★★★★★
I do also use a lotion bar, especially on my heels. It contains cocoa butter, beeswax and coconut oil.
If you are inclined to make such a thing it is simply the following:
- 4 ounces beeswax
- 4 ounces coconut oil
- 6 ounces cocoa butter
You can add a teaspoon of peppermint essential oil and it will smell like a peppermint patty. :)
I melt the beeswax and coconut oil in a double boiler. Then gently melt in the cocoa butter. Add the peppermint oil once you remove it from the heat. You can pour it into soap molds.
You hold lotion bar in your hand and it melts a little off. It can also be placed in lip balm tubes to make a lip balm instead.
Enjoy!
~Mama to Many~
Black Seed Oil
★★★★★
A friend and I heard about black seed oil last summer (also know as black cumin seed oil or being billed as "curing everything except death". We decided to try it. Now I can't remember why except that what ever it was for, after I'd used or taken it several times, I felt like it wasn't doing anything for me. So I stuck it in the fridge.
When coconut oil stopped working for my skin, it popped into my head a couple of weeks ago that the black seed oil might help. I began rubbing a little on my hands every day, twice a day. Just enough to rub in without leaving any excess to look or feel greasy. Since then, my right hand looks remarkably better. There are still a few tiny spots where the skin still looks dry but I have to strain to see it and I think that's because I haven't used the oil in about a week.
I also began using it on my face because I noticed the coconut oil wasn't doing anything for my face other than softening my skin. It actually seemed to be leading to breakouts more and more. The black seed oil seems to be helping minimize breakouts and moisturizes well without leaving a greasy feeling.
For my face, I use it like a moisturizing cleanser. Meaning as soon as I come in for the evening, I put some on a cotton ball (not cotton pad) and use the oil to clean the day's dirt off. (Being careful to avoid the areas around and near my eyes.) I take a second cotton ball and go lightly over the same areas, to remove a little oil and any residual dirt. (Usually not much of either.) By the time I go to bed, any oil left has soaked into my skin. It looks nice and calm, feels like silk when I wake up.
If you try it, be careful NOT to get it near your eyes. The smell is slight but it causes my eyes to tear up if rubbed anywhere near them.
Wheat Germ Oil
★★★★★
Eat the coconut oil or put it on your hair but wheatgerm oil is more readily absorbed in my experience.
Hibiscus Tea
★★★★★
After my flu was gone I stopped drinking the Hibiscus tea and my skin went back to being dry again sometime after that. So I went back to drinking 1 cup a day and my skin became less dry again. No doubt about it now, it really does help my dry skin.
Word of CAUTION: Hibiscus in general can cause low blood pressure and diuretic effects. It can also cause an imbalance of hormonal levels in the body. This is because of the presence of phytoestrogen which is a plant based estrogen naturally present in Hibiscus.
Coconut Oil
Food Grade Vegetable Glycerin / Glycerine / Glycerol may be helpful for the dry skin issues of your infant. It is mild and commonly found in many creams and lotions. Glycerine is a humectant and can draw moisture to the dry skin areas. You can apply it full strength or dilute it down with filtered water to any percentage that feels comfortable on the skin. If you dilute it enough, you can also make a spray. You can add it to many different moisturizers, lotions and creams to improve the moisturizing effects of these. Be sure it is food grade in case your infant manages to lick the affected area.
When I have used it, the moisturizing effect seems to last all day. I have mixed it with different things like witch hazel and it seems to blend well with many others.
I just tried mixing it with castor oil and it does mix, which might be another possibility, but for adult use, adding a little lavender essential oil might add a soothing quality to the mix since I'm not a fan of the smell of castor oil. The glycerine does not seem to have a scent that I can detect.
Good luck!
