The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Joy (Battleground, Wash) on 05/15/2013
★★★★★
I had the cracks on my heels for 15 years, dry skin that had to be scaped off or it would form a deep crevace and bleed and take months to heal It all stopped when I started eating the coconut oil in november/december at the height of cold weather, warm sox and shoes all day... No more problems.
Pineapple Juice
Posted by Cyma (Dubia, Uae) on 04/27/2013
★★★★★
Since moving here three years ago I have been plagued with severly dry, scaly skin. I have tried scrubbing with coffee, sugar, salt as well as commercial scrubs but, nothing works. I have not been able to find a lotion that can keep my skin moist for more than a few minutes. I'm in my 40's and have always had soft skin. About one month ago, whilst eating some fresh pineapple I got the idea to apply some of the juice to my skin (seeing that it contains fruit acids which act like exfoliant) before applying my normal moisturiser. I first tried it on my legs and arms - the driest parts. Within a few days I noticed the layer of dry scaly skin was gone! I have been using it since and dry skin is no longer a problem. On the face I dilute the fresh juice with a little water and leave it on for about 10 minutes. I then wipe my face with damp cotton pads before applying a moisturizer. If your skin is sensitive, it might tingle a bit on the face. But so far, I've had no adverse reaction. Give it a try. It's inexpensive and effective.
Water
Posted by Mary (St (Cold) Louis, Ms) on 03/26/2013
★★★★★
Hi, yes omega 3 works as does flaxseed oil but for dry skin, you may also try increasing your water intake. I find that works best for dry skin, especially in winter months. Mary
Omega 3 Fish Oil
Posted by Caitlin (Asheville, Nc) on 03/25/2013
★★★★★
Dry skin - the past week I have been experiencing dry skin on my palms, which feel very rough to the touch. I typically take 1 fish oil pill a day, but yesterday I took 2. Within 20 minutes, the rough, dry skin on my palms had disappeared. I also have dry flaky skin around my nose which gets triggered when I eat certain things like dairy or milk chocolate and that too healed at the same time and looked a thousand times better. I am going to up my daily dosage to 2 capsules, twice a day for a while. I highly suggest this! My capsules are EPA 400, DHA 200 if that helps anyone.
Milk of Magnesia, Coconut Oil
Posted by Joy (Battleground, Wash) on 03/21/2013
★★★★★
Years ago I heard that putting milk of magnesia topically on dry skin would remove dead cells and leave healthy skin, from a model that used it to keep her skin beautiful. I did that a lot on dry skin and loved it. Lately I bathe in it, 1 /2 cup in hot bath and also soak my head in the tub. I have had dry skin, so this is nice. I have fall/ winter/ spring dandruff but not summer.
Lately I ran across coconut oil and trying to use it in different ways. Heated some in an old agave bottle with a tiny tip on it. Heated my rice pack in microwave and wrapped the rice pack around agave bottle to melt the oil and then put on the scalp. Let soak all day then took a bath with head in water, followed with a shampoo. No oily hair just soft and no dandruff.
Also daily brush with the oil and put on face, hands and feet. Use half pea size in ear if there is any ringing starting up.
Tea
Posted by G (San Diego) on 03/13/2013
Okay so I have to update my dry skin method.. I said in another post that butter helped my dry skin.. But now I think I want to say that rubbing tea on the skin helps great too! (as well as adding sea salt to your face wash and baking soda/for acne prone) I will try aloe vera next if my face is not recovering from the scars or stays dry.. This is day 1.. Some results better than butter and I used convenience store bought tea.. I will try this method with homemade tea next.. Youtube videos always talk about putting tea bags on the face to help speed up healing of dry skin, etc.. More is to come..
Castille Soap, Coconut Oil
Posted by Lou (Tyler, Texas) on 03/02/2013
★★★★★
I healed my dry feet by using a castille soap product with coconut oil in it. It kills the fungus that causes the dryness. Try it!
Coconut Oil and Beeswax
Posted by Ophelia Grey (Columbia City, Indiana) on 11/03/2012
★★★★★
To concoct this recipe, I suggest the following.
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
Posted by New To All This (La, Ca) on 04/15/2012
Winter 2011-12 was my fifth year using honey to stop the back of my hands from getting so dry they bleed, as they did form many years before I used honey.
Surprisingly, this winter it didn't work quite as well as before, even though the Southern California weather didn't seem colder, hotter, wetter or drier than usual. Instead of applying the honey for several days and then having smooth skin all winter, I had to apply it about every couple of months. It never got as bad as before I tried honey, though.
At first I thought it was because I was using old supermarket honey, but the new organic honey I switched to had to be reapplied before winter ended, too. Even so, it was far better than the hand creams and the prescription cream I tried before discovering honey.
This year I paid more attention to my chapped lips, which needed reapplication much more often than my hands.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Diane (Boise, Idaho) on 03/15/2012
★★★★★
I love Virgin Coconut Oil for lots of things, most especially taken internally for soft, shiny hair, and moisturized skin from within! My daughter turned me onto it about 4-5 years ago when a colleague of hers lost weight dramatically. Asked what was her secret, she said on Oprah Winfrey's show she learned about eating a tsp-tblsp of coconut oil morning and night. It promoted inner cleansing for weight loss, and the side benefits were awesome! This is one health regime I don't forget! My hair at 66 is the best it has ever been in my life, my skin is moisturized from within, no more scaley elbows, and it helps with the feet, and some weight came off too. After reading other earthclinic. Coms comments, I now also use it externally on face, hands and feet after toning or soaking with Apple Cider Vinegar or in the case of the feet, plain cheap white vinegar. I also try and drink more water every day too. Sorry avon lady, I like the natural remedies!
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.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Nightfire (Danville, Illinois, United States) on 03/10/2012
★★★★★
I have always looked young for my years (at least what everybody tells me) , but for some reason every one seemed to comment that it never looked like I had enough sleep, no matter what. But since taking VCO (internally and rubbing it around my eyes now and then) haha, they have lightened up! VCO is great and after I got over the dregs (er die-off symptoms) I notices a lot other neat stuff too from the VCO. WOOT! I am LITERALLY AGING BACKWARDS OUTWARDLY...
Coconut Oil and Beeswax
Posted by Stubzilla (Fort Lauderdale, Fl) on 03/08/2012
Hey, I have suffered from terrible dry skin for years and want to try this. Could you PLEASE explain how you made this balm. Did you add wax shavings to oil then heat all three? or did you heat the wax and then add it to oils? Do you have to make single batch or can you make it and then store it?
Lemon Juice
Posted by Briona (La, Ca, Usa) on 12/17/2011
★★★★★
The skin on my hands is very dry and I have a tendency to have lots of cuticles. I have tried everything, lotions, creams, ointments you name it - nothing works. To solve both these issues, I squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice in my hands and gently rub it once or twice a day, especially in winter. This is quite inexpensive and my hands are definitely happier.
Pure Lanolin
Posted by Teri (Tacoma, Wa, Usa) on 12/04/2011
★★★★★
I have always suffered with very dry skin, and natural lanolin is the best moisturizer I have ever found. I used to rub it into my children's hands at night while they slept when we lived in a very cold climate. It healed their very red, chapped hands overnight, and protected them for days because it sinks in and doesn't wash away easily. There are downsides. It is thick and messy to use, but great under a pair of white gloves overnight.
Honey
Posted by New To All This (Los Angeles, Ca) on 05/01/2011
★★★★★
Winter 2010/11 was my fourth using honey to keep the back of my hands smooth. To test whether I still needed it, I waited till after the weather got cold to see if my skin got dry and rough and it did. I again used cheap grocery store honey for several nights and quit. My skin was fine for the rest of the winter without treatment. I did get two small cuts that I couldn't attribute to any event, daubed them with honey and had no further problems--till today, the first of May, when the weather was slightly chilly in the morning. I again noticed a minor tear but didn't treat it until late afternoon when I saw some blood and applied honey.
It's odd that colder weather a couple of months ago didn't affect my skin yet it couldn't take milder dry wind today.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Mona (Urbandale, Us) on 04/21/2011
Try coconut oil with juice of lemon
Glycerin
Posted by Dallas (Amesbury, Ma) on 02/10/2011
★★★★★
Hey Dana,
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. :)
Coconut Oil and Beeswax
Posted by Equiana (Ithaca, Ny) on 01/19/2011
★★★★★
This stuff works!!! My son has had a chronic dry skin problem. He's ten years old now and ever since he was a baby we tried every kind of lotions on market, some even organic. We tried castor oil, ACV, etc. Nothing seemed to work. But after I read this post, I rushed to a healthfood store and got beeswax and made this balm and lo behold... He tells me his skin feels dramatically different! I am so thankful that somebody posted this. At first I tried 50/50 combination of oil and beeswax, but that is a little too hard to rub on skin (but made an EXCELLENT lip balm -- far better than any commercial lip balms, including those that claim organics like Kiss My Face) so I tried 2/3 oil and 1/3 beeswax combination in the second batch, which is softer and more handleable for rubbing into a large area of skin.
For oil, I used EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and some castor oil too.
GREAT TIP!!! THANKS!!!!
Coconut Oil and Beeswax
Posted by Farrelly (Traverse City, Mi) on 11/16/2010
★★★★★
Hi All, I find that the coconut oil would wash away so I put some beeswax in it. Just melt some coconut oil, (any edible oil will do), minimally hot, and shave some real beeswax onto it. Test it while it is in the melted state to see if it is the right consistancy. When to desired thickness put into containers for convenient use. The beeswax keeps the moisture in. I recommend putting on the oil and bee's wax combo on right after getting the area you want to treat wet. Dry off and immediately moisturize. Where I live this is survival in the wintertime.
Honey
Posted by Sp (La Vergne, Tn) on 11/07/2010
★★★★★
After reading a post about honey, I've decided to give it a try. I use raw honey to wash my face every day. Have been doing this for almost a year now and will continue to use it forever. I love the way it makes my skin feel, cleansed, and soft, not tight. I also use Borax (about 2-3 times a week) as a scrub. It works great. My skin feels smooth and soft. Thank you for sharing.
Pure Lanolin
Posted by Sp (Lavergne, Tn) on 11/06/2010
★★★★★
I tried liquid lanolin a few weeks ago for my dry hands and feet and it works very well. Since the liquid lanolin is too thick, I mix the liquid lanolin with EVCO and sometimes almond oil, just whatever I can grab first. I rub the mixture on my hands and feet at night. I rub the leftover on my checks and eye areas. The next day, my hands and feel and face feel very soft and moist. I Love it.