Dry Skin - in general / combating the effects of winter

[EdK]

Originally posted by AlexN@Nov 13 2004, 07:53 PM
I'm addicted to Carmex.

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as am I, however I think it did good and bad for me. It seems like my lips have grown dependant on it, if I miss a day of using it, my lips get crazy dry and crackled. But when I'm not lazy and use it everyday my lips are fine.

 

[AlexN]

Originally posted by EdK@Nov 13 2004, 08:10 PM
as am I, however I think it did good and bad for me. It seems like my lips have grown dependant on it, if I miss a day of using it, my lips get crazy dry and crackled. But when I'm not lazy and use it everyday my lips are fine.

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Yep, there's actually something in it that makes your lips need it.

 

[pradaesk]

every (!) night before i go to bed i use the "neutrogena norwegian formula cream" for my feet. since then i have feets like a baby

 

[gruveechik]

hallo!
if anyone's read my replies to dry skin before, you'll know i'm a shea butter nut


i've got super dry skin, in summer and worse in winter.

Here are my tips:

1) get a humidifier - there are cheap ones you can get for about $20 CAD.
If you have an apartment (bachelor/1bdrm) and if you don't have a fan/vent over your stove and on at all times, then try this tip that an old man told me about... it works. Get your biggest pot, fill it up with hot water, put it on the stove (at night, before hitting the sack) - bring it to boil then reduce to the lowest level of heat - you can leave that on all night. It uses up less energy than a humidifier (he should know, he's an engineer) and will do a pretty good job of keeping your apartment humidified, therefore, will help your skin.

2) EFA (essential fatty acid) capsules/OMEGA 3-6-9 capsules. i've run out and can see/feel the difference. 3 capsules a day might be too much, i find that 2 works.

3) as much as Vaseline's been touted, it, along w/ Mineral Oil will make your skin dependent as it actually robs your skin of moisture in the end. Here's my sermon:
Shea Butter Shea Butter Shea Butter. It's just lovely! i use 100% pure Shea Butter on my face, and at times, on my body - in the morning after a shower and at night after cleansing my face. On my face i take a 'piece' the size of my fingernail and emulsify it b/w my palms, then rub it in all over my face.

4) if you're not sensitive to cold, then instead of Shea Butter on your body, try 100% Glycerin (Vegetable Glycerin's better - from a health food store). A tablespoon should be good enough for your whole body, after a shower. Pour some into your palm, and start rubbing into your skin, all over your body. It'll feel sticky at first, then it'll soak in. It's absolutely wonderful as it moisturizes - and does so throughout the day as it actually draws moisture from the air to your skin. i can't use it b/c i'm extremely sensitive to cold, and since i walk 20mins in winter to work, i cannot handle the extra cold. It'll draw more cold moisture to your skin, but it's not like you'll freeze or anything... i'm just super super sensitive and affected miserably by cold - i live in Toronto - Canada - get me out of here!!

5) after showering/cleansing, i take pour some pure Rosewater on a cotton pad, and wipe my face with it.... to remove residue (including eye makeup remover) and to add some moisture. Then i use Shea Butter on top of that. What's really good in winter is to put in a bottle, and fill 90% of it with Rosewater and 10% of it with the Glycerine. Shake it up when you want to use it and then pour some out on a cotton pad and wipe your face with that.. or put it in a spritzer and spritz. The Glycerine will be the humectant and Rosewater is an excellent skin refresher.

6) dry scalp - i don't think a dandruff shampoo would be a good idea. They're made for combatting the fungus etc. that causes a certain type of dandruff. You'll need something for dry scalp. Useing a cleansing shampoo every other wash will help remove residue/buildup.... but then you'll need to moisturize your scalp. i've recently tried using Mustard Oil.. yes.. Mustard Oil, which is traditionally used by Indians on their scalps. The bottle i have says it's for external use only. Don't worry, you won't stink of mustard.. besides, i mix mine with a little almond scent so i smell good. Anyways, the mustard oil is the best thing i've used on my scalp ever! i only rub some in after i shampoo/conditioner and come out of the shower. If you can't get your hands on Mustard Oil, then i'd suggest going to a herbal store and asking for a light, easily absorbed/no residue oil that you can rub into your scalp.

