Beauty

[BExplorer]

I would suggest going sulfate-free in hand and body soaps, shampoos and dish soap.  I got rid of sulfates in those products over three years ago and that made the biggest difference in my skin.  HTH 

[Texasmouse]

I've been on a goat milk products kick lately and have been doing a lot of reading on the benefits of goat milk for the skin. I have visited several websites of sellers of goat milk soaps and lotions and have been reading many reviews. It appears that many people with extremely dry hands, eczema, psoriasis, etc have been helped by using goat milk products made with goat milk as the first (or one of the first) of all natural ingredients. Three websites I've looked at are bendsoap dot com, goatmilkstuff dot com and creamerycreek dot com. I hope your sister gets some relief soon!

ETA: The Goat Milk Soap Store is another one!

[HangingTen]

I'm a huge fan of The Honest Company's Healing Balm.  I bought a supply last year at Costco but it's also available at Target and online retailers.  The smell isn't terrific but you get used to it.  I highly recommend - especially with winter, dry air, and forced heat just around the corner!

[blankette]

Try this, wonderful and it is so cheap and you get a ton. https://www.etsy.com/listing/195543208/whipped-shea-cream-organic-shea-cream?ref=shop_home_active_30

[AKgirl2]

Aquaphor...

[151949]

After years of nursing and washing my hands every 5 min - literally - I know a little about dry cracked hands. I used a parafin bath weekly and it helped a lot plus I found the L'Occitane hand cream to be the best. The secret is to not let them get to the point of cracking.Once that happens it is difficult to get it to heal.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

Normally my recommended hand cream is Skinn Hand Restore, but if you have severely dry and/or chapped hands, you may need a better treatment first and then move to the Hand Restore for maintenance.  

I have a couple recommendations:

Bag Balm and a pair of cotton gloves (or even a pair of socks if you don't have the gloves) at night.  My understanding is that Bag Balm was originally made to heal and protect chapped cow udders.  Farmers ended up trying it themselves and the rest is history.  

True Blue Spa Look Ma New Hands (from Bath and Body Works).  There's parafin mixed in it so it forms a seal on your hands to keep the moisture in.  We have a family relative who is a surgeon.  His hands were in bad shape from repeated washings and severe winter weather, but the LMNH did the trick for him.  

[qwarkster]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

Drinking more water will not hydrate dry skin. This is a myth. Drinking plenty of water is a healthy thing to do. Simple as that. Dry skin is the result of water lost through a broken barrier. This barrier needs to be protected (lotions) from harsh elements otherwise it becomes damaged leading to drying and cracking. 

I've been diagnosed with scleroderma since 2002.  I know a little about dry skin, believe me.

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I'm sorry that you have this skin condition.  But drinking a lot of water to hydrate is not a myth. You prespire constantly and lose water throught skin.  It's one of skin's functions to regulate body temerature.  You don't have to be dripping in sweat to prespire.  Fast dehydration will dry skin out which is what happens in dry winter weather or in a dry climate or even air conditioned places.  Normal skin does respond to hydration. The inner layers plump, become elastic and get lubrication, as does everything in the body from joints to blood.  The outside layer of skin gets no blood supply but it makes a seal over the inner layers.  It has no elasticity, which aids in the final step of sloughing off .  That's why a beauty routine recommends microdermabrasion to remove it. 

[SilleeMee]

@qwarkster,

Of course if you don't drink enough water things can become dry. However, after dryness occurs, drinking water will NOT RE-HYDRATE the skin. It will only prevent it from becoming more dry. It's not like a dry sponge where you can make it moist and soft again. That is a healing process from within . My doctor explained this to me years ago because I thought my dry skin stemmed from not drinking enough water...not true! Doc told me I was losing more water from my skin because it was abnormal and this was the reason it became dry and cracked. Drinking more water did not help, myth. Protecting my skin with a barrier (lotion) did...it kept the water in my skin.

Skin is like a dam. If there is a hole or crack in the dam then water is lost through the damaged areas. No matter how much water is replenished in the reservoir, water is abnormally being lost through the holes and cracks. The key is to prevent the holes and cracks.

[LovePhil]

I suggest she try First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream.