Image: .reid.@flickr
image sarah reid@flickr
What would you do if you have itchy, flaky, dry skin? Of course you would quick relief, wouldn’t you? But the problem is not just as easy as putting something on it. It depends on how you take good care of your skin, the air surrounding you, the clothes you wear or the temperature of water you use for shower.
It is fine if you take a shower with warm water but not hot water. According to dermatologist Andrea Lynn Cambio, MD, hot water is a bad idea for shower. It is because hot showers will remove your body from its natural oil barrier. In fact, you need that barrier to trap moisture and keep your skin smooth naturally. It is recommended by skin care experts that warm showers or baths are fine only for less than 5 - 10 minutes. You should also be careful of using deodorant products and antibacterial additives since they are bad for your skin. Some products of skin care use synthetic ceramides, fatty molecules that make up the outer barrier of your skin. To protect your skin, use shaving cream or gel and shave not in the opposite direction the hair is growing.
To take care of dry skin, you can try the following home remedies, which are cheap but effective to nourish and hydrate dry skin to normal condition.
1. Use olive oil : Before taking a shower, apply olive oil throughout your dry body parts such as hands, legs and massage lightly and gently.
2. Use milk cream : Milk cream is also great for skin since it contains lactic acid which can help exfoliate dry skin. In addition, milk has soothing properties which help get rid of your itchy and dry skin. For this purpose, a washcloth is soaked in cold milk and put the cloth on your dry skin for 5-7 minutes. Its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant property will help ease your dry and itchy skin. Yoghurt is also good to remove dry skin then refresh your skin. So, if you are feeling itchy, dip a washcloth in a bowl of milk and apply it to your skin for 5 minutes.
3. Use coconut oil : After taking a bath or shower, apply some coconut oil on your dry skin.
4. Use oatmeal bath: Oatmeal has been known as an effective remedy to treat skin for thousand years. Oatmeal is the right choice to moisture, cleanse the dry skin because it has antioxidative, and anti inflammatory properties, while at the same time minimizing skin irritation.
5. Use salt or sugar scrub : A jar of salt or sugar scrub is kind of expensive but they are good for removing dead skin and create fresh skin which absorb moisturizers more easily.
6. Use water : Water is good for severely dehydrated skin for example after being exposed to cold outdoors or heated interiors. Supermodels urge people to drink water for our skin. Kenneth Bielinski, MD, a dermatologist in Oak Lawn, Ill., says that average person’s skin does not reflect the amount of water being drunk. |
