Recommendations for cream for VERY dry skin

jackieb

Is it Dermol?

My son also has extreme ezcema. He's been in hospital with it. We've had so many different creams my house is like a chemist shop. There are so many different products. What might work for one person might irritate the next. We've tried pretty much everything.

When my mum was having radiotherapy, she was told not to use Simple shower cream or moisturiser as there was something in it which could irritate her skin where she'd had her treatments. They said it was okay for her to use the Simple soap in the shower though, and to use aqueous cream as a moisturiser..

Citygirl1

Interesting, I was thinking of trying the Johnsons top to toe baby wash as there are good reviews about it on Make Up Alley but now I am wondering if it will be an irritant if it foams up.

Fuzzy_Duck

jackieb wrote: »

Boots aqueous cream. You can use that to shower with or use it as a moisturiser. It's like E45 but a lot cheaper. You can buy it in 500ml tubs.

I use aqueous cream on my legs in the shower, then rub baby oil over them when I get out. This is probably more of a prevention than a cure though.

I did like LUSH Dream Cream but as I had eczema caused by a dust allergy it didn't clear it up. As there are no underlying medical problems though it should make a difference for you, and it is very soothing. You can pick up a sample to see how it works for you before buying.

adelight

Do you use harsh soap or bath products? Too many chemicals and SLS will dry the skin, and some moisturisers are so chock full of chemicals (or petroleum based) that they won't help much.

I can vouch for raw shea butter, try a small pack http://www.akomaskincare.co.uk/product.php/315/raw_shea_butter___organic_fairtrade__refill_pillow_pack__50g they also sell raw organic coconut oil and african black soap.
The soap is made up of shea butter, cocoa pods and coconut oil, it's not overly foamy, it isn't drying and it's very gentle on sensitive skin. It's the only thing I use, head to toe, and I would never use anything else! http://www.akomaskincare.co.uk/product.php/34/akoma_african_black_soap_from_ghana_bars
Both are cheap, but very cheap if you buy in bulk of 1kg+

bohemianrose9

Hey,
It sounds as though your skin is very similar to mine - I've always had incredibly dry, scaly skin on my legs and assumed it was because I didn't moisturise enough, then a nurse noticed it and told me it was eczema. She recommended I try Oilatum, E45 or Eucerin.

Eucerin smells foul and is really difficult to spread, but seems to moisturise ok, I just couldn't bear the fishy smell and stopped using it. I don't find E45 that moisturising as it seems to stay on the skin's surface rather than absorbing in. Oilatum also wasn't fantastic. I've also tried one called something like Waterbase - another aqueous cream, which was also rubbish. I'm currently using Aveeno creamy oil, which isn't massively moisturising but is lovely to use, and so I do actually put it on after every shower.

In general, the only creams that actually seem to moisturise my skin properly are those with high percentages of urea - Flexitol hand cream is great, and Garnier Hydralock too, although both of those are handcreams, but my hands are horribly dry. After listening to what everyone else has said, I'm quite keen to try out the natural oils.

Sorry, this has been quite a ramble. I just thought I'd let you know what isn't really worth spending lots of money on, IMO. If you ask your GP you might be able to get samples of these types of creams to try, as mine gave me loads of samples ages ago.

HTH!

consultant31

Bloomin_Freezing2 wrote: »

Have you seen your gp? My daughter has eczema but is dry all over. She has moisturisers that can double up as 'soap'. It's not aqueous cream (can't remember the name right now), but it works wonders.

Would this be Diprobase? My DD was given this for eczemous skin, you can use it to wash with (though it doesn't make any lather) and to spread on the skin...........good stuff!

bigblackdog

i have heard 'harry monk ' is very good for dry skin , supplied in a long container , squeez and squeeze then bingo

Amanita_2

I have dry skin -and when it is particularly bad I use old fashioned Astral cream. Absolutely dirt cheap so if it doesn't suit you you are only down a £1 or so.

I also found that taking starflower or evening primrose oil daily makes a big difference to the overall dryness