Having increased dry skin is a frustrating problem that is common with eczema breakouts, and many of my readers have recently asked me for suggestions on how to treat it.
Many people have tried almost everything to relieve their dry skin eczema! — body butters, lotions, essential oils, creams, etc. But yet, they still get little to no relief, and their skin doesn’t stay moisturized no matter how many creams they use!
Does this also sound like you? If so, then it could be that your strategy of moisturizing often and daily could be all wrong…
Moisturizing MORE is not always the best strategy
If you have extreme dry skin and eczema, then you’ve probably been told that you need to moisturise more regularly and more often to “keep your skin soft”. However, is the advice to always moisturize really the most efficient way to relieve your dry skin?
In my research, I found that in many of the major studies done on skin, the only thing scientists can conclude is that moisturizers “may or may not” help prevent skin problems.
May or may NOT. Those are the facts here, although it seems that many lotion and skin cream companies have blown the “may” part out of proportion, by convincing us that we need to regularly moisturize to relieve dry skin, when really — it may not be that helpful or efficient.
While moisturizing your skin regularly seems like a harmless task, in reality you’re doing more than just putting on lotion.
Our skin is the largest organ of our body, and it is living, breathing and alive! Constantly covering our skin in lotions and moisturizers, can negatively affect its regular functions.
How do moisturisers work?
Moisturizers (including creams, lotions, balms, etc.), are generally formulated from 3 basic elements:
1. Water
2. Lipid
3. Protein
These 3 elements closely mirror the building blocks of your skin’s structure, and help your dry skin by allowing you to “fill-in” the gaps of moisture or oils that your skin is missing. Ideally, helping you to retain water loss.
However, there is one problem with using a moisturizer on a regular basis.
• Research suggests that when you over-moisturize, your skin can start to send a negative message to the body that the outer epidermis surface (your skin) has enough of these 3 essential elements (water, lipid and protein).
This can then force the body to stop delivering water and important nutrient delivery, which affects your skin.
What this means is that instead of your skin producing it’s OWN moisture when its dry or cracked, your skin becomes dependent on the moisturizer to provide it with the essential elements.
In technical terms this is described as dependency on external sources for moisture.
The recommendations for dry skin are to moisturize often and regularly, but by adding this excess of water, lipid and protein to the skin’s surface, you can actually start to disrupt the way the skin operates, making it it unable to produce its own moisture!
Too much moisturizing can lead to drier skin
I know, it seems ironic that moisturizers would make our skin drier, but there have been many studies that advise against over-moisturizing.
One in particular, is a controlled study, on moisturizers, showing that they contributed to dryness and increased affects of transepidermal water loss (TEWL). With increased transepidermal water loss, the skin looks more inflamed, becomes dry, and is impaired due to the lack of water.
If you don’t know what transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is; it is the measurement of the quantity of water that evaporates from your body. The more TEWL the drier your skin. TEWL is one of the most important factors for determining whether or not a substance negatively affects the skin.
• In a clinical study, scientists found that the moisturizer actually decreased skin capacitance after only 7-weeks of treatment with moisturizers. This means that the skin became less able to hold its own water content, leading to increased TEWL and drier skin.
Have you been consistently moisturizing and noticed that your skin STILL doesn’t feel moisturized no matter what you do? This could be a result of increased TEWL, due to over-moisturizing.
Long-term moisturizing can make your skin susceptible to irritants
Another problem with prolonged moisturizing is that they can disrupt the skin barrier.
• A recent study on healthy volunteers used a moisturizer on one forearm 3x daily for 4 weeks, with the other arm bare as a control.
Afterwards, both forearms were challenged with a patch-test of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS: a common ingredient found in almost all soaps) to test the skin barrier function.
The arm that was treated with moisturizer 3x daily, was found to have significant water loss and increased susceptiblity compared to the normal arm that went without moisturizer.
• In other research, some formulations (such as emulsifiers) may deteriorate the skin condition and weaken the barrier, leading to drier and easily irritated skin.
Research suggests that long-term moisturizing on regular skin, may affect the skin barrier function and increase the skin’s susceptibility to irritants. This means that long-term or regular moisturizing (more than 3x daily) can make your skin barrier weak, and make you more sensitive to outside elements.
Changing your moisturizing strategy!
If you have eczema or dry skin, then adding MORE moisturizer may not be the best solution to increase moisture!
Over-moisturizing can compromise the skin barrier, making your skin susceptible to irritant allergens, and actually increase water loss!
Coming from a history of creams, I don’t want to be dependent on them if I don’t need to be — and I’m sure you don’t either.
If you have dry skin or dry eczema, then follow the 5 steps below to help you increase moisture fast and efficiently!