7) let's see.. hands, feet, lips. Feet i moisturize after i come out of the shower and when i go to bed. Use a pumice stone to get rid of flakes. Hands, i have handcream in my purse and at work, and keep moisturizing all day b/c i wash my hands often. Lips - it's so simple but i like Labello - i got a great tube in Sweden a couple of years ago - smells like Pina Colada - it's actually quite good + a more moisturizing lipstick/lip gloss. When i'm able to find it, i'll use Bonne Bell flip shades in Chocolate - it moisturizes and gives a little colour too. There are lots of colours to choose from, if you can find it.

okee so those are my tips.
good luck

 

[eloes]

What great tips!I'm going to have to try those. I didn't know that Vaseline was bad...I'll switch to moisturizer for now, and then I'm going to experiment with Shea butter for sure.

You've also provided me with a great Christmas gift idea for a friend with very dry skin.

 

[gruveechik]

Originally posted by eloes@Nov 15 2004, 08:49 PM
What great tips!I'm going to have to try those. I didn't know that Vaseline was bad...I'll switch to moisturizer for now, and then I'm going to experiment with Shea butter for sure.

You've also provided me with a great Christmas gift idea for a friend with very dry skin.

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ooh i'm happy you're happy
i hope they work out....
this is what i needed to do in order to get it right - for me.
know what? i never thought of them as good Christmas gifties...
what inspiration!
i'm just drumming up visions of blue bottles filled w/ rosewater/glyercin & spray nozzle.. decorated prettily... wee containers of shea butter or glycerin and so on.

i can't believe i FORGOT to add my favourite body cream to the list:
Walmart (yes Walmart) - Simply Basics brand
NUT BUTTER (not the coconut or cocoa butter - the NUT butter)
it's freakin maaarvy!!
it's cheap (less than $6 CAD)
lasts about 1 month (for me)
and is very moisturizing... i use that b/c i get too cold w/ the glycerin
and only sometimes, when i want additional protection, do i add the Shea butter to my body too.

i've also just found: Karites Shea & Cocoa Butter Cream - can be used on face and body. it's not as moisturizing for my body.. but i've been trying it on my face for 3days now.. it won't give you the glow of pure shea butter, but if you want something lighter, it's good.

all the best

 

[helena]

wind chapped winter skin

its really cold where I live at the moment & my skin is really suffering from the bracing winds. In particular its dry but I am getting red blotches on my cheeks & my skin often feels like its burning. I got this last year too.

trouble is that I hate having 'greasy' creams on my face especially during the day - I hate looking & feeling shiny. I mostly use a mattifying moisturiser but its not doing the job at the moment.

Does anyone have any advice as to what I should use? My skin is very pale & quite sensitive too. any help much appreciated.

 

[faust]

Hmm, I'm not sure about stuff for the face, but I use L'Occitane's hand creme for my hands, and it works wonders. It's not creamy at all, it wears out after a few minutes, but the effect stays. I think it has shea butter in it or something like that.

 

[helena]

thanks faust - you're a doll!! yes i might try and get a light shea butter cream. I have a fairly thick rose cream that I use at night but its so shiny for day. maybe i should get a balaclava...

 

[faust]

thanks faust - you're a doll!! yes i might try and get a light shea butter cream. I have a fairly thick rose cream that I use at night but its so shiny for day. maybe i should get a balaclava...

you are welcome

 

[Hanne]

http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9659

Take care you don't get tiny broken bloodvessels where the skin is especially thin

 

[helena]

I got caught in a blizzard last week and I now have two patches on my cheeks that are almost like blisters....like I have been burned. I have bought some Avene cream for redness - has anyone tried this? the patches are red & raised but also very itchy ....If it wasn't winter I'd think they were insect bites. I am feeling bad becasue its on my face and I am so aware of it.

any suggestions as to what it could be or what I could use?

I have been taking piriton to stop the itch.

HELP!!!!

