Living with dry skin can be extremely itchy and irritating. Dry skin is aesthetically displeasing and can cause embarrassment.
There are several factors that contribute to dry skin:
- Environmental elements such as cold weather or extreme heat and sun exposure can cause itchy patches of dry skin.
- All forms of dry skin are related to excessive loss of water from the skin.
- Excessive use of soaps and hot water that literally remove the water preserving lipids from your skin.
Worse During Winter
In the winter, dry skin symptoms seem to multiply.
According to WebMD, the best way to combat dry skin in the winter is to install a humidifier in your home. This will add moisture to the air and hopefully to your skin too! Part of the reason your skin becomes so dry during those cold winter months, is due to a descent in temperature. This causes humidity levels to drop drastically. By keeping your humidifier between 45-55% and your thermostat at a comfortable 68 degrees, your skin will be less prone to dry out with such extreme.
Baths & Showers
In addition to decreased humidity and genetics, another common cause of dry skin comes from taking hot baths and showers.
Hot showers and baths can be great in relieving aching muscles and relaxing stress; however, the hot water and steam actually melts the lipids right out of your skin resulting in loss of the natural oils and lipids that your skin needs to hold onto water. Instead, take warm showers and try limiting shower times to around 5 minutes. If you are a frequent sufferer of dry skin, I would limit taking hot baths, or avoid them altogether.
Soaps
Harsh soaps such as antibacterial or perfumed body washes, also strip your skin of moisture.
Because soap is a surfactant, the more you use it, the more your skin’s natural oils and lipids will be removed. For this reason, it is imperative to read labels and avoid soaps and cleaning detergents that include harsh chemicals such as sulfates, cocamidopropyl betaine, fragrances, and any of the formaldehyde releasing preservatives.
The sulfates for example, have even been shown to remove lipids from the skin. In reality, none of us really need to use soap on our bodies, arms or legs. It is only needed where you are stinky and literally dirty. For all other areas, just a shower with water is all that is needed. I cannot stress enough how helpful it is to avoid these chemicals when combating dry skin.
What Else Can You Do?
Sometimes your dry skin can be a result of a more serious skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis, so be mindful of your symptoms and speak with a dermatologist if these symptoms persist. Using the TrueLipids line of essential skin lipid replacement moisturizers will assist in relieving all of these dry skin conditions. My products focus on skin barrier repair by using essential skin lipid replacement. The science behind this gives the skin what it needs to actually repair itself.
Dry skin can affect all areas of your body. For the best facial lotion for dry skin, use the TrueLipids Hydrate, Correct & Perfect Lotion. This lotion is great for those who desire non-toxic, very effective moisturization and is even enjoyed by those with the most allergy prone skin. To moisturize the driest areas such as the body, hands and feet, I recommend TrueLipids Ceramide+ Cream or TrueLipids Relieve & Protect Ointment.
