Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Winter Woes

My family and I dread winter every year. It’s not that we are bothered so much by the cold, or even the snow. What we dread each and every year is the dry skin season! Without fail, every November or December, red itchy patches of dry skin begin to form. We lather up with every “miracle” lotion available and pray for the promised results. I’ve even gone as far as sleeping with gloves on overly greasy hands. Yet somehow those tiny cracks still appear. Even the no-crack cream from Restoration Hardware (provided by my wonderful mother-in-law) couldn’t put a stop to the cracking. When our children were first born, we tried humidifiers in their rooms in hopes that a little added moisture might help. Sadly, the only thing the humidifier accomplished was ruining a few books.


I am sorry to say we have yet to find the solution that would make our winters more bearable. How many of you out there suffer from dry skin? How many of you have found your solution? Throw out your ideas and let’s cure those winter woes.

Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

7 comments:

Kara said...

Have you tried oatmeal baths? Never tried it myself, but hear it works.

Kel said...

I think I tried them for my eldest daughter before, but can remember how effective it was. I do love Aveeno Oatmeal lotion though. My absolute favorite!

Sophia and Avah's Mommy and Daddy said...

Kelly and everyone else!! I have the answer!!

We used to suffer from the same thing. Maddening to say the least! All that itching would drive us crazy!!

Three things we all use and will ALWAYS USE!!!

1. Dove "Winter Care" soap. Nothing else but this for showering!!! (It's a limited edition soap so we stocked up last year.)

2. Cetaphil CREAM not lotion!! Currently on sale at COSTCO.

3. Lastly, on our lips we will use Aquaphor!! EXCELLENT!!! Especially for kids who like to lick their dry lips 'til the surrounding area of their lips are red and sore!!

Try these and let me know what you think!!! I'm telling you....we no longer itch like we used to!!!

Maria

Unknown said...

I've always had bad dry skin. The kind where your skin cracks and bleeds - OOWW! This winter I started using Neutrogena Moisture Wrap Lotion and it's worked wonders. Also, your nutrition can have an impact on your skin. Drinking lots of water, along with fruit and veggie consumption (high water content) can help.

Sophia and Avah's Mommy and Daddy said...

btw....the Dove "Winter Care soap is also on sale at COSTCO!

Kelly said...

Thanks all! We are an eczema family, so I too have tried lotion after lotion and find good results in Cetaphil, though the cracks on my hands and fingers seem to do best healing with bacitracin, neosporin, and bandaids. I find that frequent handwashing between my job and kids make them hard to avoid. I'll try the others, too!

Kel said...

Maria - Thanks for all the wonderful tips! I will be heading out to Costco as soon as the roads are clear. :)

Natties - I know I drink enough water, but I'm going to pass that tip off to my husband. Somedays he lives off milk and soda. I'll tell him you said to drink water. Maybe he'll listen to you! :)

Kelly - Is Cetaphil an eczema lotion? Where do you buy it?