Bye Bye, Dry Skin: 10 Super-effective Home Remedies For Dry Skin

by Chaitra Ramalingegowda · October 27, 2016

With winter comes dry and flaky skin, which is a result of the cold, dry winter air sucking all the moisture from your smooth skin. In essence, your skin is dehydrated, and loses its flexibility. It becomes dry, dull, cracked, scaly, and even itchy sometimes. Frankly, dry skin can mar your looks.

Suggested read: 13 amazingly easy home remedies for silky hair

Reasons for dry skin

Let’s take a look at all the reasons for dry skin to better understand how to treat it:

The dry, cold winter winds leach all the natural moisture from our skin. These winds also lower the levels of natural oils in the skin, which protect the skin from drying out.
During winter, a hot shower is not a good idea, however much your skin craves for the warmth. It will only leave your skin feeling dry, flaky, and even itchy.
Warm winter clothing can also cause irritation, leaving your skin itchy and dry.
Though the sun rarely makes his presence known in the winter months, he’s always there, emitting UV rays, which can damage your skin.
Hot drinks like coffee and tea, contain caffeine, which can dry the skin from the inside out.

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Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

Home remedies for dry skin

There are several creams and lotions available on the market that help combat dry skin. However, most of these skin care products are expensive, which you may not be so inclined to shell out. So what is the alternative? Home remedies! Yes, natural home remedies are not only easy on your wallet, they are quite effective too. They provide the nourishment and hydration that your dry skin lacks, bringing back your healthy skin.

Let’s take a look at some of the most effective and easy home remedies for dry skin:

1. Jojoba oil

Jojoba oil is a wonder when it comes to combating dry skin. It’s a natural moisturizer, and it’s perfect because it suits every skin type. Its anti-inflammatory properties help soothe your dry skin too.

Remedy

Soak a soft washcloth in 3 cups of warm water. Remove most of the excess water and place it over your face for about 5-7 minutes, before taking it off. Now massage half a teaspoon of jojoba oil into your skin gently using your fingertips. Soothing circular motions work wonders for this therapy. Keep at it for about 10 minutes or so, so that the oil gets absorbed by your dry skin. Wipe off the excess oil with the washcloth.

2. Milk cream

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Image source: Shutterstock

The lactic acid and the natural fatty acids present in milk cream help exfoliate your dry skin, leaving it smooth, silky, and soft. Milk cream is an excellen moisturizer, which helps preserve your skin’s delicate pH balance.

Remedies

Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice to 1 teaspoon of milk and 2 teaspoons of milk cream, and mix well. Rub this mixture into your face, arms, and legs thoroughly. Leave it on for half an hour to 45 minutes, before taking a shower. Do this at least once a day during winter months.
Take 3-4 tablespoons of gram flour and add enough milk cream to it to make a thick paste out of it. Rub this paste into your face, arms, and legs. Let it be for about 15 minutes, before rinsing it with lukewarm water. Use this remedy at least once daily.

3. Curd/yogurt

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Image source: Shutterstock

Yogurt, again a milk product, has lactic acid in it, that helps make your dry skin soft and radiant. The antioxidants present in yogurt helps remove any impurities on your skin and makes it glow from the inside out.

Remedies

Take half a cup of yogurt and apply it on your face, arms, and legs, while gently massaging it into your skin. Leave it for 10 minutes before taking a shower. Not only will yogurt remove all the dry skin, it will leave your skin moisturized and refreshed. Use this remedy at least once a day.
Take 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt, to which add a few drops of lime juice and half a teaspoon of honey. Mix it well and apply it on your face, hands, and legs. Leave it on for 10 minutes, before washing it off.
Mash a few pieces of papaya to make about 3 tablespoons of the fruit. To this, add half a cup of yogurt, a few drops each of honey and lemon juice, and mix well. Now, apply this face pack on your face, arms, and legs, and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Wash it off with cold water, or take a shower. Repeat this remedy once every week.
Mash a ripe banana into a smooth paste, to which add 3-4 tablespoons of yogurt. Mix it well and apply it on your face. Let it sit for half an hour, before rinsing it off.

4. Milk

Milk is full of amazing nutrients, including lactic acid, which helps soften your dry, flaky skin. Its anti-inflammatory property makes it one of the best natural remedies to get rid of dry skin. Plus, milk is an excellent exfoliator, thanks to the lactic acid present in it, which improves your skin’s ability to retain moisture. Not just that, but milk has bleaching properties too; that is, it helps lighten your complexion naturally.

