Winter Itch
Growing up in the South, I'll admit, I didn't understand winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder seemed like a joke... you get sad in winter? What? Then I moved here and discovered that it gets dark at 4pm and doesn't get light until nearly 8... yeah. Depressing. The concept of layered dressing was completely foreign to me. Wind chill was an academic exercise. Real winter brought me lots of surprises.
But by far the worst part of winter to me is "winter itch." This is a completely new concept to me after moving here, and it seems to be much worse in the New York City radiator heated apartments. Like most things medical when it comes to the internet I get varied and conflicting advice about what to do. Drink more water, don't drink more water. Moisturize, but only with water based lotions. Moisturize, but use petroleum jelly. Use a moisturizing soap when bathing. Don't use soap at all when bathing, except for the face and hands. Buy a humidifier, but don't OVER humidify or you risk mold in the house. I've seen sites that recommend rubbing myself down in olive oil, sunflower oil, Crisco, baby oil, oatmeal, lanolin, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and cold cream. And sites that condemn just about every one of those.
So here I am, left with dry skin all through the winter, and relying on expensive lotions that seem to last just a day or two and no idea how the rest of the Yankees put up with this every year.
But by far the worst part of winter to me is "winter itch." This is a completely new concept to me after moving here, and it seems to be much worse in the New York City radiator heated apartments. Like most things medical when it comes to the internet I get varied and conflicting advice about what to do. Drink more water, don't drink more water. Moisturize, but only with water based lotions. Moisturize, but use petroleum jelly. Use a moisturizing soap when bathing. Don't use soap at all when bathing, except for the face and hands. Buy a humidifier, but don't OVER humidify or you risk mold in the house. I've seen sites that recommend rubbing myself down in olive oil, sunflower oil, Crisco, baby oil, oatmeal, lanolin, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and cold cream. And sites that condemn just about every one of those.
So here I am, left with dry skin all through the winter, and relying on expensive lotions that seem to last just a day or two and no idea how the rest of the Yankees put up with this every year.
there is nothing worse!
I use Gold Bond Ultimate Healing - non greasy and long lasting, unfortunately, you will need to moisturize every day!