Self Care For Dry Skin

When the cause of dry skin is acute, most self home made remedies will help correct the disorder. However, for those with a chronic dry skin disorder, the home made remedies may help to some degree and treatments have to be continued for a long time.

The usual self care things one must do to treat dry skin include:

Moisturizers: The use of moisturizers is essential and should be done regularly. The skin should always be kept moist and healthy. Moisturizers help prevent the water from leaving the skin. There are 100s of brands of moisturizers and any over the counter product will do. The most common skin moisturizers are "Eucerin or baby oil". Oil based moisturizers usually stay on the skin a lot longer than the water based creams. The most important thing is to apply these creams at least twice a day.

Showering: Frequent showering and bathing for individuals with dry skin is not recommended. The continuous exposure to water removes the oils from the skin and worsens the condition. Very hot is also not recommended. Showering with warm water without excessive use of soap and scrubbing will go a long ways to protect your dry skin.

Soaps: For those with dry skin, excessive scrubbing the skin and use of soaps, gels, and skin cleansers should be avoided. A simple bland soap will suffice. Harsh detergent like soaps should definitely be avoided. The best soap to recommend is difficult and one may have to go through several varieties to see which is the best. Anytime the skin feels soft, less itchy or feels smooth after use of soap, then that soap is just right for you.

Pat dry: After showering, one should simply pat the skin dry. Excessive drying just worsens the skin condition. Avoid using hair dryers and other devices to dry the skin.

After shower oils: Rubbing a moisturizer immediately after a shower is a good idea.

Humidifier: Use of a humidifier in the presence of dry skin is an excellent idea. One should avoid dry rooms. There are many types of humidifiers available and any one of the portable machine is sufficient.

Cool room: One should sleep in a cool room: this will prevent the itching and dryness of the skin

Clothing: There are some clothing fabrics which are irritating to the skin and cause intense humidity and sweat to collect. This is typical with woolen clothes. One must wear cotton or silk clothes to decrease the irritation the skin.

Detergents: Wash your clothes in mild detergent. Do not use detergents which have perfumes and fragrances. All these chemicals simply irritate and dry the skin

Hydrocortisone: Sometimes the dry skin will cause an itch and leading to excoriations and skin damage. In such cases, an over the counter topical hydrocortisone will help reduce the itch and sooth the pain.