Natural moisturizer for super dry skin?

[at-home]

My daughter has very dry skin. She sometimes breaks out in hives which is partly due to dry skin. Now that she is newly pregnant, she is breaking out in welts due to dry skin and hormone surges, I think. Does anyone know of a really good super-moisturizer that is for sensitive skin and is natural with no toxic ingredients?

[sbgrace]

You might look at the skin deep website to see if anything meets the needs. I've heard of shea butter working really well for people.

We used badger balm on my very sensitive son. I think his brother (using aquaphor that has petroleum of course) did better but the badger balm is thick and has nothing toxic in it. I would strongly recommend she investigate wet wrap type thing (soaking, keeping wet for about 30 minutes or more before applying moisturizer--we do a thin layer of regular moisturizer that will absorb (you can look at the skin deep site...I used california baby calendula cream for that sensitive son). Once it's absorbed apply a thick layer of the badger balm or similar to lock the moisture in. No moisturizer can add moisture to the skin so the idea is you have to get moisture in and then do the moisturizer.

I've never heard of dry skin causing hives but my eczema does form raised irritated itchy places in the really bad spots. I feel for your daughter.

I'm going to move this to natural body care. Hopefully you'll get some great ideas!

[ps4624]

We use coconut oil as a skin moisturizer. First started using it to clear up DD's eczema - it worked wonders! We've used it for diaper rash, face cream, lip balm and pretty much everywhere else. I also use it as a hair product for DD and I.

It's pretty darn tasty, too!

We buy the Nutiva brand

[APBTlover]

I second coconut oil. It's wonderful. For cosmetic uses, we usually just buy the cheapo refined kind from WalMart. I think it's Lou Ana brand? It's about $6 for a nice sized jar, plus the refined oil doesn't have that coconutty odor. It's a nice smell, to me, but when you're using so much so frequently, it gets kind of old (to me).

We just scoop it out and spread it on. Even if it's solid in the jar it will melt on the skin.

[LCBMAX]

This is no good for daytime use, but for nights: lanolin. Same sealing properties as petroleum jelly without the, well, petroleum. For deep painful cracking heels and fingers, I slather with lanolin then wear wool socks and gloves to bed. If it were a torso thing, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice a soft wool sweater and do the same thing.

[annethcz]

If you're looking for a commercial product that smells yummy, I LOVE the shea souffles from Carol's Daughter. Spendy, but worth it IMO.

http://www.carolsdaughter.com/catego...hea_souffle.do

[bluebirdiemama]

I like the affects of shea butter, but until it soaks in I feel like a butter ball! I don't like that much!
I don't know if it's ok for pregnant women, I know you can't eat it, but colloidal oatmeal has been wonderful on my skin. It feels really soft after I take a bath with it.
It would probably be awesome for her, if she can use it. The info on the package says to use it for skin irritations like poison ivy and such, probably work great for hives.

[swd12422]

Definitely coconut oil for all over, and lanolin on the patches/welts. I'd also recommend trying some tea tree oil on the patches for a few days -- they seem to clear up faster for me.

Another good moisturizer for all over is vegetable glycerin: Just a drop or two on wet skin or diluted 1:1 does wonders for very dry skin. I use it in winter and after I shave.

[Arduinna]

shea butter