Drink 2 liters of water daily
The first building block of building skin moisture is water. It’s been shown that no matter how much you moisturize on the outside, you may STILL have dehydrated skin on the inside, due to lack of water.
Water on the inside is extremely necessary to keep your skin hydrated and decrease water loss. Restoring water levels is an integral part of getting your skin back to a healthy, functional state.
If you’re not drinking at LEAST 2 liters of water daily, then you’re not having enough. To keep track of how much water you drink, buy a 1 liter bottle and make sure you’re fully drinking it twice a day.
Increase lipids and protein.
Once you’ve got your water levels down, it’s time to look into the other two elements that help to build healthy skin. One of the biggest reason for why moisturizers don’t always work for you, is because changing your skin isn’t just about what you put on the OUTSIDE.
The real change starts from the INSIDE, and feeding your body the foods it needs to build new skin.
If you want to have healthy skin on a regular basis, then you need to also have an adequate amount of good fats (lipids) and protein, to help rebuild damaged skin cells!
• Good fats allow us to build strong cell membranes, helping how we look on the outside. Healthy fats include those found in fish oil (for Omega-3’s), as well as saturated fats found in grass-fed butter, coconut oil or avocados.
• Protein helps by promoting wound healing, and many studies have shown that it is essential if you want to heal quicker. For more on healthy proteins, see my article here.
Use oil-based moisturizers
One of the reasons for increased TEWL levels (water loss) in skin, was water — the primary ingredient in most moisturizers!
If you have dry skin or eczema, then you may want to use an oil-based moisturizer for your skin instead to reduce water loss.
Natural options include coconut oil, African Shea butter, (click the links to see my recommendations), Vitamin-E oil and avocado oil. Because these moisturizers don’t contain high amounts of water, they help to lock in your skin’s moisture more efficiently.
Be mindful of how much you moisturize.
Unless you have extremely burnt or damaged skin, you don’t NEED to moisturize so often or frequently.
In a study done on regular skin, moisturizers negatively impacted the skin barrier and water retention on those moisturizing 3x daily.
If you have regular skin and don’t necessarily need to moisturize, aim for moisturizing when you NEED to. Also, try to stay under 2x a day, to avoid negatively affecting your skin’s barrier.
If you have dry skin and eczema, only moisturize when absolutely necessary (like in cases of extreme soreness or dryness) and not all the time.
Be mindful of when you moisturize
When you do moisturize, the best time is right after a water activity: swimming, a bath, shower, pool, etc. This is probably one of the most efficient times, as you’re able to seal in some of the moisture remaining from the water.
Always moisturize after any kind of water activity. Pat-dry any excess water, and use a thin smearing to avoid clogging pores: just enough to seal in moisture or cover the outer epidermis of your skin. Additionally, avoid prolonged water activity to avoid drying out your skin.
Finally, take care of the root problem
It’s worth noting that the above suggestions will work best if you’re already taking care of healing your body: as dry skin or eczema are usually symptoms of something that is affecting you inside.
If you want to learn how to get rid of your eczema, click here for my FREE Training Series, on How to Clear your Skin for Good!
I’ll show you the steps you need to take and I’ll help you get started today!
Have you noticed that your skin is still dry even after moisturizing? Are you excited to try these tips to help your dry skin? Let me know in the comments below! 😀
PS: Don't know where to start? Sign up to my free series The Clear Skin Plan !
Hey Christina!
Any recommendations as far as supplements/vitamins go? I am currently using digestive enzymes, magnesium, vitamin C, and fish oil
Hey Will! It really depends on each person. Ask your doctor about supplements that strengthen your immune system, as eczema is an immune system condition. Vitamin-D in particular is an important one! I wrote more about Vitamin-D and eczema in my post here.
Hey Christina,
I’ve been using cream moisturisers for a long time, not much though – just whenever my skin felt dry – but lately my forearms were getting dryer and dryer and really itchy at night…so I started looking into it a bit – and in the last week I started using Macadamia Nut Oil (as supposedly it has the closest properties to our natural sebum)….
Anyway the difference in the last week is unreal – my arms are smooth again and totally not itchy. So since a couple of days ago, after I shower, I just use a tiny amount of oil all over and am already noticing a difference.
I’m also beginning to follow a ketogenic diet, eating a diet that’s reliant on healthy fats like avocados, macadamia nuts etc.
Just one thing with coconut oil – I’ve noticed that that oil actually makes my skin really itchy also – so have stopped using it – and probably will stop ingesting it too – perhaps its the brand I’m using…
Anyway – great article and you’re defo right about all you say!