 

[ciccia]

I got caught in a blizzard last week and I now have two patches on my cheeks that are almost like blisters....like I have been burned. I have bought some Avene cream for redness - has anyone tried this? the patches are red & raised but also very itchy ....If it wasn't winter I'd think they were insect bites. I am feeling bad becasue its on my face and I am so aware of it.

any suggestions as to what it could be or what I could use?

I have been taking piriton to stop the itch.

HELP!!!!

Hi, Helena!
I got the same, from the wind and cold, but mine looks more like a "make-up" mistake, near my mouth, as if I had put a stripe of bad blush there .
The only suggestion I can give you is not to touch it, and keep hydrating with a good thick cream, esp at night. I think if the blisters stay the same for 5-7 days or itch really bad you should see a dermatologist.

As for the cream suggestion: I was considering buying Kiehl's anti freeze SPF 15; it's designed for skiers and I have heard great things about it. I have to find something good if I want to keep running ountise in Buffalo!
hth

 

[helena]

thanks cicca - yes the patch on my right cheek is like a long scratch mark. the one on my right cheek is rounder. I always worry about using really thick creams as my skin is quite oily....but maybe it will be ok if I just put it on the patches. Its quite odd....its quite rasied like an allergy.

 

[ciccia]

thanks cicca - yes the patch on my right cheek is like a long scratch mark. the one on my right cheek is rounder. I always worry about using really thick creams as my skin is quite oily....but maybe it will be ok if I just put it on the patches. Its quite odd....its quite rasied like an allergy.

my pleasure . But again, if it doesn't improuve, see a doctor!

 

[gruveechik]

Oh honey - that sounds awful! i hope your skin heals soon. i'd recommend you treat a frost-burn or wind-burn like a sun-burn.

Ok - as you know, i'm a Shea butter fiend. i'd suppose that since Shea butter is an emollient and forms a barrier, it may help in protecting your skin. Also - since it's used for burns, may help as well. For extra benefit, mix the pure Shea Butter with Lavender Essential Oil. See below for a write-up on Shea benefits.

Other than that, perhaps:
- Pure Aloe Vera (if you have a plant handy - if not, then healthfood store gel) - for immediate applicaiton & reapply frequently. Will also help heal.
- Lavender Essential Oil - for immediate application. Lavender Essential Oil is one of the few oils that can be applied directly to minor burns.
- Calendula Cream may help as well. i use it when i need to heal sun-reactive skin. For later healing application.
- Also, there's an ointment called "Gator Balm" which i got from a health-food store, for my ex-bf who had radiation burns. He swore it helped.

Good luck and now, here's the Shea Butter write-up (btw: i swear i don't have stocks in the stuff Butyrospermum parkii – also called Karite butter, comes from the fruit kernels of the shea nut tree. This sweet, pulpy fruit grows wild throughout the dry arid regions of Central Africa. The pits are collected to sun dry and then roasted to get it ready for the difficult work of extracting the creamy, rich solid oil by hand. This butter has an amazing amount of healing properties and softening capability. Natural shea butter has been used traditionally as a balm for minor burns, muscle aches, rheumatism and more. Valued by a variety of people for hair and skin care use, natural shea butter skin lotion is a fabulous skin softening emollient due to its unique fatty acid profile and excellent natural moisturizing qualities. Shea butter benefits also include the protection of skin from environmental damage.
Benefits of Shea Butter: Shea butter has a wide range of amazing healing properties stemming from its physical make up of vitamins A, E, and cinnamic acid, just to name a few. Shea butter has been shown to have anti-inflammatory capabilities and has been utilized for these benefits for hundreds of years. It has been shown to increase the healing of wounds and improve scars. It is used to heal eczema, burns, rashes, severely dry skin, and to lessen the irritation of psoriasis.
Damage from the sun produces free radicals, which in turn increases the rate at which skin ages and can even become cancerous. To avoid damage, skin needs year round protection. Shea butter contains natural UV sun protection. Daily usage of shea butter skin cream or lotion on the face and body drastically reduces sun exposure while slowing down the effects of aging. It also acts as a natural barrier to protect against elements such as smoke, smog and environmental pollutants in the air.
Shea butter benefits the skin leaving it soft and supple after topical application. It is quickly replacing cocoa butter for the use of stretch mark prevention. Shea butter lotions are used by massage therapists and spas due to its non-greasy after feel and effective softening results. In fact, the usage of shea butter to replace other oils is growing as more and more therapists discover shea butter skin care treatment products.
Shea Butter Clinical Study: Shea butter is currently undergoing clinical tests in quite a few universities. Researchers hope to understand its healing properties and to find out how shea butter can be more useful for medical therapy. Several studies have revealed that Shea butter has UV anti-erythemic activity, which helps tissue cell regeneration and softening of the skin (1). (1) Tran, T., Parfumes, Cosmétiques et Arômes, 58, 65-66, 1986

