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 Dry Skin

 
With the onset of cold weather (and turning on the forced-air gas furnace), I noticed an immediate return of the all-over-itchies that have plagued me, on and off, during peri.  Fortunately, this year I knew what to do about it, so I've been able to get the itching under control pretty quickly.  I thought I'd run down my own personal regimen in case it might be useful to others who find their skin getting dryer and more easily irritated.
  1. Drink More Water.  Back to carrying my water bottle with me everywhere I go.  I tend to slack off after the summer's heat abates, but I'm back to sipping water pretty much constantly.
  2. Shower every other day.  I'm a real hot-water glutton, and for decades I've loved a very hot shower first thing in the morning.  But clearly, that's contributing to the dry skin.  Since I don't do work that gets me particularly dirty or stinky, I'm forcing myself to skip every other shower, and (*sob) to lower the temperature of the showers I do take (which probably has the added effect of getting me *out* of the shower sooner).  Following the advice of a dermatologist friend, I'm using one of those unscented liquid "body wash" products, and applying it *only* to crotch and pits.  Everything else, I wash with nothing but water, using one of those soft-but-mildly-abrasive shower "puffs".
  3. Eliminate most "beauty" products.  I no longer wear makeup on a daily basis, so I don't really need to "cleanse" my face.  I rinse it with plain warm water and a soft washcloth before bed, and apply a dab of cheap lotion (see below) before bed.  When I do wear makeup, for special occasions, I've found that those new "daily facial" cloths are a very good and gentle way to remove it.  They're expensive, but since I only use them once or twice a month, I figure it's worth it.
  4. Moisturize all over.  I buy the local store-brand equivalent of Lubriderm, unscented, in a big container, and apply it as soon as I get out of the shower (on shower days).  I use the same stuff on my face.  And before bed, I add a generous dab of Bag Balm (although plain old petroleum jelly would probably work just as well) to my elbows and heels, which have a tendency to get cracked and sore. The moisturizer doesn't really "moisturize," to any significant degree, but it does feel soothing and helps keep the itching down.
The only other "beauty products" I'm using these days are shampoo, conditioner (which I rub into my scalp after shampooing to help reduce* that* itching, and which I also use, sparingly, for frizz control) and deodorant (unscented Arm & Hammer).

I've come to the conclusion that, for me, less is more when it comes to skin care.  I have a lot fewer blackheads, etc.  now that I'm not wearing makeup (and this was, I must confess, a struggle for me.  I used to be the type of person who took mascara on camping trips!)  My hair is in better shape since I ditched the various gels, etc.  that I was using to try to give it more body.  And best of all, it took me just a few days to control the itching that used to drive me nuts most of the winter.

And I'm saving a surprising amount of money in the process ...

- -Pat Kight [email protected]


from Cathy
I've wound up reducing my showers to every other day in the winter, for the same reason - dry skin.  My hair (face & scalp are *not* dry!!)  still needs washing every day, so that I do in the bathroom sink on the other ever-other-days.
Yup, I give the smelly bits a quick swipe with the washcloth on non-shower days, too.
Don't know if you'd like it, but I like Corn Husker's Lotion for dry skin.
I've tried it, but glycerine-based products like Corn Husker's feel kind of sticky to me.  Definitely another good, cheap alternative to all the high-priced designer skin-care crap, though!
From anon
I've always had dry skin, so I already do most of what you list.  I did notice this year that when summer was over, even though I hadn't turned on the heat, I still got dryer.

The things I added to my regimen are

  1. lip balm--this seems to help my face feel less dry
  2. cuticle cream--ditto for hands
  3. I regularly use some kind of pomade or conditioner on my hair before I blow dry it and on days that I don't wash it.
From Pamela
If your water is chlorinated, get a chlorine filter for your shower head.  We've had one in for about a week and my hair has twice as much body as it normally would this time of the year, and I've been able to defer the switch from heavy-duty to practically-superpowered moisturizer.  Itchies have retreated and the cracks threatening in my hands have closed up.

Due (originally) to a menofog mistake, I sometimes wash with lotion - I use the same amount as for liquid soap, rub it all over, rinse it off.  Works well for me, but I don't have itchy dry skin - just the feels-like-paper kind.  YMMV, of course.  Chakolate

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