Tiarnan
Hi Tiarnan, thanks so much for the awesome tip about Macadamian oil. I forgot about that one, but using it after the shower to seal in moisture can really help!
For coconut oil, some people have really sensitive skin that can react to it… if you itch after using it, it’s probably best to stop for a while. Afterwards, try it again and see how you react, it’s the best way to know for certain.
Glad you enjoyed the article, see you around on the site!
Hi, so thank you for your article. it was lovely and informative 🙂 but I do have a concern. You say that oils help lock in the moisture and are a better substitute for a moisturizer but there’s is a problem here. There are many oils that are very similar to our own skins sebum and many people, including myself at one point, feel that would make a perfect solution. My concern is if these particular oils mimic our oils so well wouldn’t it create the same problem as the moisturizer. Wouldn’t our skin become dependent upon the oil and eventually stop producing its own natural moisture? At one point I was using essential oils and what was to be believed as proper carrier oils on my face (almond oil, jojoba oil, apricot oil, castor oil.. I tested them individually to see which worked best for my skin) and yes my acne began to clear because my skin was no longer over producing oil but it suddenly became very dry and unhealthy, even leathery looking. I stopped immediately. I began using shiseido( which is expensive) but my skin looks way better. But again I don’t want my skin to become dependent on the moisturizers. Lol I liked what you said about hydrate from the inside out. I feel that’s truly the best way to moisturize Without any negative long term effects. Now I do have a question which id appreciate your opinion on… If over moisturizing can cause the skin to stop producing moisture, can purposely drying your skin and just exfoliating help it to start reproducing moisture again? That is so long as your hydrating on the inside properly. And do you think eating or ingesting healthy oils like olive or coconut is a good way to moisturize from the inside out?
Hi! Thank you for taking the time to share your story. It’s great to hear your skin is doing better! To answer your question, I don’t think it’s a good idea to purposely dry out your skin — you might end up itchy from the flakes. For me the best was to keep it hydrated all the time (by drinking more water, and moisturizing with oils only 2x a day – morning and evening- after showers). I also eat coconut oil every day to provide my body with healthy fats. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Hi since you had a big improvement i wanted to know which brand you use?
Thanx
Hey Christina , I’m so glad you’re writing tips are very helpful and useful for me. Thankyou very much 🙂
So glad that they could help you!
I personally use some Galen’s Cold Cream made in a pharmacy (but you can do it yourself, I am just too lazy). The ingredients are : olive/almond/calendula oil, beewax,water/rose water, borax. It is really really greasy (I have to protect my bedding sheets by wearing rectangular gloves I sew in cotton as I have eczema on my hands.) I use it when I need a heavy moisturizer.
Hi my skin is very dry to the point I be itching all the time any suggestions on what to use to stop the itching
If you’re itching because your skin is dry, try following the tips above to help your skin become better moisturized. Especially in regards to drinking 2 liters of water daily! I found that really helped me.
Hi Christina Thank you for this,
I have that dehydrated skin problem while being oily at the same time, i used to put on moisturizer like about four or five times a day and when i stopped my skin became soo dry and irritated and breakout prone sighhh ..it still is sadly… now i dont know what to do, i just started using argan oil only but that’s taking forever …any tips to help with this problem?
Hi, it might help looking at things from a different perspective — for example, why is your skin dry in the first place? Some triggers to watch out for are chemicals (like SLS or parabens) in your products that strip the skin of moisture, as well as dietary deficiencies as mentioned in the article. Hope this helps!
No oils or lotions work on my arms or legs. I use them regularly and feel I have damaged them. They feel to me dry all the time. Even after applying s lotion or oil. They hurt. They are sensitive. When I wash they go dry very fast. Then I have to apply lotion. What do I do and what did I do? Please help.
I think your problem is that your skin is highly sensitive – perhaps you might be better off showering less (so that your skin doesn’t dry out as much)? Feel free to try the tips above and see if they help you!
I have extremely dry skin, especially my hands, legs, feet, and arms (LOL everywhere). I was looking at a Dr. Oz show and he recommended Made from Earth body lotions for dry skin. I tried the Valencia Orange All Purpose Lotion (yes, you can use it on your face also) and I haven’t stop using it since. It is not oily but it does moisturize my skin very well. its a large 8 ounce bottle – i started about 3 months ago and I still have a little less than half left. It works great on both my face and body. My fiance always says I smell great after I wear it !
Thanks for sharing!
The months between November and March are really hard on my skin. I dry up so easy and no matter what kind of moisturizer I use, it won’t take care of the problem. This article helped me a ton and I plan on using the water, lipid, and protein approach and seeing if that would help me or not.
