I just started dabbling in homemade sugar scrubs. I have to say....It has helped my dry skin more than any lotion I have bought. Even the most expensive ones.
The original recipe I still use on my face as it isn't so harsh. 1 cup of organic sugar and 1/4 cup of coconut oil (solid). For my body, I've modified that some and add to it a small amount of olive oil and coconut sugar. I've added essential oils to make it smell good. (They are suppose to have other benefits but I don't know...I did it for the smell.)
My dry skin is so much better.
LisaMarie, Thank you for the advice.
For dry skin overall, I have found the best benefit is to exfoliate my body using a scrub glove (I can slip my preferred soap into glove on my hand and foam up while exfoliating.. no dropping the soap). Bed and Bath has them, as do generic Dollar stores. I pick-up more than one.. so I can toss into washing machine, as I would a wash cloth.
I also have a "Misto" a spayer for olive oil (instead of buying olive oil in can), I can use this to spray the thinnest, lightest spray of olive oil on my legs, arms and face.. massage in.. and it just absorbs in.
I did try straight glycerin (I purchased a bottle). "Glycerin is a humectant: a substance that helps pull in moisture from the surrounding environment to moisturize your skin" LOL.. it left a shimmery odd coating on my face, even when I tried adding a drop to a lotion ... so a "no go".
I did happen upon Ponds Hydrating cream (blue lid), it was on sale. I was really surprised that it was a "very good" product rather than the usual disappointment.
But, sloughing off the dead skin is the first step.
https://www.sjogrens.org/files/brochures/dry_skin.pdf
Dear daughter has sensitive skin and whips up scrubs, etc.. and summer is here so life will be interesting with papaya, strawberries, herbs in my garden masks.. ;) "Mom try this!!!"