There are many of us, that have dry skin that’s itchy & annoying. Not only that but dry, flaky or cracked hands, feet, hurt and are not attractive. I have dry skin too and here are my many tips of dealing with it on a regular basis.
-For your skin:
My favorite lotion of choice has always been you guessed it: body butter. And my favorites are from the Body Shop. If you do have a Body Shop near you, check out their body butters, for some of them have added oils to them. (Not all of them are created equal) For really dry skin, they do carry a variety of products that have Argan oil, or you can buy the pure oil by itself. (Originally from Morocco, it’s a very in demand oil nowadays.) They are usually $20 per jar of body butter, but get them when there’s a sale! (They always have sales at the body shop) Or if you just want to try it, they have travel sized for about $5 or $6 each.
There is a line of beauty products called Boots at Target, & they have different scented body butters as well. I love body butters for my legs & feet. But if you prefer a lotion, Eucerin, & Curel, make great lotions for dry skin. I wrote a post on body butters & other moisturizers, to check it out, click: Body Butters & other moisturizers.
Some of the best body butters for dry skin:
Wild Argan Oil Body Butter, $21, or small size $7
Olive Oil Body Butter, $21, small size, $7
Argan oil nowadays is a really popular oil for people with dry skin / hair. If you feel like giving it a try, it’s better to pick up the smaller size. There’s also Josie Maran, whose line is popular because she infuses argan oil in all her products. You can even buy the pure form, (at the Body Shop) for your skin or hair. Click here for all of the Body Shop’s Argan Oil’s products.
I think all the body butters at The Body Shop are good, but olive oil is also a great moisturizer. Some women use it in their facials, or as an hot oil treatment.
New items on the market:
Shea Moisture Olive Oil & Green Tea Body Butter, $10, Shea Moisture Argan Oil & Raw Shea Body lotion, $10
(Below I’ve listed a bubble baths in the same scents as well)
For a fast moisturizer for a woman on the go:
Spray on Vaseline. I have a bottle of this at home & it does exactly as it says: not greasy! This is great if you’re a busy woman & don’t have time to wait for sticky lotion to dry. This great for the legs!
My favorite lotion for my hands:
Curel Ultra Healing for dry skin. Especially for my hands (you know when you have to wash your hands multiple times a day) I find that EVERY lotion washes off somehow. Even if I apply it at night & it’s had all night to absorb it. The only lotion so far that I’ve come across that hasn’t? Curel Ultra healing. And you can choose to get it in a tube or a large bottle. When I want a perfume to last longer, I’ll put a dab of the lotion in one of my hands, squirt the perfume in it, and then rub it all over my arms / neck. As a lotion it’s a little bit sticky, but it works & helps me make my perfume scent last longer.
For a celeb favorite: Aquaphor ointment by Eucerin. Kristen Stewart & Beyonce are both fans of this drugstore fave, great for dry, cracked skin. Kristen Stewart claims that it’s also great for tattoos. If you want it, try it! For a tube only costs $4.79! You can get it in a jar or tube, whichever one you prefer.
I recommend you moisturize at night, right before you go to sleep. I hate constantly reapplying lotion, & plus your skin will have all night to absorb it. There were times when my skin was feeling really itchy, slapped on some body butter before bed, (wait for it to dry a little bit) and wake up with my skin feeling refreshed.
For your face:
Invest in a good serum & night cream. And what is a serum? A serum is usually a gel generally applied to your face before your night cream. The great thing about them is that they all have anti-aging properties. If you already have dry skin, this is a plus! (You don’t want to get wrinkles at an early age, which dry skin can bring on.) And they don’t need to be expensive. Oil of Olay regenerist serum is one of my favorites, and it’s only $13! Sephora Collection makes 2 that’s quite affordable, one roll on, & one age defying ($15, and $30, respectively) Serums are wonderful also because sometimes I use them as a day moisturizer. I don’t like day creams, and a serum is great because it moisturizes & it’s quick drying.
Oil of Olay Regenerating serum, $13
Hado Labo Anti-aging Hydrator, $18
Boots Botanics Night Cream Triple Age Renewal, $15
Ponds Rich hydrating Facial Moisturizer, for dry skin, $8
Ponds makes a great night cream for dry skin that costs about $8. Also I love the night creams that come from Boots! There is one called Night cream triple age renewal, and whenever I use it my face wakes up feeling like a baby’s bottom. And only $15 for a jar! A new find: Hado Labo Anti-aging Hydrator, $18. (A brand originally from Japan, Ulta.com claims that a bottle is sold every 2 seconds in Japan!) No need to break the bank to look good. This is actually more of a gel than a cream; I use it as a serum & then put my facial cream on top. I wrote a post on face creams & serums, check it out here: Facial creams and serums
When washing your hands:
Yes, we all want to keep our hands clean, especially when we cook/clean, but multiple washes is really drying on the skin. Tip: buy a really moisturizing hand wash. I personally have a Dermasil moisturizing hand wash, but Jergens makes a good one too. And it’s only about $2!! It’s not going to moisturize your hands, but will definitely not suck your hands dry the way a regular bar of soap will. To buy: Jergens Extra Moisturizing Hand wash
In the shower:
Get a super rich moisturizing body wash. Oil of Olay, and Aveeno make good ones. And probably best not to take HOT showers. The hotter the water, the more drying it will be on the skin. Here I’ll list some shower gels also with argan oil.
OGX’s Hydrating Moroccan Argan Oil Creamy Oil Body Wash, $7
OGX has a wide line of products for the body & hair, mostly infused with argan oils, & coconut. This body wash is infused with sugar cane, willow bark, rice milk & bamboo extract to make skin soft. Click here if you’d like the same body wash with Coconut milk instead, which is another great moisturizer.
