I have lived in the desert for 35 of my 42 years... As a child, I was outside from sunup to sundown with no sunscreen... BAD... but that was in the day when it was not known (or it was ignored!!!) what childhood sun damage could do.

I have tried several Olay products that have come highly recommended based on research that I did and am tired of spending the money to see no effects. As a matter of fact, I am calling Olay about it!... absolutely no improvement and I've been using them for several months now. I also tried a cream with Retinol for a few months before that; no improvement.

I drink at least 8 cups of water a day, eat right (but do eat lowfat which can effect hair and skin but it is a healthy heart choice that I have to make with my genetic makeup), don't smoke, and drink alcohol VERY moderately.

My dad lives in Oregon (wet climate!) and his skin looks younger than mine and he is 65!!! Irritates me to no end!!! LOL.

Anyone have some similar circumstances and have something to offer? My skin would really appreciate it!

Sorry, but I'm another person who uses Olay. About 5 weeks after my DD was born I got extremely dry, flaky, peeling skin on my face even though I was drinking tons of water and eating right. I made sure to exfoliate really well and then I used Olay Complete Moisture Cream for Sensitive Skin. It comes in a little white jar with a black lid. I love this stuff and still use it every day even though DD is 5 1/2 months old now. The reason I really like this stuff is because normally, my skin is oily and this absorbs into my skin without making it more oily. With a lot of moisturizers I feel like I have a film over my face, but not with this.

Have you tried Neutrogena? I used to use some of their products and liked them fairly well.

Good luck. Hope you find something that works for you.

I like Lubriderm (SPF15) for my face. I put it on right out of the shower. Never feels greasy but makes my face feel better. I did end up putting it on a few times a day while visiting Las Vegas, man is it dry there!
HTH

Try Badger Balm Body Butter as soon as you get out of the shower. I love the cocoa vanilla variety. My face is very dry and drinks this right in. Follow up with sunscreen if you're going out. The regular Badger Balms are great too, way better for my skin than Burt's Bees products. Good luck, I share your pain!

http://www.badgerbalm.com/c-5-body-butters.aspx

Thank you for the suggestions... Trying what I can. I have some organic coconut oil that I will try next. Wish I had started in my 20's instead of waiting until my 40's.

I use moisturizers/facial products from Yves Rocher www.yvesrocher.com

I use straight olive oil, add a few drops of lavendar oil cuz I hate the smell of olive oil (you can use any essential oil that you like to smell, I've also used rose, lily and patchouli oils for scents). It has been my salvation. My skin was so dry it was driving me nuts with itchiness. I use the olive oil after showering and also at various points during the day. Only need avery, very small amount, and is much less expensive than other stuff I've tried, and I've tried nearly *everything*. Watkins makes a nice oil based/lavendar scented body oi(that has worked well even on my face and neck) that doesn't cause any reactions for me, but my own homemade stuff works just as well.
MZ

I'm thinking the coconut oil (MZ, it's odorless!) that I just started using might be my salvation as well... It was recommended by my yoga instructor who also has sensitive skin. You can also use it for cooking.

MZ, where do you get the Watkins? I love the scent of lavendar! Great suggestion.


I use an organic sunscreen anymore as well... Keep it in the car since that is where I usually start out before the sun but might need to start just putting it on as a daily routine in the morning.


Aging is great!!!

I use the Badger Lip & Body Balm all the time for my lips. My favorite is the Lavender and Orange. I keep several of these all over my house and in my purse, so I always have it where and when I need it. Before I used the Badger Balm, I used to use Burt's Bees. Now after the Badger Balm, I can't stand Burt's Bees stuff any more.

I have also bought the Badger Baby Balm and the Badger Anti-Bug Balm and love them too. The Baby Balm is great for anything from cradle cap to diaper rash and it works great on my dry skin too (knees and elbows), but it's not something I would put on my face.

Ennadee, thanks for the recommendation of the Badger Balm Body Butter. I think I'll have to try that or just some of the Badger Skin Balms next.

FYI, I can't find the Badger Balm products anywhere in the city I live in, so I order from them from http://www.balmworks.com/badger/body-butter.html

Here is a link for buying Badger items locally at brick and more... store finder:

http://www.badgerbalm.com/storelocator.aspx


Thanks for the great suggestions in this thread!

A co-worker of mine suggested I use Cetaphil, (sorry if I spelled it wrong). They make face cleanser, bar soap and lotion for dry skin. I bought some at Walgreens today, $11 for lotion and bar of soap. I'm in Ohio and my skin is soooo dry right now I could scratch my whole body forever. I hope this works!

I used to have extremely dry skin, and since I have been using the Pure Simplicity Milk Thistle facial cleanser and moisturizer from BBW, the dry skin on my face has gone away. The facial gift sets at BBW have been discontinued, but if you can find them they only cost $3.75 right now. BBW are still selling their Pure Simplicity facial products in the larger size tubes, from what I've been told only the gift sets have been discontinued. Now if I could just find a product to work on the rest of my body. These Iowa winters are murder on my skin .

__________________
Don't dream it. Be it.

How could I forget coconut oil, especially since it's hands down the best thing I've ever found to fight dry cracked heels!
I got my last batch of Watkins products at a Target or Walmart during post holiday sales, I think it was just a holiday item, hadn't noticed it in discount stores before. You can buy online at Watkins or at places like Vermont Country Store ( I'm guessing).
I used to get all sorts of Watkins products at farmers' markets and flea markets.
MZ

Soap might also be something to consider. We have bad (dry) skin in the family, and the kids pedi recommends Unscented Dove only - even for teenage boys. He also recommends - as did the Dr. that we had previously who retired - bathing less frequently - although that's a tough one. And personally, I've found that regular cardio exercise seems to help too.

cj/

Try products sold exclusively through dr.s. By law, over the counter products aren't as potent as the stuff you buy from dr.s; they're considered prescription skin care.

I really like M.D. Forte' products (not to be confused with M.D. Formulations) and have used them for years. They're a middle-of-the-road line, price wise, but work as well if not better than some of the higher priced lines (I've tried several of those including Obagi and Kinerase). M.D. Forte' is made by Allergan, the same company who is responsible for Botox and now Prevage (which is also sold by Elizabeth Arden at a reduced strength and an increased price!).

You can find some good deals on ebay as well as skincare.com (I think if you sign up for their email you can receive codes).

I also use retin-A and a skin bleaching cream (for the sun damage). And, if your sun damage is great, you can do foto-facial. I've done it and it's amazing ~ the sun damaged area quickly forms a scab that doesn't last long. Underneath is damage-free skin.

Thanks for all of the replies... it has been a big help!

I was watching the view and I thinkit was Rosie O'Donell suggested Cocoa Butter. Brooks sells a small but decent size in the trial section for about $1.25. It is in a Yellow Tub like container and although the smell is just okay it really works and not only on my face but hands also. When you listen to the stars its funny how they mostly use cheap stuff. Olive Oil is also good but I break out. I have also used Olay and my dermatologist always points to neutrogena. Go for the Cocoa Butter it's so cheap nothing to lose!

__________________

Without Health you have no Wealth!

Vitamin E is great for you skin. When mine has been extremely dry, I'd buy the gel tabs, poke a hole in them and put them on my hands or whatever. It's very sticky though, like honey and takes a while to absorb into your skin. You can also just take the vitamin and that helps my skin also.