Natural Dry Skin Care

Dry skin is one of the most common skin problems. In order to stay soft and supple your skin needs to retain its natural moisture. But when exposed to direct sunlight in summer or harsh weather (cold and wind) in winter, when the central heating dries out the skin, it quickly loses its natural moisture and oils, becomes dry and chapped.

Dry skin can cause an uncomfortable feeling and is usually unattractive, thus people with dry skin are looking for solutions to their problem.

Dry skin is typically not a serious health problem, however it changes healthy skin cells into withered cells and often produces wrinkles. Some people have skin disorders categorized as ichtyosis which are severe dry skin conditions that are usually due to heredity.

Dry skin has a low level of sebum and can be prone to sensitivity. The skin has a parched look caused by its inability to retain moisture. It usually feels “tight” and uncomfortable after washing unless some type of moisturizer or skin cream is applied. Chapping and cracking are signs of extremely dry, dehydrated skin.

Dry skin is most common in your lower legs, arms, flanks (sides of the abdomen), and thighs. The symptoms most often associated with dry skin include:

• Scaling
• Itching
• Cracks in the skin

Dry Skin Care – Natural Moisturizers

For dry skin care it is usually recommended using moisturizers which reduce the amount of moisture that escapes your skin by providing a seal.

All moisturizers, to some extent, serve to provide a barrier preventing moisture loss from the skin. Good moisturizers will also serve the purpose of delivering a hydrating effect to the skin, replenishing or encouraging the skin’s natural oil balance. When skin is healthy, its protective outer layer (which is composed largely of lipids) keeps moisture in and harmful elements, such as bacteria and other “bad” stuff, out. But when this layer is damaged, moisture escapes, which can result in irritated, dry or flaky skin. This is when a good moisturizer can be exceptionally helpful.

Natural moisturizers containing light oils and moisture-binding humectants, create a protective barrier for your skin, keeping moisture in the outermost layer without blocking pores. For this reason it’s always good to apply moisturizers to slightly damp skin after bathing to lock in surface moisture. This helps trap more moisture in the skin, keeping it better lubricated.

Moisturizing is especially vital for those who suffer from dermatitis, eczema or psoriasis, since the loss of water in psoriatic skin tends to be eight to ten times greater than normal. It is therefore very important to moisturize the skin in order to compensate for the abnormal degree of water loss.

In addition, good quality moisturizers can make the skin much more comfortable by decreasing dryness, scaling, cracking, soreness, and itching of dry skin.

Moisturizing is particularly important during the winter months when the skin tends to dry out due to the dry, cold air.

Tip: Use a dehumidifier in the winter to keep your skin from drying out.

Dry Skin Care Moisturizer Choices

With so many moisturizers, creams and lotions to choose from, ranging from the various natural options that have recently hit the market to the older and more familiar choices that have been around for years, making the right choice can be dizzying. How can you make the right choice? Here is some information that will, hopefully, serve to guide you through the maze of seemingly endless choices and options and confusing ingredients, and guide to you to make the right choice for you and your skin type.

When choosing a moisturizer, it is important to choose one that is free of synthetic preservatives, fragrances and dyes. Many companies, even those that tout themselves as providing an all-natural line, use ingredients that have been linked to skin irritation and dryness, as well as various skin diseases such as cancer.

Avoid dry skin creams and lotions that contain petroleum products such as Vaseline, etc. Petroleum does not penetrate your skin, but sits on the surface blocking natural respiration, excretion, and absorption of other nutrients. Petroleum jelly has no nutrient value and can actually interfere with the body’s own natural moisturizing abilities. Use of petroleum jelly, ironically, often leads to chapping and drying.

As a replacement for standard Vaseline use Un Petroleum Jelly. This product contains Castor oil, coconut oil, beeswax, castor wax, soybean oil, tocopheryl acetate, and vitamin E.

The following products are well-known as superior, all-natural moisturizers for dry skin

1. Raw Unfiltered Honey . Raw honey  which has not been pasteurized or filtered, and ideally taken directly from the hive is a treasure chest of nutritional value and medicinal remedies. It contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals and is a natural and powerful medicine, both internally and externally

Raw honey is great medicine for the skin. Rich in antioxidant, antibiotic, and antiviral capabilities, raw honey is now showing great promise as a skin moisturizer. Not only does it help retain moisture, it resembles the skin’s natural moisturizing factor, as well.

