Nearly half of us suffer from dry skin – yet only around 28% are aware of it – so often the problem goes untreated and the condition worsens.
There a number of reasons why we get dry skin. It can be genetic, it can be seasonal, it can be allergy related – it can even relate to where you live.
(If you smoke cigarettes and live next to a formula one track, the prognosis is not good – the chances are you’ll have skin like a 400-year-old flip flop).
Sophie recently had a dry, allergic reaction on her eyelids because she used a different brand of eyeliner. It really can be as simple as that.
If you’ve got a serious skin problem go and see a doctor, but if you’re suffering from mild, dry skin irritation here are some natural (and cheap as chips) remedies that should see you glowing like a sunburnt jellyfish in no time.
1. Rub Olive oil into the afflicted area and let it soak in
Olive oil really is one of those incredible elixirs that’s often overlooked – probably because it’s more readily associated with cooking.
Dab a little olive oil and apply it to any area of skin and leave it to soak in. This is my weapon of choice. I frequently suffer from a dry scalp and my mother used to apply it to my head for an hour or two before I washed my hair. It really works and I still swear by it.
3. Try applying natural yoghurt to your skin (then wash it off)
Scooping up great handfuls of dairy products and rubbing it onto your face might sound about as appealing as head butting cheese while swimming in a bowl of milk, but bear with me… you see the lactic acid in yoghurt makes for a gentle but powerful skin exfoliate.
Go for plain Greek yoghurt (nothing fancy) and leave on your skin for 5 – 15 minutes. Now wash off before you start smelling like old cheese and baby sick.
4. Squeeze some Aloe Vera oil onto any damaged areas
These days you can buy Aloe Vera oil direct – or you can simply buy a plant and go direct to the source. Break off one of the leaves and squeeze out the oil and apply directly to your skin. It’s not only great for dry skin it’s a powerful treatment for burns and inflammation.
5. Reach for the honey pot instead of the lip balm
Lip balm works but it’s addictive. Once you start, you’ll be reaching for the damn thing every 4 and a half seconds. The more you use the more you need.
If you’re suffering from cracked lips try dabbing a little honey on your lips before you hit the sack.
6. Try using coconut oil to add moisture to your skin
Rub it onto your skin or pour a couple of thimbles full into your bath. Coconut oil is magical stuff that’ll leave your skin feeling soft and supple. It’s especially effective on your hands and cuticles (the weird translucent skin like bit at the base of your nails).
7. Mix some brown sugar with oil and honey and use as a skin rub
Once again exfoliating is the name of the game here. Mix up equal parts brown sugar (actual sugar not heroin) with vegetable oil or olive oil and add a dollop of honey. Now rub onto the afflicted area using gentle circular motions. If it helps, imagine you’re washing a car with Mr Miyagi.
The oil and sugar will act as a natural scrub and the honey will have a healing effect on your skin, giving it a vitamin hit.