Remedies

Dip a soft washcloth in cold milk and wring out the excess milk. Now put this cloth on your dry skin for about 5-7 minutes. Gently scrub off the milk with another warm washcloth. Do this every alternate day.
Take 4 tablespoons of milk, to which add a few drops of rose water. Rub your whole body with this solution and leave it on for 10 minutes, before taking a shower in lukewarm water. Use this remedy at least twice a day.

5. Honey

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Image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License

Honey is truly a godsend when it comes to skin care. It is a natural moisturizer, with antioxidant, anti-microbial, and humectant properties, thus making it a wonderful ingredient that locks in the moisture in your skin. Honey leaves your skin feeling soft, silky, and satiny smooth.

Remedies

Rub honey all over your body and leave it on for 10-15 minutes, before taking a bath or a shower to wash it off. This will turn your dry skin into well-moisturized, soft skin.
Take equal parts of beeswax, unprocessed organic honey, and olive oil in separate containers. In a pan, over low heat, melt the beeswax fully. Take it off the heat and stir in the honey and the olive oil. Now apply this mixture all over your body and let it be for 10-15 minutes, before taking a shower. Use this remedy once a day, or at least, every other day.

6. Coconut oil

Want to treat dry skin? Coconut oil is your answer! With the fatty acids it contains, it helps your dry skin make up for the loss of moisture from your skin.

Remedies

Before hitting the sack for the day, apply warm coconut oil all over your body, and wash it off when you shower in the morning. Use this remedy every day, and you’ll see soft, smooth, and silky skin emerge in no time.
After you come out of a shower or a bath, apply coconut oil on your dry skin. This is the ideal time to apply it because when the skin is warm from your shower, it helps absorb the oil that much more readily. Do this every day.

7. Olive oil

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Olive oil has antioxidants and healthy fatty acids that help restore the moisture to your dry skin. It also helps soothe your irritated dry skin all over your body.

Remedies

Apply some olive oil on your arms, legs, and other areas with dry skin, including your face, and massage lightly. Leave it on for about 30 minutes, before washing it off in the shower, followed by applying a light moisturizer.
Take 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, and mix them well. Now rub this homemade scrub all over your body using gentle, circular motions. Keep at it for at least 5 minutes, before taking a shower.
Mix 2 egg yolks in with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to form a uniform consistency. Apply this face mask for dry skin on your face and leave it be for about 15 minutes. Rinse it off to experience soft, smooth, and satiny skin. You can even add a few drops of lemon juice or rose water to this mask.

8. Avocado

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Image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License

Avocado is amazing when it comes to skin care and hair care, since it is packed with fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins that help soothe the skin from the inside out.

Remedies

Mash a ripe avocado into a smooth paste, and rub it all over your dry skin. Leave it on for about 10-15 minutes, before rinsing it with cool water. Use this remedy once a day.
Mash half a ripe avocado into a paste, to which add half a cup of honey and mix well. Apply this paste on your dry skin and leave it be for 15 minutes before rinsing it off. This is a hydrating face mask, and works wonders if used at least once or twice a week.

9. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is wonderful when it comes to combating dry skin because it helps moisturize it. Oatmeal has high protein content, which helps form a protective coating on the skin, preventing loss of moisture from the skin. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are an added bonus.

Remedies

If you have a bathtub, fill it to the brim and add 1 cup of oatmeal into it. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to it, and soak for 15 to 30 minutes. Try this remedy at least once a week.
Mash a ripe banana, to which add 1 cup of ground oatmeal and a bit of lukewarm milk. Mix it well and apply this smooth paste on your dry skin. Let it be for 10-15 minutes, before rinsing it off. Use this at least once a week.

10. Aloe vera

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Image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License

Aloe vera is a boon when it comes to keeping your skin feeling soft and satiny smooth, getting rid of dry, flaky skin. It is soothing, and has antiseptic and anti-fungal properties, which makes it ideal for skin care.

Remedies

Slice open a fresh aloe vera leaf and extract the gel into a cup. Apply this fresh gel on your dry skin. Leave it be for at least 15 minutes, before washing it off with lukewarm water. Use this remedy at least twice a day.

These are all the natural home remedies for dry skin. So the next time you experience dry skin, you know what to do. Instead of opting for expensive creams and lotions, give these remedies a shot, and you’ll know what a difference these make to your skin. Go on, try them!

Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

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