HOUSTON – Houston’s weather right now is making us dry out big-time.
If you’re feeling like your skin is red, dry or flaking, too, here is a list of some products we’ve tried out -- and stand by -- to cope with the effects of the winter weather.
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This cream is thick and works fast. The scent is light and fresh and nearly non-existent after the lotion is applied. It’s also expert-recommended. Board certified dermatologist, Dr. Sherry Ingraham with Advanced Dermatology, recommended this brand and formula on “Houston Life” when dealing with dry, cracked hands.
We can also say from experience that this cream can make a difference with people who have eczema.
This lotion really helps if you’re itching like mad from dryness.
This one was recommended by a pediatrician to this author. The lotion is not only good for itchy skin in the winter, it can also help throughout the year for treating insect bites, sunburn, poison ivy and sumac.
The scent and feeling are two things we’d like to mention with this one. If you’re not into lotion that feels like it’s medicating you, steer clear of this one. The formula contains camphor and menthol. It smells a little like a hospital situation.
This stuff is thick and coats and makes you feel like you’re really doing something about your dry skin.
Interestingly, this product was developed to help dairy cows. The scent is light.
If you’re wanting to really get down to helping your skin, slather some of this stuff onto your hands or feet at night with gloves and socks. You can do that with almost every product on this list. There are special gloves and socks for a spa-like experience, but really, any cloth pair will do. We just suggest that they’re fitted to get the most from the incubator-like contact it’ll have with your skin.
Gold Bond Ultimate Eczema Relief Cream and Lotion
Another option to help with dry skin is Gold Bond’s eczema formula. If you’re seeing a theme here, it’s to go the eczema formula route for great dryness relief. The eczema formulas often contain soothing oatmeal and other ingredients that not only go after the itching, but also help alleviate redness, dryness and help heal by moisturizing skin.
Ahava Mineral Body Lotion and the Mineral Hand Cream
These are somewhat splurge items, but if you’re looking for something that feels light, has a great scent and moisturizes you’re dried-out skin, these products are a good choice.
A little goes a long way with these two products, so that might take a little out of the sting on the price and this company regularly has promo codes and free shipping you can take advantage of over $50. It’s also sold at Ulta and Nordstrom if you want to skip the shipping fee.
Ahava Mineral Body Lotion - $31
Ahava Mineral Hand Cream - $24
We know this isn’t a lotion, but it’s fantastic for helping with dry skin that’s not breakout prone. And it’s really, really economical (only about $3.50 for a big jar). The idea is that Vaseline helps keep the moisture you have in your skin contained in your skin.
“Especially patients with eczema — we frequently have them pat dry after a shower and then use a petrolatum-based product head to toe to trap in the moisture,” Dr. Robert Finney, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City told MarthaStewart.com, adding that this is often the most effective way to hydrate your skin.
Other mentions (that we haven’t tried, but are interested in)
Also -- in this “Houston Life” article, a Houston dermatologist also recommended CeraVe Moisturizing Cream (About $16 a bottle) and La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm (About $20 a bottle) for treating dry or cracked hands. Though we haven’t tried these products, we are interested in how they work. Have you tried them -- or other products -- that work for you without fail? Let us know and we could update this story with your recommendations.
RELATED: Houston dermatologist explains how to treat dry or cracked hands
RELATED: 4 skincare products you need for healthy skin
And just one extra thing that we found that we love -- Liv Tyler’s 25-step skincare tutorial that she did for Vogue a few years back. You may not have a 25-step routine (nor actually need one) but we love Tyler’s voice and process and her tips on hydration, skincare and taking care of yourself.