I use lotion constantly. I use generic aveeno body wash. I use oatmeal soap to wash my hands. I'm on a very limited income so I can't afford expensive brands. I would love to go to a dermatologist but unfortunately the closest one is a couple towns over. This is not possible cause I have no car and I can't pay gas money for a friend to drive me. So basically I'm looking for some cheap alternatives. I don't want to get celulitis again. :( Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Hi there,
I have been putting a little dollop of vaseline or cocoa with my lotion. It's not greasy of you use it with the lotion. The cocoa butter I use is the one in the jar? Palmers brand I think. It smells yummy too. Like cookies :-)
Wicked Angel, you need to use creams rather than Lotions, they are so much thicker and stay on the skin longer,
Use any kind of thick creams, the cocoa butter is good, used as soon as you dry the skin after bathing.
Use cream regularly through out the day, there are quite a lot of choices in the shops, but dont use the very highly perfumed ones. Do you take the Liquid Cod Liver oil, I take 2 spoonfuls every night.
The Doctor would prescribe some if it were really bad, or is overly dry from the Sjogrens.
Treat your skin like a babies! Oatmeal in the bathing water helps.
Hope your looking radiant before too long, Dolly x
Hi Wicked Angel...Love the name by the way!
This is what I do. I am pretty dry as well especially because I use the tanning bed to help joint pain and also because I live on a small farm and work with the animals and get nasty hands.
I make my own salve, I guess you could call it. I decided since I was making all our food from scratch to avoid ingredients I do not want, why would I put chemical laden creams on my skin? Plus I personally do not want to use a petroleum product like vaseline on my body). I purchased bee's wax on Amazon. I also got bottles of vitamin E, almond oil (from Whole Foods), a bottle of lanolin ( I think I got this from the regular drug store...CVS here.). Also pick up a small bottle of an essential oil that you like and are not sensitive to (lavender is calming...).
Use an old saucepan that you will dedicate to your lotion making...it's quite greasy and really hard to clean! I use a wooden spoon to stir...you cannot use it for any cooking afterwards.
I do not measure but here are some estimated proportions to the recipe:
Small 1 inch chunk of bee's wax (the more wax the harder the salve becomes at room temp. if you want a more solid end product use more wax).
1/4 C almond oil
1 teaspoon each of lanolin and vitamin E
A few drops of your fav essential oil (or none)
Heat (double boiler is best and safest) all together until bee's wax melts. Let mixture cool to the point it that begins to look cloudy and thicker. Whip with an electric hand mixer. Spoon into a container (I use small mason jars..I hate plastic). It wall become stiffer as it cools. Omit the lanolin if you are a strict vegan as it is the oil from Sheep's wool.
I use this on my face and all over my body. The almond oil is also good all by itself if you don't mind the oiliness. I find that I am so dry it soaks right in! Not bragging...but I am 50, and I am told very often that I look 35. It must be working! If I could figure out how to post a pic here I would show you! Someone clue me in and I will!
Peace....
Flower
Do you use it on your face, too?
I have really dry skin.. My fingers get so rough and crack open and hurt.. My feet were so bad I was ashamed of them.. The skin was so dry and would build up and crack open and it felt like sandpaper.. I tried everything and nothing helped, even a prescription lotion..
Then I tried Lubriderm Advanced Therapy For Extra-Dry Skin.. It's less than $10 for a large bottle at Walmart.. After 2 weeks of using once a day my skin, even my hands and feet were soft and smooth.. No more alligator skin..
I have spent a fortune on lotions and this is the only one that helped.. I think lotions and creams are a lot like medicines though, what may work for one might not work for another person.. Even Lubriderm has a lot of different kinds that didn't work for me until I tried the Advanced Therapy kind.. I don't buy any other kind now..
I made a similar butter with coconut, shea and cocoa butters and beeswax. Olive oil can be quite soothing as well.
Thank you all for the options. I will look at creams. Doc told me watch for alcohol and water in the ingredients as neither is good for my skin. I would love to make my own and someday I will. But at this time I am unable to.
Both of my daughters have eczema which is how I learned about CeraVe moisturizing cream (comes in a tub - again, don't bother with the lotion, the water content is too high). I buy it three to five tubs at a time when it's on sale at drugstore . com or when I get special promotions from them so that the cost per tub is usually around $11.
