[piratebean]

I have developed a dry skin condition in the last two months. At its worst, my torso (mostly in front) was covered with a raised splotchy rash-type condition. I itch like you wouldn't believe, and when I scratch the skin, I end up with red raised welts. Of course, until I could get to see a dermatologist, the redness had subsided, so diagnosis is uncertain at this time. It may be eczema, or it may just be exceedingly dry skin. (I don't yet have the telltale scaling of eczema, but the itching is in the usual places - inner elbows, back of the knees, waist, etc.)<br><br><br><br>
I'm supposed to avoid products with scents and dyes. One of the most recommended treatments is petroleum jelly (good ol' vaseline). I am not to happy about using petroleum jelly though - I would prefer to use a plant oil. Does anyone have any suggestions for a vaseline substitute? I don't care if the treatment feels extra greasy or oily or anything - my skin is in real bad shape, and I'll do whatever it takes to help it get better.<br><br><br><br>
I was thinking of slathering on olive oil or almond oil in lieu of vaseline. Does anyone have any experience with that? Baby oil (mineral oil) would be a possible choice, but I wonder about that stuff too.<br><br><br><br>
Oatmeal baths are out of the question as well. I'm not supposed to take baths, as they are too drying. Also, I think oatmeal baths are fine for your run-of-the-mill winter dry skin, but I'm talking about skin so dry that it's peeling, even though it's a very humid summer where I am, and I have had NO sun exposure (i.e., it's not a sunburn peel).<br><br><br><br>
I would appreciate any suggestions you've got...you people always come up with the best ideas. Thanks.

 

[Gita]

I have had really horrible dry skin after a broken leg destroyed my circulation in one leg. There is a lot of horrible scarring-- as though I was burned. I have used Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Itch-Relief Moisturizing Spray. It has an anelgesic to topically deaden the itchies, and it moisturizes well. There is no added fragrance-- it is "dermatologist reccomended." I rubbed off all the words on the lable so I cant tell you whats in it. I got it at Wallgreens-- I'm sure they have it at most any drugstore or big box store-- good luck-- itching problems can be terrible!

 

[karenlovessnow]

I have intermittent problems with dry skin itching. I'm going to try the Eucerin Dry SKin Therapy Itch-Relief Moisturizing Spray. Thanks Gita.

 

[Leia]

Hi Piratebean!<br><br><br><br>
I have had excema and dry skin problems before. What I do now is mostly prevention, so that I don't have to deal with the flakies. For prevention I put a few drops of olive oil in my bathtub and moisture VERY WELL after coming in contact with water (either I use sesame seed oil or cocoa butter lotion) - straight after toweling off is best. I have also used Oilatum in the bath, especially during the winter when it is particularly dry. If baths are too drying for you, I would suggest putting on some olive oil in the shower and then moisturizing well afterwards.<br><br><br><br>
As for when I get the flaky bits, I use a hydrocortisone-based cream called Betnovate, and it completely clears up the excema.<br><br><br><br>
Hope that helps!

 

[GhostUser]

If you don't mind ordering things online, Arbonne sells a Skin Conditioning Oil that many people swear by for treating eczema and dry skin. If you're interested in it, feel free to PM me! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><br><br><br><br>
ETA: You said you were looking for a plant oil, so I recommended this. It is botanically-based, free from mineral oil, and also vegan!

 

[GhostUser]

i use rosemary EO in a almond oil base and it cleared up my dermatitis.

 

[maracarter]

ever gone to dermatologists? hope that it will work.

 

[Lothar M Kirsch]

The petroleum jelly is good to induce skin growth. But if that's not the problem, better not use it. (I once used it on an infected wound and the skin grew over it, so I had to open it again.)<br><br>
Eucerin is a good solution as it has the normal pH of the skin and reduces infections. It's a oil in water solution but should have enough fat to prevent drying out.<br><br>
Almond or olive oil products would also serve your purpose.<br><br>
If hydrocortisone is added, it's better your seek a dermatologist before.

 

[Finlay]

Also, bathing is, in some ways, preferable to showers. That is, if one bathes in tepid water for about 20 minutes and then 'seals in' the water absorbed during that period by applying a fatty cream, the skin will absorb a lot of liquid, apparently.<br><br><br><br>
If it is eczema, I reccomend you see a professional. I mean, corticosteroids might have a bad rep (and rightly so, imho), but they help.

 

[starryeyed]

Just so you know, mineral oil isn't any better than petroleum jelly if you are trying to avoid things like that. It is a by product of making petroleum. I agree with the people who recommend slathering on some sort of heavy cream or vegetable oil after a shower or bath. Alba makes a kukai nut body oil that smells devine and is super moisturising. Coconut oil would also be really good.

 

[Dirty Martini]

Eucerin is, by far, the best treatment you can get for dry skin. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":up:">

 

[raw jess]

I was going to say coconut oil, too. Mm. and it tastes/smells good.

