It’s the time of year for dry skin. Does anyone have a bad case of winter itch this year? My hands and feet have quite a way of drying out each and every winter.
Moisturizing is necessary to treat dry, cracked or itchy skin. But many moisturizers on store shelves today are filled with toxic ingredients. {Please, please, please – check all your personal care products and stop using ones that include parabens!}
Out of 2,344 moisturizing products rated by the Environmental Working Group, 852 received low hazard ratings. (For the record, 1243 were moderate hazards and 247 were high hazards.)
The most seven most hazardous products (BY TERRY Gelee De Rose Intensive Multi-Active Moisturizer, Dial NutriSkin Replenishing Hand & Body Lotion, Freeman Lavender & Mint Bare Foot Nourishing Hand & Cuticle Cream, Gold Bond Silk Softness Ultimate Sheer Ribbons Body Lotion, Jean Nate After Bath Splash Mist, Rodial Skincare Life & Style Bathing Balm (Socialite), and Zirh Platinum Drenched, Ultra Hydrating Moisturizer) included ingredients like parabens, retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate, and oxybenzone.
After skimming all the highly hazardous products, I was sadly surprised to find that I had bought and used many of them throughout my life.
But the good news – and there is good news! – is that there are 852 products that are very, very safe to use. (And because my safety standards are more relaxed than the EWG’s, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy products that range between 0 and 3 … giving me 1,121 choices.)
Other moisturizing options
Besides buying safe moisturizers, you can do a few other things to help moisturize your skin. It won’t matter how much water you drink – but humidity can help prevent dry skin. Dry heat from winter heating quickly dries skin. Harsh winds, hot baths, and too much alcohol also have drying effects.
If you’re feeling particularly dry, you can try eating walnuts, salmon, flaxseed and olive oil to help hydrate your skin cells.
And if you’re in a pinch – or simply don’t want to buy moisturizers – try massaging coconut oil or olive oil onto your dry skin.
Talk back
How do you prefer to moisturize your dry skin? What’s your favorite safe product? What’s your favorite homemade choice?
This post is copyrighted. As the intellectual property of Hilary Kimes Bernstein and Accidentally Green, llc, please feel free to share on social media or link, but do not repost more than a teaser of this article.
Latest posts by Hilary Kimes Bernstein (see all)
- The Day I Realized Healthy Choices Don’t Guarantee Health - July 21, 2015
- Avoid Synthetic Bug Sprays with All-Natural Repellents - July 16, 2015
- The Day I Learned I Could Cook Real Food - July 13, 2015
lydia purple says
I use sweet almond oil with a drop of lavender essential oil to treat my dry skin.