Coconut oil has incredible healing properties as well. In addition to applying it on your skin you can use it in cooking and can heal you from the inside out. Just spread a little on a plain biscuit everyday to see results on your skin. Also popcorn made by heating coconut oil and adding corn kernels is a tasty and skin healing snack.
I have had trouble with eczema and am still prone to it if my skin gets too dry. What I found that really works is first of all switching to an organic diet. I developed eczema as an adult, and in my research learned that a big factor in this may be toxin overload, which made sense when I considered some of the things I have been exposed to in my life. Going organic, or as close to all organic as possible drastically reduces the amount of toxins going into your body via food. Second thing is to get all natural soap and shampoo. You want to stay away from sodium laurel and sodium laureth sulfates. They are very drying and potentially irritating ingredients. For moisturizer, I find that the two best for me are Burts Bees body lotion and Natures Gate hand and body lotion. Both of these are fairly thick lotions and really help seal in the moisture without feeling too greasy. They are all natural, so you don't have to worry about absorbing more toxins into your body by using these products. Some other possibly helpful tips are to switch to a natural and unscented laundry detergent. Coconut oil is a great moisturizer as well, but can be greasy. I find it is best used at night with moisturizing socks or when I am going to me sitting still for a while and can let it work without worrying about rubbing oil onto things and staining clothes.
The other thing you could try is to put a generous amount of baby oil in you bath water and use an E45 E45 Emollient Wash Cream. It doesn't lather and I doubt it has soap in it, which dries skin. You could then lather on Johnson & Johnson baby oil GEL, straight out of your bath, on damp skin so as to seal in the moisture. Then finish off with E45 Dermatological Cream. I think with this routine, your skin will respond very well, and thank you for it
I don't know if you have Celeteque in your country, but I use their moisturizer/lotion whenever my skin gets too dry. Celeteque has a wide range of products for different skin types. If you are worried about allergies, the lotion I use
Jojoba oil is proven to be the best oil for moisturization for skin because it is very similar to the natural oils our bodies produces. I have used jojoba oil and I think it truly penetrates through the skin to really provide moisture and relief. I recommend getting the raw kind of jojoba oil, with no other extra ingredients. I think besides that, cocoa butter and coconut oil are really good too.
A friend of mine suffered like you for a long time from very dry skin. We tried everything, from coconut oil to honey to fruit masks and so on, but nothing helped. One day when he visited me he found a bottle of my rosehip and argan oil mixture in the bathroom and asked if he could try it. And lo' and behold, it was like a miracle. He immediately liked the soothing feeling of it, and after using it for only one week, there was a noticeable change in his skin. Perhaps it's something you might want to try. Also, showering in temperate or cold water will help your skin to re-hydrate, along with drinking plenty of water every day.
Try seeking out the ingredients, rather than pre-made lotions. Many lotions use great bases, then add scents or other ingredients that actually cause skin irritation or dryness. Olive oil, aloe vera, shea butter- find the least-processed version, and try it out. Instead of washing then moisturizing, I'd look into oil cleansing if I were you. Rather than using soap which dries out your skin and then replacing the moisture with another product, you rub in natural oils (Olive oil, coconut oil, etc depending on skin type) which dissolve the dirt and oils in your skin, then remove it with a hot wet towel. It gets your skin very clean, and leaves you glowingly moisturized, without completely stripping your skin of oils at any point.
I also have dry skin in the winter months and a dermatologist told me to use Aquafor. You can buy it at any Walmart, Kroger, CVS, etc. Usually each store has their own brand because it can be quite pricey. I have used the store brands and they work quite well. I was told to put it on right after taking a bath or a shower. I have used it for years and it really does work for me. My sister has also used it at different times when she had eczema and it worked for her as well. I would use it every day until the dry skin got under control. The only other one I have heard of that works well is the Gold Bond for dry skin. I have never used it but someone I know has and felt it worked for them. The other thing to try is supplements for dry skin. Any health food store can recommend them.
I was also suffering from eczema and tried everything to soften the patches and make it feel better. I finally tried to tackle it from a different angle by seeing if it was something in my diet that was causing it. I decided to eliminate foods one at a time. For me, it was wine! Within a couple of days of eliminating my nightly glass, the patches looked and felt less inflamed and the redness began to go away. It is a full year later now and most of the dry patches are gone. I still keep two of the more stubborn patches moisturized with udder balm (or bag balm) and every now and then, one spot becomes irritated because I've had a small glass of wine. It's crazy, but try this. It might work for you too!
Have you tried aqueous cream? It is not expensive and the other half uses it for really bad flare ups of her eczema. But for day to day she uses an aloe vera body lotion, it helps her a lot in the summer and winter when she suffers the most.
