Recently, it has been brought to my attention that with the changing weather more and more people are beginning to suffer the effects of dry skin. Some, it affects just on the face and hands, others, all over. Some all natural quick fixes are as follows:
Even thought this may sound a little strange, I have found that this really does work quite well, and nourishes your skin if the weather has been very very dry and has begun to turn face and hands into leather substitutes!
Take a squeezed lemon, (maybe use the juice in your tea, or to make lemonade if it is hot), turn the lemon rind inside out, dip the remaining lemon pulp in extra virgin olive oil so that just a little bit of the olive oil is on the pulp, not soaked. Rub that all over on your face and your hands, (using different parts of the inside peel as it is used and becomes shiny) before you go to bed. Let the juice and olive oil dry on your skin, leaving it on over night. Wash your face (and hands) as usual in the morning. (Sometimes you might look a little odd with pieces of olve oil soaked lemon pulp on your face, but trust me, it is worth it in the long run!) Do this 2-3 times a week at first, then as required to soften your skin.
In the morning of the first day, you should notice a marked difference in the texture of your skin. (I have only used it effectively on my face and hands, I have not tried my whole body….maybe you could give me feedback in that area?)
For very, very rough and dry skin, I have found that after preparing for bed, I slather my hands in regular vaseline, and then put on cotton gloves overnight. In the morning your hands should be softened and the skin moisturized. This is more effective after showering or bathing just before retiring. If you do this after a bath, it is twice as effective. (Caution should be used if attempting to soften facial skin, as vaseline tends to plug delicate pores. Therefore, I recommend not using vaseline extensively on the face.)
A more manly hand softener for the carpenter and gardener who may experience dry skin due to their respective professions, is using Crisco Shortening. Rubbed liberally on the hands and face, it has long been used by many a thespian as both a skin softener and a pancake makeup remover.
An added quick tip for the gardener, male or female, for helping to keep fingernails clean while working with mother earth: scratch your nails over a bar of soap before beginning. When you wash your hands, the soap dissolves, leaving clean nails, ready to meet the public, clean and tidy!