I have this shower gel at home & it’s amazing. My legs & feet were constantly dry & itchy, & ever since I started using this shower gel they’re not dry or itchy anymore. =)
A new item to try: Shea Moisture Argan Oil & Raw Shea Body Wash, $9
Bubble Bath:
Shea Moisture Olive & Green tea Bubble bath & body wash, $10,
Anti-aging & ultra moisturizing. The bubble bath smells more like green tea than any other of the scents in it. You get to enjoy a bubble bath & come out moisturized at the same time! A great deal for $10 all in 1 bottle!! The other one is a body wash, with argan oil & shea butter in it!
Wild Argan Oil Bubbling Bath, $15
I’m going keep mentioning products with it, but there is a reason there’s a craze for it! And why would you want to come out of the bath tub feeling dry?
Exfoliating:
Consider doing it at home in the shower. Keep in mind there are women who pay hundreds to get scrubbed down at the spa; when you can buy a pair of your own gloves & do it in the comfort of your own home. Save yourself some money! Also your skin will look cleaner & younger when you exfoliate. On top of the fact that your products will work better when there’s no dead layer of skin blocking them. A pair of gloves you can get at the Body shop for $5. To buy: Exfoliating Bath Gloves
Exfoliating for your feet:
You will probably need to get a foot file, to get rid of calluses. Nobody likes cracked, callousy feet. Just use it in the shower when your feet are wet. Using a foot file, & then moisturizing, helps you get smooth, soft feet. The 4-in-1 foot file, is about $3.
Exfoliating for your face,
You could get a facial sponge; nowadays there all kinds of exfoliators & microdermabrasion tools for exfoliating your face. Exfoliating your face is great is because it can help unblock pores. But honestly I take the same exfoliating gloves for my body, & use it on my face (with my facial soap of course). For more details on exfoliating, check out my post on it: Exfoliating!
Other things to consider:
Taking Vitamin E: You could consider taking the vitamin, or get a cream that already has vitamin E in it. (But DO NOT TAKE more than 400mg) My pharmacist also told me that it’s good also to stay hydrated. Dry skin can also come from the lack of water / moisture. I do have a facial cream that I use sometimes that has vitamin E in it, from the Body shop. To buy: Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream
Body / baby oil: Victoria Beckham claims that baby oil is the best moisturizer, whereas I find it too greasy. The Body shop does sell some lighter oils in different scents, which are not as greasy. If you love taking baths, but find them drying, consider dropping some bath oil into your bath. Don’t forget to rinse it out afterwards or else you slip on the floor!! Below I will list some bath oils as well as a moisturizing bubble bath. I have a friend who found some almond oil at an organic supermarket & it wasn’t greasy. It can be a hit / miss with body oils. Also I did find a baby oil gel at my dollar store that’s NOT greasy, and I use it sometimes as a daytime moisturizer for my hands. For a non-greasy oil, argan oil is always best. Tip: if oil causes you to break out, then switch to an oil free moisturizer.
If you would like to try a spray on oils:
OGX’s Hydrating Argan Oil of Morocco Dry Body Oil, $7
I know it’s an oxymoron. ‘Dry oil’? But argan oil has become nowadays simply because it’s easy to use & not greasy. This is best to rub on right after the shower.
J.R. Watkins Body Oil Mist, Coconut & honey scented, $9
J.R. Watkins has actually been making skincare products for over 135 years! Based out of Minnesota, they claim that all of their ingredients are natural. Has vitamin E, and also comes either lavender or grapefruit scented!
Wild Argan Oil for Body / Hair, $25. A spray on oil that’s not greasy, great for the body & hair!
Bath oils to consider:
Aveeno Skin Relief Shower & Bath oil, $8, Burts Bees Bath Oil, $8. Burts Bees also has Vitamin E in it!
Vaseline: Some people love this as a moisturizer, or great for chapped lips. In the winter, my mother personally liked to take some vaseline on her fingers, and rub them inside her nostrils to keep her nose from bleeding. It may sound strange to some people, but this is a great solution for people who are prone to nose bleeds.
A humidifier: If the air gets horribly dry in the wintertime, consider getting a humidifier. I don’t personally use one, but my mother loves it in the winter. She practically has it on every day. It makes the air less dry & she feels less itchy. You will have to refill the tank quite frequently, if you do use it. And when you put it away, make sure you drain it of all the water, & clean out the machine underneath (make sure there is no remaining water) because if left unchecked, it can mold. Tip: if you do get one, don’t have it blowing near your closet. Humidity is not good for your clothes. 
A facial mask: There are masks that are super hydrating/anti-aging. I would maybe use it once a week, or save it for a night before a big event. But honestly most hydrating masks will do the same things your serum / facial cream does. If you get your hands on a good serum, you won’t even need a facial mask. But I will list some affordable ones here, if you’d like to try them:
Que Bella Dead Sea mud mask, meant to be really replenishing, only $6 at Target!! 
Hado Labo Tokyo Ultimate Anti-aging super hydrating mask, about $13 at Ulta. In a package you get about 4 masks. I think this is a great deal!
New items on the market to consider:
Body serums: On my some of my posts I touch upon new fangled items. These items are relatively new: body serums. You know those serums for your face that’s meant for tightening skin & making you look younger? Now they have ones for the body as well. If you do want to try one, you can skip body lotion altogether. Most of them are relatively expensive, but I’ll start with the least expensive one here:
Vaseline Intensive healing serum, $9
J.R. Watkins has been making skincare products for over 135 years! Check them out when they have a sale! When it’s on sale it’s only $4! You can get it off Target or drugstore.com which is usually about $9.
Try not to feel overwhelmed. Just pick and choose the things that would work the best for you. Again I hope this post has helped you!
Links:
List of more body serums: http://www.byrdie.com/best-body-serum/
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