Current research has found raw honey to actually possess antiseptic, antibacterial, and ant fungal properties. In some studies, raw honey has been used to suppress bacterial growth, particularly in open wounds..

Tip: Smooth a small amount of Raw Honey lightly over the skin; easily remove later with splashes of cold water or comfortable warm water. Leaves skin baby soft.

2.  Aloe Vera Gel. Aloe Vera has traditionally been used to treat various skin conditions, including dry skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, inflammations, burns and wounds. Aloe Vera is also a great skin moisturizer that helps to keep skin supple by bringing oxygen to the cells, and therefore increasing the synthesis and strength of skin tissue.

Topically, aloe Vera benefits dry and cracked skin, burns, blisters, frostbite, insect bites, and allergic reactions.

Studies show that aloe Vera improves the skin’s ability to hydrate itself, aids in the removal of dead skin cells, and has an effective penetrating ability that helps transport healthy substances through the skin.

Aloe Vera products in the form of gel and lotion are used as a mild anesthetic, relieving itching, swelling and pain. Aloe is also used as an antibacterial and anti-fungal, increases blood flow to wounded areas and stimulates fibroblasts–the skin cells responsible for healing. Use aloe Vera gel on your skin, face and body, and apply liberally and as often as needed.

The aloe Vera leaf contains over 75 nutrients and 200 active compounds, which includes 20 minerals, 18 amino acids, and 12 vitamins.

3. Shea butter, which comes from the fruit kernels of the Shea nut tree:

Natural shea butter skin lotion is a fabulous dry skin softening emollient due to its unique fatty acid profile and excellent natural moisturizing qualities.

Shea butter benefits the skin leaving it soft and supple after topical application. Shea butter has a wide range of amazing healing properties stemming from its physical make up of vitamins A, E, and cinnamic acid, just to name a few.

Shea butter has been shown to have anti-inflammatory capabilities and has been utilized for these benefits for hundreds of years. It has been shown to increase the healing of wounds and improve scars. It is used to heal eczema, burns, rashes, severely dry skin, and to lessen the irritation of psoriasis.

Click on www.sheainstitute.com to learn more about the benefits of Shea Butter.

Natural Oils For Dry Skin Care

Natural oils such as almond, olive, safflower, sunflower, beeswax and jojoba work primarily as emollients (agents that help to hydrate, soften, and loosen dry skin), because they are soluble in the sebum and are capable of being absorbed and used by skin cells. Read more on the supreme benefits of natural oils for dry skin »

Essential Oils For Dry Skin Care

Essential oils are the volatile, aromatic portion of a plant, and once extracted, usually through steam distillation, they are 75 to 100 times more potent then their original source. Essential oils contain the odor, taste, and medicinal properties of the plant itself, but in very concentrated form, with no base oil, alcohol, water or dilutants added.

Essential oils are especially effective for the skin. They act as transporters to carry therapeutic benefits through the seven layers of the epidermis. As they penetrate they find their way through the intercellular fluid. These oils are highly concentrated, and hence very potent and should always be used sparingly and in conjunction with a reliable reference.

Essential oils should never be used solely against the skin, as this may cause skin irritation, they must be added to water or diluted in carrier (pressed) oil. The blend can then be used for massage. Mix one part pure essential oil with ten parts of quality cold-pressed oil, such as almond, sesame seed, apricot kernel, carrot, avocado etc. Apply oil to affected area using a cotton swab.

In addition, the carrier oils act as a barrier to the skin, sealing and locking in the essential oils and preventing them from evaporating into the air. For this reason the thicker the oil the better sealant it will be.

Tip: Combine a few drops of essential oil with a carrier oil and massage into the skin, or add 10 drops of essential oil to the bath and soak for fifteen minutes.

Note: Some essential oils can cause sensitization or allergic reactions in some individuals. Therefore, it is worth doing a skin patch test. Rub a little oil in the correct dilution on the inside of your wrist, cover with a Band-Aid and leave on overnight. If you have a reaction avoid using that oil, otherwise it is likely it is safe to use that essential oil.

To learn more on the safe use of essential oils click on www.aromaweb.com/articles/default.asp.

Or read Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals: by Robert Tisserand.

Learn more about the supreme health benefits of essential oils by reading The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood.

Essential oils are one of the world’s great-untapped resources. This complete volume explains how to incorporate these ancient medicines of the earth into everyday life for personal care, physical and mental health, and a safe home environment. It gives more than 500 recipes using essential oils as alternatives to often-toxic human-made health, beauty, and cleaning products.