Art
Glycerin
★★★★★
Thanks for posting this remedy. I too, have tried every cream, lotion etc. I have had super dry skin since I was a teen. Other kids battled with zits and envied me - my skin was clear and beautiful. But I told them that while it looked great, it was not so great to be wearing this tight mask of skin over my face. Since menopause, it is even drier and tighter and skin creams that I have used before no longer work for more than about 1/2 an hour. I tried the glycerin last night, full strength. This a.m. my skin feels a LOT better than usual. What a relief! Thanks again. :)
Papaya Ointment
★★★★★
Well, it worked for my legs too. After the first application! Because it is sticky, I patted talcum powder over it. I applied it again two days later just in case, but that one application did it. My mother used the one mixed with petroleum jelly, I used a very natural one. I waited two weeks before reporting. Both types of ointment worked straight away. It's the Papaya.
★★★★★
One of my toddlers (many years ago) had very dry cheeks, and none of his siblings did. He is an adult and still has a bit of trouble with that. Anyway, back then the pediatrician told me to use Eucerin. I did but don't it helped a ton.
My current favorite dry skin solution is 1/2 castor oil and 1/2 lanolin. I melt the lanolin and stir in castor oil. The resulting oil is very nourishing to the skin and usually makes skin very soft overnight. Castor oil alone works quite well but I find the addition of lanolin to be amazing.
~Mama to Many~
Glycerin
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
Egg Facial
★★★★★
Here is my method:
Beat one whole egg and place in a small covered bowl or jar. Apply to clean face. I usually apply 2-3 layers of the egg. I leave it for around 10-15 minutes then wash it off when I take my shower. I do this daily.
While my goal was to moisturize, I have noticed other benefits. I see a reduction in fine lines, as well as less blackheads and my pores seem to be tightening up. I had very large pores to start. I am very surprised by these results after using tis mask daily for a week. I am going to continue using this as it has been the best thing I have ever used. Also at night I pat my face down with rice water and leave it to dry. I do not rinse this off. It makes my skin feel very smooth and I do not need to moisturize when I use this. Maybe this will help someone else who is also at their wits end.
★★★★★
Coconut Oil and Beeswax
★★★★★
For a cream consistency you'll want to take the previous commenters advice and make a ratio of 1 part beeswax to 2 parts oil. Oils have different healing properties, so choose accordingly.
If you are experiencing simply dry skin, I suggest using olive oil (does not have to be Extra Virgin ). If you are also experiencing a rash or skin peeling, I suggest using a cold pressed coconut oil. (Very effective for fungal infections). For a lighter cream, perhaps for spring and summer, I reccomend using sunflower oil.
Now for the recipe... Take 1 part beeswax and put it in a small pan. Heat on the very lowest setting, stirring with a wooden spoon regularly.
When the wax reaches a smooth consistancy, add in your oil of choice. Mix thouroughly. At this point you can also add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice. Add only a FEW drops, as essential oils can be very potent. If you do decide to add essential oils, I suggest testing a small amount of the cream on the inside of your elbow and allow to sit for a few hours to ensure you do not have a sensitivity to the mixture.
While the cream is hot, pour into a small air tight container. Your cream is now ready to use. Do not place the mixture in the refrigerator because it will harden and become difficult to use.
Honey
★★★★★
Rice Bran Oil
★★★★★
But it's my elbows that I had problems with - the skin on my elbows would become so dry, that it would crack and become painful, so I instinctively grabbed a jar of aloe vera gel, drop a blob of it in the palm of my hand, then dribbled a tiny bit of Rice Bran Oil in it and blended it together with my finger before massaging it over my elbows.
If one doesn't have any aloe vera gel, then sprinkle water on your elbow first, then apply Rice Bran Oil while the skin is wet and massage in.
I don't know that it's a 'cure', exactly, but it sure does feel lovely and the relief (for me) is instantaneous.
Coconut Oil
★★★★★
Oh and I put about a tsp into my dogs food every day for moisturized skin and shiny hair/fur. No more expensive dog shampoos and conditioners. They are healed from the inside.
★★★★★
