Very dry and sensitive skin: need moisterizer reccomendation

[bmccasland]

Lotions that contain lanolin. Lubriderm comes to mind. Put a bit of lavender and rosemary essential oils in it - one has antibiotic properties and the other increaseses blood circulation, both smell nice.

Vasoline Intensive Care doesn't do diddly for my dry skin.

the 365 Lotion from WF is pretty nice, and I add lavender oil to it.

Seems one of my quilt magazines recently did a comparison on lotions, let me see if I can find it... I'll be back....

[deeaimond]

I'm a huge fan of shea butter, but my supply is running out.

Gold Bond ultimate is really good. I have very sensitive skin, and I really dislike lotions coz they're slimy. I use the shea butter gold bond. it's a little more expensive than regular lotions, but its available at the drugstore and still cheaper than pure shea butter.

[hoffsquared]

I like Udderly Smooth for my legs and hands. Seems to do the trick.

[Blueberry]

Has anybody tried bulk ordering shea butter from a soap supply place? Somewhere like Snowdrift Farm (no connection, never ordered from them). Doesn't look like you have to be a re-seller to order. Just an idea

Otherwise - it's hard. Shea works best for me. But I still have dry spots on my finger tips.

[SadieKate]

Yeah, it's a veterinary cream but it's fabulous for hands and feet. I use it intensively for flyfishing trips and my hands will be in better shape than when I started the trip. Think about it - a week of wet hands in the wind and cold. There's isn't much more challenging conditions (unless you add freezing temperatures also and even then it works).

http://www.horsemansdream.com/products/vetcream.html


I swear by the stuff and have converted many a flyfishing guide who gets cracked hands.

[badger]

Has anybody tried bulk ordering shea butter from a soap supply place? Somewhere like Snowdrift Farm (no connection, never ordered from them). Doesn't look like you have to be a re-seller to order. Just an idea

Otherwise - it's hard. Shea works best for me. But I still have dry spots on my finger tips.

I bought on two separate occasions pure, unrefined, fair-trade shea butter online. One from ebay (it was actually a mix of eastern and western shea butter, very nice), and another from a direct wholesaler in England. I've been very happy with both products, and MUCH cheaper than buying retail. I got half a pound for $20 for the ebay one, and a smaller quantity, but one that's lasted me more than a year from the second supplier for about $10. Let me see if I can send you a link http://www.sliceofnature.com/.

I've been using shea butter around the sensitive skin around my eyes for over 10 years now, and I swear that's my secret to not looking my age.

I also use jojoba oil and coconut oil. I try to avoid prepared lotions, but for the really cold days where my hands feel like they're sandpaper, I use Uremol20. I find urea to moisturize like nothing else, but if you're overly sensitive, it might burn for a bit.

[deeaimond]

I've been using shea butter around the sensitive skin around my eyes for over 10 years now, and I swear that's my secret to not looking my age.

I also use jojoba oil and coconut oil. I try to avoid prepared lotions, but for the really cold days where my hands feel like they're sandpaper, I use Uremol20. I find urea to moisturize like nothing else, but if you're overly sensitive, it might burn for a bit.

wow. i never thought of that, but i don't have wrinkles ard my eyes yet so...

yup i have thought of buying shea butter in bulk online, but then i've only ever used the pure unrefined stuff that bf's mother gets in ghana. I think i will scout around online, but then i think i will also need to find a supplier who'll ship to Singapore. thats gonna be the expensive part. But bf's going back to ghana in jan, so maybe i'll ask him to get me some and post it to me... I'm more worried about the source, coz sometimes they're chemically treated, then it changes the quality of the shea butter. I will check out the source that you linked

I also use jojoba oil as a night moisturiser! its the only thing i've tried that doesnt break me out hugely.

my skin has been super dry since i got here (new york) so i use the clinique moisture surge, topped with jojoba oil. my face skin does not hurt anymore.

[badger]

wow. i never thought of that, but i don't have wrinkles ard my eyes yet so...

neither do I! best time to start using is BEFORE you get wrinkles. That's the whole idea of prevention. I started when I was 25, and 13 years later I'm proud to say I don't look my age.

[KnottedYet]

Has anybody tried bulk ordering shea butter from a soap supply place? Somewhere like Snowdrift Farm (no connection, never ordered from them). Doesn't look like you have to be a re-seller to order. Just an idea

Otherwise - it's hard. Shea works best for me. But I still have dry spots on my finger tips.

I get my shea butter from Alaffia: http://www.alaffia.com/
It's a local company that gets their shea butter from the owner's home village/region. They do a lot to support folks there, including shipping a container of bikes there every year.

[zoom-zoom]

Another thing to consider is running a big humidifier in your home. We have one that can spit out 6-7 gallons of water/day when it's really cold and our heat is running a lot. It makes such a difference in my skin.

[snapdragen]

Jojoba oil is supposed to be very good; I've never tried it. I have very dry skin too, I use Johnson's 24 Hour Moisture on my arms and legs, Aveeno for sensitive skin on my face. The Badger Balm people make some body butters that work well, although they can feel a bit greasy. I use Badger's Cuticle Balm on my nails and cuticles.

For hands I have a couple of different ones -- Philosophy Handmade ($$$ and it no longer comes in the big jar ) and Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula.

I have mild psoriasis on my elbows, when it acts up I slather on Gold Bond Ultimate Healing.

[pll]

+1 on humidifiers in the home. I have two running all day long during the winter. And get a humidity gauge, so you get a sense of how low/high the humidity is at your place. Ideally, the humidity would be 40-50%. Getting close to 40% is very tough in the winter. Your skin and nose, and even your plants and furniture will be happier with a humidifier in the house! I have two of this type.

Another thing to consider is running a big humidifier in your home. We have one that can spit out 6-7 gallons of water/day when it's really cold and our heat is running a lot. It makes such a difference in my skin.

[sgtiger]

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!

There's so many great suggestions. I'll have to try them and see what combination works best for me. Although, I'm having a forehead smacking moment about the pure shea butter because I used to use it on my hands when I used to do some not very nice things to them.

While I'm used to having some dry, scaly patches this time of year; it's never been anywhere near this bad before. I have been making changes in my diet in the last month and I suspect that may be part of the problem, so the suggestions about dealing with it from the inside out are appreciated too.

[shootingstar]

I have been making changes in my diet in the last month and I suspect that may be part of the problem, so the suggestions about dealing with it from the inside out are appreciated too.

Should be interesting to see responses on diet to this query. Not that I plan to do anything on diet side since we live in better climate (for my skin) now.