CeraVe contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid, both of which help our skin retain moisture. Apply it liberally right after gently patting off excess water from bath or shower (don't rub!)
For severe skin problems, you can use it as frequently as you need but I only need it once a day after my shower.
Here's some great skin care tips:
http://www.nationaleczema.org/living-with-eczema/bathing-moisturizing
I use Avon skin so soft products; wash., an elixir, then the lotion. My skin is never dry and no more chicken skin on arms and I use after shower, that's it! Love love love it! Cheap too!
I have very dry skin too. I have learned that;
I need to NOT shower everyday and wash off what little natural moisturizing oil my body produces; so I wash the pits in the morning and other areas with a wash cloth and Dove w/Aloe Soap (Very soothing)
When I shower I use a wash cloth that has mesh on one side (they are usually in the kitchen section of shops). The mesh is not harsh, just enough to help slough off the dry skin (which when it dries itches). I pat my skin with a towel and then put on a bit of Virgin Olive Oil. It will absorb...no irritants and not greasy.
Since I am dry...my hair is dry as well. I put a pea-sized drop of conditioner in my hands in the shower, rub it in my hands and squeeze through the ends, leave in...same as 'de-tangler'. If you have ever seen those those rubber massage brushes...that is what I used for my hair and body. I don't need brushes and combs pulling out my hair.
Sometimes on my feet I have used generic diabetic cream...worked great when my skin cracked along with "liquid skin" on the crack to close it. Bandaides do not work. I had some angry patches on my face and tired the cream one night and it worked great there too. One day for whatever reason my toes were red on the bottom and I could barely walk...good grief...I slathered olive oil on...put on a plastic bag...then a sock...squish, squish.. it was severe..but, it was gone by the second morning.
I love olive oil...You can use it as a cleaner for your face as well...to take off make-up and lift dirt from pores. Just put a bit more on. I massage in circular motion, and gently remove with tissue or cotton ball. No need to rinse. I have been using Olive oil now for maybe two year and I have not had those angry patches again. The oil has natural anti-oxidants and Vits...which is why some products now 'tout' has Olive Olive...gee I have that in the kitchen... pure! and cheaper.
I have really dry skin as well, with cracked hands and feet. My rheumatologist, a specialist in Sjogren's, wrote a prescription for LacHydryn, a lotion that you put on while still wet after a shower. Then you pat dry. There's an OTC lotion that's very similar, Amlactin, but it's pretty pricey - $14 for a small tube of the cream at Walmart. The RX version is generic, so I think it was less than $7.
He also recommended not showering every day or even every other day, and not using a washcloth on skin as it can be too rough. He also recommends staying away from deodorant soaps, and using Dove or similar types of soap only on those parts of the body that truly require soap.
During the day, he said to use Cetaphil cream on my hands twice a day. It's available over the counter and in store brand versions at KMart.
It's really helped me this winter. And I know when I'm not sticking with the program because I'll have cracks all over my hands, my feet, and even where one earlobe connects to my face (is that weird or what???).
Tracy
Do you exfoliate? I found that the lotion wasn't getting through all the dead, dry skin.
I tried exfoliating (read it in a book about sjogren's actually) and my hands feel a lot softer. Also use cotton gloves and lotion over night which helps.
For me I now only use glycerin soap, and you can find it not pricey.
I do use creams for the driest areas, because they are thicker.
There are other good ones out there without having to cost a lot, but my daughter in law one Christmas got me some Mary Kay extra emollient night cream.
Oh it feels better than anything I have used.
I save it only for my face. I thought it was pricey, but I have had this one jar of it for a year so it isn't. lol....
I also love the Skin So Soft by Avon.
susanep :)
Flowerchild,
Does your moisturizer require refrigeration?
Thanks.
SjoDry
Try to avoid any sulfates (sodium laureth sulfates, sodium lauryl sulfates, nautrium laureth sulfates, nautrium lauryl sulfates - anything ending with laureth sulfate or lauryl sulfate). They can be very drying to sensitive skin. They are detergents and found in liquid soap and shampoo (makes it foam). Avoiding that in handwashing can do wonders (but is somewhat pricey)
Wash body and face with a washing oil instead. If on a budget baby oil will do great.
Get a very fatty cream. Not liquid lotions.
I am not up to date on budget brands in the US. My fave is A-Derma. Not so cheap and I don't know if a available?