What Home Remedies Are Good for Dry Skin?

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Dry skin can affect anyone at any age. Environmental factors, such as temperature and air moisture, or an illness such as diabetes can cause the skin to become dry. For most people having dry skin can be their regular skin type. Home remedies are natural and cost effective ways to treat the problem and help alleviate the condition.

Mineral Oil and Petroleum Jelly

A dry skin moisturizer should lock moisture into the skin and prevent it from evaporating. Dry skin is caused by a loss of the natural moisture in the skin. Mineral oil and petroleum jelly prevent evaporation by creating a barrier between the water in the skin and the air. The moisturizers that you use to keep your skin soft and supple prevent water from evaporating.

Oatmeal and Honey

Use oatmeal that has been ground to a fine powder in the bath to heal dry skin. Ground oatmeal can also wash the skin and soothe irritated dry skin. To use oatmeal as a cleansing agent, tie it up in a washcloth or handkerchief and soak it with water. Rinse out the excess and clean the skin.

A mixture of cooked oatmeal and honey is a soothing cleanser for dry skin on the face. For the entire body, a bath of rolled oats, powdered milk and honey soothes dry skin all over. Mix together one-fourth a cup of powdered milk, one-half cup of oatmeal and two tablespoons of honey and place the ingredients in a mesh bag. Let the bath water run through the bag to fill the tub and soak in the water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Oils

Any type of vegetable oil in the kitchen can serve as a moisturizer for dry skin, such as olive oil and canola oil. Thicker kitchen oils such as vegetable shortening can offer relief for severe dry skin. These products can be very greasy to the skin and do not smell as sweet as commercial dry skin products, but they do get the job done.

Environment and Bathing

Very hot water and dry winter air are some of the environmental causes of dry skin. Avoid very hot baths, as this can remove essential natural oils from the skin. Soak in lukewarm water instead. Apply moisturizers to the skin after bathing, when the skin is still damp, to hold the moisture in. Use a humidifier to prevent dry skin in the cold dry winter season.