 

[aquamarine]

I use Excipial almond ointment (from pharmacy) for "normal" everyday use

 

[Hanne]

Say away from cremes that contain water - and look for cremes that have "thermal shielding" an example of such would be comfort zone's Skin Resonance cream spf 15 w. a nourishing shield for sensitive skin

 

[helena]

The new black
Say no to crocodile Christmas

[FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]Hannah Pool
Saturday December 3, 2005
The Guardian

[/FONT][FONT=Geneva,Arial,sans-serif]You may have less flesh on show now that things are a little chilly outside, but unless you want to look like a crocodile come Christmas, now is not the time to start slacking on body care. Those with even the tiniest bit of beauty knowledge know that their face may need a little extra help in winter, yet people still persist in ignoring what goes on beneath the neck, thinking that if it's not on show, it doesn't exist.

Your skin has a natural ability to shed cells, but in winter that function, like pretty much everything else, slows down. If you don't think you need to exfoliate in summer, bully for you (I would beg to differ), but tell me you don't need to do so in winter and you'll be met with short shrift. "The drier the skin becomes, the less efficient the natural exfoliation process," says Candice Gardener of Dermalogica. "In other words, in winter you get an accumulation of dead cells, which is why your skin looks dull and flaky.

"When you are exfoliating, whatever your method, you are just facilitating that natural process," she continues. "It also helps to encourage moisture from the lower layers, so you have more healthy, hydrated skin, which is not only smoother but has more moisture in it. And the more moisture, the better the natural process - it's a cycle."
That said, body brushing is not necessarily the way to go in winter. For a start, it's too cold to be hanging around outside the shower, but more importantly, winter exfoliation needs to take into account the stressed state of winter skin. If your skin becomes sensitive when it is dry, then try an exfoliating body cream instead of a body brush. And if it's just dry and flaky, use a rich exfoliating scrub in the shower or bath, which should put back plenty of oil as you go (Dermalogica, Elemis and Sisley all do great scrubs). After all, who wants to wear a polo neck on New Year's eve?
Beauty school Ladies, to do this Hitchcock heroine chic thing right, we'll have to learn how to do a French twist. (Grace would have called it a chignon.) Stylist Fabrice at Andrew Jose, a specialist in up-dos for special occasions, says that unless you start off with a root-lifting blow-dry, using plenty of mousse, your twist will end up looking flat. Once your hair is dry and bouncy, stand in front of a mirror with another behind you, so you can see front and rear, and brush the hair smoothly back from your face and fasten in a loose side ponytail behind one ear. Make sure there are no bumps, then secure the hair flat against the back of your head with a vertical row of kirby grips (Fabrice uses extra-long ones), a finger's width behind the ponytail band. Take out the band, and fold the last inch or two of hair in on itself (facing the kirby grips, where the inside of the twist will be). This makes it easier to do a neat roll without bits sticking out. Roll the hair inwards, so it sits on the back of the head; don't pull too tight or you'll lose volume. Secure with pins (wavy, open-ended ones) and fix with hairspray.
Jess Cartner-Morley [/FONT]

 

[Becky_da_da_da]

Hi Butterfly,

eight hour creme is a creme by Elizabeth Arden that is pretty much a multi-purpose creme..some use it as a face creme, skiing creme, lipbalm..lipgloss..highlight..on eyes - for a wet look..you name it..I think just about every model in the mid 90ies listed it as a permanent fixture in their handbag.

I always hear raves about this creme, but didn't know it had so many purposes!

I think I'll buy some now