So my legs are super dry and flaky. I also have dark spots all over (from mosquito bites). I can't really wear shorts or skirts since they look so ugly. What product can you recommend to moisturize my legs? Can I still erase the dark spots? This has been really wearing off my confidence so all answers will be much appreciated.
I'm a great proponent of Vitamin E oil for external application as well as taking orally. You could also apply jojoba oil as an alternative. For scars, try Bio Oil on those bite marks and dark spots.
I have a lot of scars, too. I second using Bio Oil. I also use cocoa butter. I think the most important thing is to give attention to your legs. You should use a nice soap or body wash, exfoliate your skin, and use a nice lotion. Also, stop hiding them! You can still wear pantyhose or thin tights if you are self-conscious, but you'd be surprised - people do NOT investigate or examine your legs, but will notice that you are confident enough to wear something that shows off so much leg! Good luck!
This has been the worst year for bugs where I live, and I have the scars to prove it. Along with the bug bites my skin, not just on my legs is flakey from fall to spring, so I'm battling this as well. I've been finding that Palmer's is great for this. It helps sooth and moisturize, while gradually healing the the bug bite scars. It's a slow process, but stay with it and your skin will be rewarded.
Hey! My advice is to start with using a good oil. Many lotions on the market don't penetrate enough, for skin that is really dry. So, start with oil first and then progress to lotions once you've got your dryness under control. If you have the money, I'd also recommend going organic and natural. Some good oils are: 1. Coconut Oil: It's moisturizing, heavy, and aids in healing / repairing the skin. And you can cook with it. 2. Olive Oil: It's not heavy as some other oils. And it can wear out quickly. But it is easy to buy, you can cook with it, and you can put it in your hair. It's great for its multi-purpose capabilites. 3. Argon Oil: It supposedly has some anti-ageing qualities and is loaded with Vitamins A and E 4. Sweet Almond Oil: It contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and E, is an all-natural beauty treatment for skin, scalp and hair types, and has anti-ageing qualities 5. Jojoba Oil: It's also great for skin, hair and scalp. It closely resembles our body's natural oil. So, it may not be heavy-enough of an oil to start off with, but it definitely is one of the best oils to use when you get your skin's dryness under control. 6. Safflower Oil: It works by holding moisture in. It also smooths and softens the skin. You can also use it in baking and salads. --You can find most of these oils at natural and organic food stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Greenwise. Coconut, Olive and Safflower Oil can be found at most major grocery stores, even Walmart Supercenter. Techniques: 1. Slather a thick layer of heavy oil or body butter on your legs. Wrap your legs with a warm towel. Then wrap them with plastic or a plastic bag(s). It's like a hot oil treatment for your hair; instead it's for your legs. Do this for 15 minutes and then rinse. 2. Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! Not only does it make your skin super soft, it also allows oil to penetrate easier and deeper. And it removes dead skin, thus slowly fading the dark spots. 3. Lemon juice is a natural skin bleacher. You can dab your spots with this. But because it's natural, it takes a long time. Also lemon dries out your skin. So, this could be counter-productive for you. 4. If you don't mind using chemicals, there are many skin bleaching products on the market that work. 5. Do leg facials. Like exfoliation, this helps with the texture of your skin and makes it easier for oil to penetrate. Basically, spoil your legs the way you'd spoil your face. Skin is skin! Hope this helps. Good luck!
Maracuja oil is great for lightening scars and bringing a even color to your skin. I love to use coconut oil for my legs which are dry. They respond so well to it. Soak for 15-30 minutes and wash off with aLog In. You could try castor oil if you can stand the smell, the results are fabulous. Warm the oil and apply with cotton wool, leave for 20 minutes and wash off with home made body scrubs. Wax you legs fortnightly, helps remove all the hair and the dead skin. You would love to show your legs off
I've tried Jason's Vitamin E Oil but sadly it didn't work out for me. Still dry legs. I am a soap user and recently I've heard that they are harmful on our skin. Is this true? I am using Dove right now but I heard Cetaphil may do the trick. I will buy Palmer's and Bio Oil soon. Hopefully, it will help hydrate my legs. Thanks for all the tips guys! I will make sure to try them out soon!
If your skin is dry and flaky, it's probably best to start with a good exfoliating scrub and then worry about moisturizing. Bath and Body Works makes a good sugar scrub that does an excellent job of smoothing out legs. There are a ton of other companies that make them...or you can make your own. I've made some before but the sugar always ends up melting so I'll stick to store brand scrubs. Following up with some sort of butter (shea, cocoa, etc...) will help keep skin moisturized all day. I use castile soap or natural soap bar and I don't have any issues with dry skin. I do use an exfoliation glove for my whole body so that could be why.
I found a homemade scrub recipe online that uses brown sugar, grapeseed oil and a few drops of essential oil (I use vanilla). You can do this on your own, it's cheap and I think very effective, not to mention it's all natural. You can use it after you shower and right before that last rinse when taking a bath. You'll also feel that your skin is more moisturized than before. I think you can substitute the grapeseed oil with olive or coconut oil. Anything that's not too thick.
The first thing you need to do is let the fresh air get to your legs. Covering them will just make matters worse, and nobosy is really looking at your legs - you just think they are because you're self conscious about them right now. Your skin needs to breathe, just as you do. I have similar problems due to circulation issues, and I find that Johnson & Johnson 24 Hour Hydrating Lotion works better even than the cream prescribed by the doctor, so that might be worth a try.
The most likely cause of your problem is insufficient hydration. Until you correct that, no amount of lotion or moisturizer will save your legs. Try adding something like emergenC to your drinking water. As for the mosquito bites, a combination of cocoa butter and aloe vera should clear them up. However, if you have dark scars from mosquito bites, you've scratched them until you broke the skin. Try keeping afterbite in your purse for emergencies, but at home keep things like witch hazel and aloe vera plants on hand. Fresh basil can also help; just rub the leaves on your skin.
I agree with ChanelG that drinking enough water is very important. I would also recommend using cocoa butter, not cocoa butter lotion, but the pure form of cocoa butter. It's a great moisturizer and it will help fade your scars. Good luck.
Thanks for all the great tips guys! Will try your recommendations soon. For now, I've started hydrating my body by drinking lots of water. I'm abstaining for Coke and sodas too. I've also started exfoliating my legs every week. I'm also applying Dove Lotion in the morning and sunflower oil in the evening. My skin's getting better now. Hopefully, it will be really soft soon so I can go and treat all the dark spots and scars on my legs. I will also try to be more confident. Thanks for cheering me up guys! You wrote so many recommendations for me to try and I'm so pumped up to try all of them.
Just as some of the others have said, you need to drink more water. My legs used to flake really bad in the fall and winter, but once I started drinking more water it went away. I started taking water to work to drink throughout the day, including with my meals and I haven't had a problem with flaky skin in 11 years.
I can't believe how much practical tips I can get from this post! Thanks so much almari_011 for posting. I have the same problem and I have tried moisturizing my legs more. That's what my dermatologist told me; to moisturize my skin every hour. No exaggeration. This is because I have extremely dry skin. I suffer from atopic dermatitis. Also, same as you, I have scars on my legs which makes me self conscious. I have tried years ago taking glutathione tablets to lighten my skin which had the same effect on my scars. I stopped it though because it was so expensive. Now, thank you for posting this discussion. I got lots of tips and excited to try them. Goodluck to both of us!
