With winter fast approaching, many people will begin suffering from the effects of the cold weather. When it gets really cold, dry and cracked skin becomes a big problem. But for some people even high temperatures will also make their skin dry and cracked. Drying and cracking is most commonly seen in parts of the body where the skin is not as elastic or is thicker.This include the elbows, knees and the extremities. One of the best ways to help ease dry and cracked skin is by constantly hydrating your skin. Putting on moisturizer is the most common method to hydrate the skin. But getting into a bath specifically formulated to treat dry skin is a great addition to your regimen if you’re suffering from dry skin.
There are actually many commercial products that are advertised as bath treatments for dry skin. But these are usually expensive. If you want a more affordable but equally effective alternative then you can follow the instructions below in making a healing bath for dry skin:
Milk Bath
We’ve heard accounts of queens taking baths in milk to make their skin supple and looking young. There is actually truth to the effects of milk on the skin. Milk can bring much needed moisture back to dry skin. It even has softening and exfoliating qualities.
To make a milk bath just fill your tub with warm water and add 250 grams of powdered milk. Now add a half tablespoon of almond oil or olive oil. Soak in the bath for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse yourself and pat dry.
Sea Salt Bath
A bath made with dissolved sea salt is a great remedy for dry and cracked skin. This bath introduces essential oils to your skin that lubricates your skin and also helps calm you. Making a sea salt bath is quite easy all you have to do is to fill your bath with warm to lukewarm water. Now add a cup of good quality sea salt. To add more moisture, you can put in ten or more drops of essential oils. You can use any kind of essential oil that you want. But some of the most beneficial oils for dry skin include geranium, lavender, hyssop, neroli, chamomile, sandalwood, rose and ylang-ylang. Now soak in the tub for about 15 to 20 minutes then rinse off and dry your skin.
Oatmeal scrub
Sometimes you will need to exfoliate your skin to promote the regeneration of new skin and remove the dry and rough patches of dead skin from your body. A great way to do this is by scrubbing. Oatmeal is oatmeal is one of the best ingredients for this purpose because it is all natural, has no chemicals or additives and it is quite cheap and readily available in any home.
To make an oatmeal scrub, put a cup of rolled oats, a half-cup of almonds, half-cup of dried rose patels, and half-cup of lemon balm in a food processor. Grind all of the ingredients until it becomes fine granules or powder. Put the mixture into a bowl and add a half-cup of yogurt, some lemon juice and a few drops of lemon essential oil. Mix everything together.
Put the resulting mixture inside a container and cover it tightly. This mixture will keep for at least a couple of weeks.
Using the scrub is easy. Just rub it all over your body, shower with warm water and then pat your skin dry.
Image from Feminine Reveries