I am at my wits end! I have never had dry,itchy skin before but it is about to drive me crazy. I have tried cool baths with baby oil, powders, creams, lotions, prescription creams and nothing seems to help. I spent $75.00 to have a Dr. tell me it was JUST dry skin and more for the prescription he wrote and NOTHING has worked! Any good old homemade relief out there? I know I should have come here first but live and learn. Thanks Debbie

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), March 13, 2001

Answers

Go to your local co-op and get Gold nugget for equine moisture lotion we use it for the horses when they have dry skin and I also use it for myself it is about 10.95 a bottle for 32 oz follow the directions for humans. Gook Luck and God BLess.

-- tracy emily in TN (emilyfarms@tsixroads.com), March 13, 2001.

Here's a few suggestions for you. 1)Make sure you are drinking LOTS of water. I'm trying to remember what percentage of folks in the US are chrinically dehydrated, but it was over 75%. 2)Take an odd sock with no holes, and dump in a cup or so of rolled oats. If you have them, you can add calendula petals, plantain, mint, dandelion leaves, elecampane, or mallow petals also. Run a warm (not hot) bath, with the sock hanging under the spigot, then drop the sock in the water to soak. After you and it soak for about 1/2 hour, you should be able to see a cloudy goo oozing out of the sock when you squeeze it. Rub yourself down with it several times, but don't spend more than 45 minutes in the tub. Rinse off, and there you are. 3)Find some lanolin, or something with lanolin in it. Give it a test run on a small patch of skin, a few folks are sensitive. If you aren't, this should take care of it.

Hope you find something that helps!

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), March 13, 2001.

It may seem as if I have a vested interest because I raise them but Emu oil may well help you with your skin problem.Look for it at health food stores.Read the lable and make sure it is as close to 100% as you can find.A lot of producers adulterate and dilute it so they can sell more while giving you less.I may still have some around that I brought back from Australia.e-mail me if you can't find it locally

-- greg (gsmith@tricountyi.net), March 14, 2001.

my friend likes "Bag Balm" or the med lotion that's made for dry skin made by "Gold Bond". She is diabetic and has very dry itchy skin. Have you been tested for diabetes? Good luck to you.

-- cindy palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), March 14, 2001.

Drink lots of water and use plain old vaseline. If you just put a little on, it isn't very greasy and soaks in easily. There's nothing better, or cheaper, but that's just my opinion..

-- Peg in NW WI (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), March 14, 2001.

I was going to mention that olive oil is a very good moisturizer. I use olive oil soap in the bath and have had a lot less dry skin trouble. I also added a cool air humidifier that has helped.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), March 14, 2001.

Some cheap, homemade and VERY greasy suggestions:

vegetable shortening (most lotions use similar ingredients in the base)

Bacon grease

Olive oil (that's what I use, mixed with a tiny bit of beeswax. great simple lotion, tons of good stuff for the skin, but very,very greasy) If you use this, add some of your favorite perfume or scented oils...

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 14, 2001.

I have dry skin on my calves due to lack of circulation so I can sympathize. First, take your body weight and divide it by 2. That is how many ounces of WATER you should be drinkng every 24 hours. Now, I said 24 hours...not just during the day, but in the night also. So what if you have to get up in the night. There is another chance to drink a glass of water! Next question is do you HAVE to take a full bath or shower everyday? Could you get away with spot washing every other day? I use Avon's Moisture Therapy Lotion and I use two light coats of it one over the other. I do this every day on my calves. If I don't, the skin will actually crack and bleed. Also, this was my Dads remedy for dry skin: He took one tbsp. of cod liver oil everyday. Remember that stuff folks? It worked wonders for him.

-- Ardie fron WI (a6203@hotmail.com), March 14, 2001.

Hi Debbie,

I had the same trouble every winter for years. Tho lotions helped a little my cure worked by accident. My hubby bought me a tanning salon contract for christmas and I started going once a week and POOF the dry skin went away. I haven't been itchy since. I figure it must be something in the rays causing my skin to produce more oils.

-- Stacia in OK (oneclassycowgirl@aol.com), March 14, 2001.

Water, water and more water. I wouldn't use vaseline, it's made from petroleum and gets absorbed into you and can cause trouble. That from someone with chemical poisoning. Almond oil and vitamin E are really good for your skin. The health food store sells Skin Trip which doesn't bother me. Works well, my husband uses it, it does have a fragrance but it doesn't make me sick.

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 14, 2001.

Debbie, I have the same problem. Try rinsing yourself with a solution of real apple cider vinegar & water for the final rinse of your shower. (The scent wears off when you dry.) Then use your favorite moisturizer. Try getting more humidity in the air if it is dry, too. As everyone else says- drink more water!!

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), March 14, 2001.

Dear Debbie,

I am a potter and the clay dries out my hands something dreadful, i use a cream made by the Bailey Bee Co. Hayti, Mo. and it works really well for me. A jar isn't very expensive so you might want to give it a try.

blessings, sally

-- sally stanton (mallardhen67@hotmail.com), March 14, 2001.

Dear Debbie, I have eczema and this is what helps me. Bathe 2x day in cool to warm but not hot water. Follow the 3 minute rule- apply an alphahydrxy lotion within 3 minutes to lock in moisture. I use eucerin or Kiss my Face aloe and alpha (found at health food stores). Drink alot of water.Hope this helps, Cindy

-- Cindy (ourfamilyfarm@email.msn.com), March 14, 2001.

