How To Conquer Dry Skin: 5 Home Remedies

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Overview

Have you ever experienced a sudden onset of dry skin that left you perplexed as to what you were doing wrong in terms of skin care, or have you had someone close to you experience it and all you could do was sympathize while suggesting products to help alleviate it? That situation can be excruciating because dry skin not only shrinks your skin, but it also itches!

Dry skin is one condition that is easily attributed to the weather, whether it is winter or harmattan season depending on where you live on the planet. Most of the time, it is only temporary and goes away when there is a certain level of humidity in the air, along with some home remedies.

Now, if a person has dry skin that is not caused by the weather or a lack of skin moisturization, he or she should see a dermatologist as soon as possible for evaluation and treatment.

Symptoms of dry skin

• Skin that looks and feels rough
• Skin that looks shrunk and tight especially after having a bath or swim
• Scaling, flaking or peeling
• Fine lines and cracks on the skin (especially on the legs and face)
• Skin itch

Causes of dry skin

• Heat: Excessive exposure to heat can result in a reduction of humidity and dryness of the skin. Wood and charcoal burning, close engagement with fireplaces can make the skin dry out.
• Pregnancy: Dryness of skin is one pregnancy symptom that shouldn’t arouse worry. During pregnancy, the body of a woman goes through so much to accommodate and nurture the growing baby(ies). The changes in hormones will cause the skin to lose elasticity and moisture.
• Harsh body baths and soaps: Some soaps, body baths, and detergents strip moisture from your skin as they are formulated to remove oil.
• Taking too long a bath, shower and swim can leave your skin dry.
• Weather: As has been highlighted before, the weather condition can affect the texture of the skin. So many people develop dry skin during the winter or harmattan season, depending on where one is situated.

Five (5) home remedies for dry skin

1. . Moisturizers should be used liberally because they help seal the skin and trap moisture, preventing skin dryness. Coconut oil and petroleum jellies are two long-tested and proven moisturizers that can help combat dry skin.
2. Limit bath time: Limiting the amount of time you spend in the shower and bath is one method for controlling dry skin. This keeps the skin from losing too much oil. If you limit your bath time to no more than 10 minutes, you can reduce the number of baths you take per day to just one.
3. Stay away from bath sponges and washcloths, and when toweling dry don’t rub the skin!
4. Cover as much skin as possible during the winter or harmattan season, as the case may be. Even when you’re inside, wear something that covers you up; scarves, stockings, and gloves should be worn at all times.
5. Leave the soaps alone! Use gentle shower gels with added moisturizers. Sometimes it’s best to take a bath with just water (no soap!).