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Your Guide to Getting Rid of Dry Skin -- From Head to Toe

Treat your itchy scalp, cracked feet and everything in between
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How to Treat Dry Skin: Itchy Scalp
In the winter, dry skin can be found everywhere, even where we can't see it. We're talking a case of dry, itchy, winter scalp.

To treat flakiness, eczema and psoriasis of the scalp, try a scalp exfoliant. These products remove dead skin and foster cell turnover, which makes your scalp feel better and encourages healthy hair growth. Make your own by combining a tablespoon of sugar with your favorite shampoo and applying to your scalp before washing.

Other rules of thumb? Wash your hair just as much as you would in the summer, Schultz says. Even though you're less sweaty in the winter, not shampooing your hair can promote the development of dandruff, which the increases flaking and aggravates the appearance of dry skin.

Another pro tip: Wear a hat outside as often as you can. This prevents dry outdoor air and wind from further irritating your scalp.

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How to Treat Dry Skin: Flaky Face
Breakouts get all the attention when it comes to complexion troubles, but dry skin is its own special kind of nightmare. Dry skin on your face enhances wrinkles and fine lines, causes your makeup to flake off and overall can be pretty painful.

One easy remedy is to invest in a good humidifier for your home (or one for each room). During the colder months the air is stealing all of the moisture. Humidifiers re-infuse the dry air in your house with much-needed hydration.

In terms of skin care, Schultz says to cleanse and exfoliate with a glycolic acid-based cleanser, which clears your skin of dead cells from the inside out. Apply moisturizer immediately after cleansing at night and in the morning -- especially right before you venture out into the cold.

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How to Treat Dry Skin: Thirsty Lips
There's nothing quite as unsexy as a pair of chapped, peeling lips. You know, the kind that make your partner want to shrink away and never kiss you again?

Chapped lips make everything harder, from applying lipstick to talking. The first step in winter lip care is exfoliation. Find a sugar lip scrub (or make one of your own by mixing granulated sugar and lip balm), and gently scrub your lips once or twice a week. Running a wet toothbrush over your lips achieves the same effect.

Follow up with a clear, unscented lip balm packed with moisturizing ingredients like coconut oil and jojoba. In fact, apply lip balm whenever you think of it. You can't go overboard. Try the dermatologist-recommended Skinfix Lip Repair Balm, $4.99, which is formulated with natural ingredients, including coconut oil.

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How to Treat Dry Skin: Cracked Hands
Our hands are more exposed to the elements than almost any other part of the body, so in the winter especially, they can look extremely worse for wear.

"Less frequent hand-washing can help," says Schultz. "Consider substituting non-drying, alcohol-free hand wipes for some of your daily hand washes." And remember to apply moisturizer after every hand wash (or wipe). Look for emollient ingredients, which fill the cracks between those peeling skin cells.

Make it easy by keeping an affordable tube of hand cream that's full of natural, nourishing ingredients and free of parabens, like Skinfix Ultra Rich Hand Cream, $9.99, on your desk or in your handbag.

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How to Treat Dry Skin: Parched Knees and Elbows
We Americans are a hygienic breed. We're taught from birth to thoroughly suds our entire bodies every day, lest we offend everyone we encounter with our pungent stench. But according to experts, this type of over-washing is unnecessary and can seriously dry out our skin.

You may want to cut down your shower time, and while you're at it, use warm water instead of scalding-hot H2O. And when you bathe, use soap only once or twice a week (we know, gasp!) -- except for on personal areas, Schultz clarifies, which should be washed daily (phew).

Many soaps strip your body of its natural oils, exacerbating dry skin, so look for gentle, fragrance-free soaps with moisturizing ingredients like omega oils and shea. On extra-dry areas like knees and elbows, gently exfoliate with a body scrub once or twice a week to clear away the top layer of dead skin cells.

Once you get out of the shower, be sure to slather your skin in a fragrance-free moisturizer while it's still damp and freshly exfoliated. This will lock in moisture, helping your skin feel smooth and soft for longer.

NOV 30, 2015 | SHARES
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