 

[piratebean]

Thanks all for your posts and suggestions.<br><br><br><br>
I have gone to the dermatologist, and she's definitely recommending prevention. It's just that she recommends washing with cetaphil, aquinil, or purpose (all soap-free cleansers), and then moisturizing with eucerin or petroleum jelly or something like that. (She doesn't seem to be too concerned over lotions/cream/ointment choices, as long as they are unscented, undyed, etc.)<br><br><br><br>
Well, have you ever read the ingredients list for cetaphil? I quote: "Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Stearyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben."<br><br><br><br>
First, I would ask, what the heck is all that? And second, I have heard not-so-nice things about parabens and lauryl/laureth sulfates. So why would I want to slather them all over myself? And third, if my skin is dry, why would I want to put alcohol on it?<br><br><br><br>
So, I am trying to find plant-based, earth-friendly types of cleansers/lotions/creams/ointments. (Obviously, if this develops into something where some heavy-duty medical intervention is required, I will go back to the doc and see if she can come up with treatment options that I like better.) But I'd like to give it some time of just trying to manage this myself through better care and preventative measures.<br><br><br><br>
I currently am using some of the Eucerin calming cream. It's okay. But that contains alcohol too, and it does bother my skin when I first put it on.<br><br><br><br>
I have tried a sample of mineral oil (baby oil), and I like how that works - no burning sensation when I put it on, etc. But I don't want to use it long-term, because I know it's a petroleum by-product. I'd prefer to go with something directly plant-based.<br><br><br><br>
So I think first I will try some almond oil, with perhaps a few drops of an essential oil in it (like rosemary, or something like that). As for cleansers, I think I'll see what aubrey organics has - they have a baby 'soap' that sounds promising.<br><br><br><br>
My doc definitely is against baths, and pro very short lukewarm showers. For now, I will follow her advice on that. I think that's helping. She also wants me to bathe only twice a week with hairwashing in the sink in between as needed (which I do daily, since I can't stand not washing my hair).<br><br><br><br>
So, thanks again for the advice. I'll post again if anything works or obviously doesn't work.

 

[Leia]

Piratebean, it sounds like you have got a good plan to battle that dry skin <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">.<br><br><br><br>
Almond oil is really good. I use it often, but usually on my face (my face can be dry if I don't take care of it, so I use shea butter on it at night and almond oil in the mornings - not consecutive nights and mornings though). On my skin I like sesame seed oil or grape seed oil, and I also like cocoa butter, but I don't know if you can get that chemical-free.<br><br><br><br>
Just a quick word of caution about washing your hair so frequently. The more you wash it, the more prone your scalp is to getting dry. You really should try to wash once every other day - put your hair up in a bun the day you don't wash to hide the greasies. Eventually, it will get used to not being washed every day and won't be greasy anymore. I am only mentioning this because having a dry scalp is awful; it is itchy and there are white flakes everywhere that are often mistaken for dandruff. If you ever DO get this, let me know and I'll tell you an olive oil/brown sugar method to help your scalp.<br><br><br><br>
Also, if you don't like washing in the sink, try washing upside down in the bathtub, using the shower head. That's what I do. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/grin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><br><br><br><br>
Hope your problems get solved soon! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sunny.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":sunny:">

 

[piratebean]

Leia,<br><br>
I'd love to hear your brown sugar/olive oil scalp treatment. One reason I wash my hair so frequently is that my hair/scalp is excessively oily, but it does itch like a son of a gun as well. I have very short hair right now, so I can't do the bun thing. If I didn't wash my hair daily, it would look pretty gross on the second day. I think what I need to do is stop washing it daily while on vacation sometime, so I can let it 'adjust' while I don't care what it looks like. I've heard that the scalp will stop producing so much oil once it adjusts to the fact that the oils won't be stripped off it daily.<br><br><br><br>
I might be getting my hair cut even shorter in the near future (like darn-near buzzcut short) in which case maybe it won't look so bad unwashed. Or maybe I'll just lightly dampen the hair (not the scalp) on in between days to see if that helps make it look less greasy, while it adjusts to less washing.<br><br><br><br>
I'm all for bathing/showering less, really. It saves time. And it saves a heck of a lot of water. I don't stink (I wash the essential parts daily), so there's no reason for the daily or more-than-once-a-day showers that I grew up with. So, this is better for my skin and for the environment. (Yay enviroment!)<br><br><br><br>
Thanks again for the suggestions!

 

[GhostUser]

try just washing your hair with conditioner- a clarifiying or tea tree one works well. rub the conditioner into your scalp and leave it on- the surfactants in conditioner take longer to work than the ones in shampoo- and then rinse well.<br><br><br><br>
It can take up to 2 months for your scalp to adjust to less frequent washing. I think you have to go 6 weeks before the scalp starts cleaning itself.<br><br><br><br>
almond and jojoba oils are nice. just check that they are 100%- I bought coconut oil the other day and then relised it was a blend of oils, including mineral.

 

[GhostUser]

Pine tar might help with the excema.

 

[rabid_child]

I would recommend Aveeno's Skin Relief Body Wash for the shower. It's an oatmeal wash, but intended for use as a body wash, not a bath soak.<br><br><br><br>
It's not vegan (lanolin), and it does contain Petrolatum, but Aquaphor is most excellent for severely dry/cracked/peeling skin. I use it in the winter after I shower before bed, and when I shower the next night, water still beads up on my skin. (I get really bad itchy dry skin, especially in the winter) My "lighter" choice is Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Skin Therapy lotion... but I think it has fragrance added (albiet not anything strong).

 

[Leia]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>piratebean</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
Leia,<br><br>
I've heard that the scalp will stop producing so much oil once it adjusts to the fact that the oils won't be stripped off it daily.</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Yup, that's exactly true. I'll PM you the dry scalp remedy. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[courgette]

I have had nearly crippling bouts of eczema on my hands all the way up to my elbows. I is usually always related to stress. I have not had bouts like that since I graduated college (oh it was bad then). I still have outbreaks when stress levels are high.<br><br><br><br>
I also suffer from really dry skin. My mom is a registered nurse and worked in a burn unit for about 15 years. Once burns were healed and they needed to soften the regenerated skin, they would use Eucerin. I like Eucerin Calming Cream and use it almost every day.<br><br><br><br>
I really hope you find something that works for you. I know it can be miserable.<br><br><br><br>
Just, a thought...do you still consume dairy? My youngest brother had trouble with eczema as a toddler (on his face mostly). They took him off all dairy and eventually it healed. To this day he still consumes very little dairy.