How To Get Rid Of Dry Skin

An occasional bout with dry skin is bearable and almost expected in the long winter months when the furnace is constantly blowing hot, dry air about the house. The prolonged exposure to dry heated air during the winter months produces an environment of low humidity, one of the known causes of temporary dry skin. A number of other conditions will bring about dry skin, including: use of a medication (especially a pain killer or antidepressant), traveling, sudden change to diet, and even dehydration. While the winter version of dry skin is the most chronic of the temporary types of dry skin, the fact remains that all of them are only temporary. But what can be done to get rid of dry skin when it is seemingly a chronic condition that never really seems to go away?

Determine Cause First

In order to effectively get rid of dry skin, you must first find out what is causing the problem in the first place. If the problem seems to be persistent, think about all of your routines and how they might play a part in your dry skin. If you seem to get a really severe case of dry skin during the winter months but improve in the spring, then chances are that a humidifier would be a great idea.

However, if the condition seems to be year round, then the best to look to as the possible cause would be diet. Poor nutrition will rob your body of the nutrients and tools it needs to keep the skin healthy and beautiful. Plus, when you consume too much of those greasy foods that you know are no good for you, the body has a hard time making the lipids necessary for keeping the skin smooth and moisture retained. It is also possible that the problem is dehydration and that you constantly rob your body of the fluids it needs to function normally and your skin is paying the price.

It is even possible that the cause of your dry skin problem are your very own hygiene habits! In particular, taking a bath or shower properly and using the right soaps can make all the difference between chronically dry skin, and perpetually beautiful and radiant skin. Improper bathing techniques are a known source of chronic dry skin and should be considered a place where improvement can be made.

Start Experimenting Until You See Results

Where dry skin solutions are concerned, there are no simple ones. The truth is that it takes time, experimentation, and a lot of patience to find the best strategy for you and your skin type. With regards to diet, begin with plenty of water. The rule should be no less than ½ ounce for every pound you weigh. With respect to food, begin with what not to eat and then start adding to your menu of “beneficial” foods for your skin.

To begin with, you don't want anything at all that may dehydrate you as this will rob your skin of the moisture it needs to stretch, remain smooth, and function normally. For this reason, you really want to avoid alcohol if you prize healthy skin at all. A hangover is little more than very severe symptoms of dehydration-especially the headache! You will also have to forego your morning cup of java as it, too, will rob you of water because it speeds the body up and forces it to use more water. Tea, unless it is decaffeinated, is also one to stay away from. In fact, try to avoid any soft drinks as well because they tend to cause more damage than good where the body and skin are concerned.

When imagining the list of foods to avoid when trying to rid your diet of harmful agents to your skin, just picture all the best foods you like: fried foods such as chicken, French fries, or anything else that has been deep fried; any of the processed sugars such as candy bars, or even sugar itself as we know it in the grocery stores of today; even your dairy favorites such as cheese and milk must be either consumed in low fat varieties or not at all. However, remember that some animal fats are necessary to natural looking skin so you do not need to start buying stalk in celery and lettuce in order to have beautiful skin.

Still, you will need to eat several daily servings of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds in order to keep that skin looking beautiful and vibrant. You will also want to eat at least two daily servings of grain, such as cereal or whole grain bread. Try also to find foods rich in essential fatty acids as they are great for keeping dry skin at bay-plus, they help repair existing dry skin problems.

It is also quite possible that a dry skin condition has persisted through the years due to improper bathing habits. Simply bathing too often, as in more than once per day, can dry skin out and rob it of the oils necessary to retain moisture. Using soaps that are too harsh and use too little conditioner will also worsen or perhaps even create a dry skin condition. Even if the water is too hot, the skin will be drier at the end of the shower or bath than at the beginning.

As you can see, there are a number of reasons why a perfectly treatable dry skin condition has persisted through the years without fail. By simply taking a close look at your diet and bathing habits, you may be able to identify two potential areas as the source of your persistent dry skin problem.

Of course you may still need to use a moisturizer of some kind, at least for a while, but just be sure it uses all natural ingredients as those made from synthetic or chemical ingredients may cause allergic reactions that could actually worsen the dry skin condition. Other than that, just identify the problem and then experiment with some different eating and bathing habits, and see if the dry skin persists or gets better.

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