yolk with a tablespoon of mayonnaise or yogurt and and another tablespoon of honey.
If you use yogurt, add a 1/2 tsp. of almond oil. Apply to skin lightly and let it dry. Wash off gently with warm water.
Another healing facial mask that is a good remedy for extremely dry skin is to beat an egg and add oat flour to it. You can make oat flour by whizzing oatmeal around in the blender. Spread the mixture on your face and relax for 10 minutes before gently washing it away. Always treat your delicate dry skin with the utmost of care.