Visit our web site at Misty Mountain Products for the best in natural hair and skin care. Hi, we have a product for you! It contains pure Evening Primrose Oil. Good for eczema and other skin disorders. Visit our web site for a free sample now! thanks, gloria

-- Gloria J. Geary (gloria@mistymountainview.com), March 14, 2001.

You are dry probably because the air in your house is dry. I put a pan of water on the stove each morning. Or, if you have a wood stove you can keep a pan of water on it continuously. Also, don't use a deodorant soap - very drying. Use a natural homemade soap if possible. You also don't need to take a shower/bath every day - try taking one every other day and just spot washing. When you do take a bath, use a scrubby to scrub away the dry skin that makes you itch. Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), March 14, 2001.

Haven't had dry, itchy skin, but knew a lady who did, her face was always red and scaley. Saw her one day and she looked WONDERFUL! Skin like a baby's, soft and beautiful - asked her what she did, she said she got a capsule from the health-food store called "Ultimate Oil" and started taking it every day. Perhaps you're lacking something in your diet that makes your skin dry & itchy. Or perhaps you could try taking olive oil internally, a tablespoon or two a day, and see it that helps - I don't think it could hurt, look at Sophia Loren!

-- Bonnie (chilton@stateline-isp.com), March 14, 2001.

Try taking lecithin and flax oil. Both are cures from the inside out which is where the problem generally resides. Putting lotion on is only putting a bandaid on. Fish oil is another good source of essential fatty acids which are well, essential.

-- Evelyn B. in NY (peontoo@yahoo.com), March 14, 2001.

I agree with taking the oils internally (Evening Primrose or Flax seed) along with the exterior applications. You might want to see if maybe something you are eating is causing an allergic reaction that makes your skin dry.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), March 14, 2001.

Using ordinary shortening or oils from your kitchen cabinet will work just as well as any of the expensive oils and creams that are advertised. But my personal favorite is baby oil used immediately after a hot bath or shower on still wet skin. Towel dry lightly. Hot baths will open pores and make skin more receptive to oils. We heat exclusively with wood heat which is very dry and this baby oil technique works great for us. Good luck!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), March 14, 2001.

For years I treated my 'dry' skin. One day, I was scrubbing the gunk out of the bath tub, and I realized that that gunk was probably on my skin. I went looking for something other than the soap I was using. I use blue Dawn dishwashing detergent in the kitchen. I got to thinking how they use this product to clean up the birds from the oil spills, so it must be safe. I decided to try it.

There is now a bottle in my shower. I haven't had 'dry' skin for years. Better yet, I haven't had to clean a shower/tub in years!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), March 14, 2001.

Hi Debbie, I suffered the maddening itching for years before a dermatologist (the second one!) finally gave me the simple solution. First, quit using soap. Really. For many years, I have used NO soap of any kind, other than shampoo on my hair, and I rinse that off VERY thoroughly. If you use plenty of warm water, you really can get clean, believe it or not. Second, use baby oil after showering, but that's not all. It's when you use it that's the whole key. After you shower, and BEFORE you dry off, spread a little baby oil on whatever is usually dry and itchy, THEN dry off by patting with a towel. It will take a few days for this to work, so in the meantime, after you do the baby oil thing and dry off, use hydrocortisone cream to kill the itching so your skin can heal. You shouldn't need to use the cream more than a couple of days. I hope this works as well for you as it did for me. What an incredible relief it was to finally be able to shower without dreading the maddening itching to follow!! Good luck!

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), March 15, 2001.

The homemade beeswax salve is great. I made it with an olive oil infused with calendula. Use 1 ounce beeswax to 1 cup oil. My friend with exzema said it worked great for her. Heat the oil in a double boiler and when warm enough melt the beeswax in it, stirring. Add the contents of a couple Vitamin E Capsules for a preservative then swallow the emptied capsules so you aren't wasting the Vit E you couldn't get out. Its good for the skin. Stir the oily mixture, pour into a heat resistant container and let cool. When cool it sets to a marvelous salve. You could add a few drops essential oil or fragrance oils if desired.

-- Alison in Nova Scotia (aproteau@istar.ca), March 15, 2001.

You have so many posts here, but I couldn't help myself, I had to say something! :-) I live by the baby oil after the shower, the humidifier or pot on the stove, and drinking lots and lots of water. I have lupus and my skin gets dry very easily, cracks and bleeds. When it gets to getting too bad on my hands, I rub shortening in them, now sometimes, that is a bit too greasy, especially if I am cooking...so...I heat up some water with a bit of butter in it, dip my hands in that for a moment, pat dry and I can go on cooking or whatever with out the greasy feeling. Baby oil will probably work like that too, but something about using real butter on my hands seems like a special treat when I have been working my hands so hard.

-- Cindy in Ok (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), March 16, 2001.

Colloidal oatmeal is supposed to help dry itchy skin...take some normal oatmeal and grind it up in your blender..put in a tepid bath and soak. Hope this helps.

-- Betsy in NY (sassyweitzel@yahoo.com), March 19, 2001.

Hi Debbie, go to archives and look up my recipe for goldenseal salve, it's beeswax, sweet almond oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter and several herbal tinctures added for healing properties. Stay away from petroleum products applied to the skin, they are unhealthy and stop proper skin respiration and absorbtion.

Or, if you like, I can send you some of mine I make, just cover the postage and I'll ship a small jar to you.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), March 19, 2001.

Goat Milk Lye soap is your answer. I make it .but check to see,some of your neighbors may also. Try it and you will never buy Avon Skin so soft agin.

-- joyce tucker (earth_lady@webtv.net), March 20, 2001.