Ah yes, the winter months are the hardest on eczema. Hope the methods can help you! It worked wonders for me. 🙂
Hello Christina,
I wish i found this site soon as over the last year I have been to a&e countless times ETC and been back and forth with doctors all saying either dermatitis and chronic eczema.
What has helped me as you mentioned is drinking water. I had it extremely bad on my face, shoulders and back. I stopped all creams (and i know this is bad but done one sunbed) it kind of cleared it and once I did that i have been taking fish oil tables, massaging sugar lemon and honey into my skin once a day) AND bursting open Evening primrose Oil capsules and rubbing into dry areas. The only place I can’t seem to get rid of it is my nipples, do you have any advice at all for this?
Hi
I read this article yesterday , 31 May 2016, and found it very interesting. I’ve had bad eczema for nearly 8 weeks now and been to doctor and dermatologist though I’ve not used much of the steroid cream. I have been plastering on the creams – Emovate etc like they said. Last night I had a shower and just put Jojoba oil on damp skin. I have used this and almond and grapeseed for years with no trouble. When I went to bed my skin did feel very tight and prickly but it was such a relief to not wear a tee shirt under long sleeved pyjamas to suck up all the excess gooey stuff – I did not sleep very well as my skin was prickly and I did scratch here and there but to my surprise I found in the morning I did not have any broken skin. I think now that perhaps the skin tears more easily when it is all soft and squashy. In the morning I just put more jojoba oil on damp skin. It does feel a bit tight and prickly but when I touch it, it feels quite moist. I feel instinctively that this is the right thing to do. I was slathering thick creams all over all the time and that itself feels so uncomfortable. I only used steroids for a short time. Maybe some thick cream was necessary in the beginning, I don’t know, but I will continue now with just oil twice a day. It is slowly beginning to heal. Thank you for that article since most advice seems to be to slather on the thick stuff all the time.
Many thanks,Stella
I’ve had eczema for as long as I can remember and the chicken pop skin came with it lol … however I have found a solution 20 yrs later that only costs me $8 “coconut oil” yes…I swear by this ppl. Every time I get out the shower (literally right after I get out) I use coconut oil like lotion it leaves my skin soft, tone, and the chicken pops started fading away. It took 2 months for me to notice and this is ALL I USE, NO LOTION. Works best in the winter when my skin is constantly covered up.
Hi… How much coconut oil do you use on your skin, doesn’t it ruin your sheets, clothes? Tx, Nicole
Hi Christina. I’m writing an article for a major U.S. magazine on the pitfalls of traditional moisturization, and I’d love to write about your personal experience. Possible? Or perhaps you have a reader or friend who fits the bill? Please reach out ASAP, as my deadline is coming right up. Thanks so much for considering!
Hi Aviva,
I’d love to help if I could! Feel free to send me an email at christina@faf.c40.mwp.accessdomain.com
Thanks, Christina, for the superb information. I thought the more the better. Will certainly try your recommendations.
I think you’re right about making your skin lazy, I had very bad eczema as a kid up until age 10 or so and used crazy amounts of lotion/vaseline after showers.
However I never put anything on my back simply because I couldn’t reach everywhere. Now I’m 22, the eczema has cleared up for the most part and I just have dry skin that flakes everywhere if I don’t apply lotion. EXCEPT for my back where my skin is perfectly smooth and hydrated.
I’m wondering if I can train my skin everywhere else, especially my lower legs which are the most dry by doing the same thing and not moisturising. Or is my skin permanently going to be flaky without lotion?
Hi Christina! I absolutely love your blog! Thanks for all the helpful tips. Do you have any suggestions on how to heal hypo-pigmentation or eczema discoloration? Thank you!
I have extremely sensitive skin. I have problems with eczema and orange peel skin. I now use the Somaluxe Ocean Minerals Moisturizer and it has made all of the difference for me. Everything turns my skin red, but this Somaluxe product does not cause a reaction on my skin whatsoever. I also run dry, and this provides enough moisture.
How about Argan oil? And are different oils good for face and body or should there be different oil for the face and the body because I’m experiencing acne from coconut oil. Also, my skin is extremely dry with eczema, how often can I put on the oil. I feel like I need it about 3-4 tines a day when I skin get sore and really dry. Thank you for your reply in advance.
This is an amazing site! Thanks for all the helpful info and love reading the comments and what others have found helpful.
For 8 weeks I had the driest lips, flaking so badly I could hardly eat, then an outburst of eczema even though Ive never had it before in my life.
Its so bad I have hard raised skin patches on my lower legs and now its spread to my shoulders arms and my neck looks like lizard skin.
But today I just learned I have Hyperthyroidsm (to much!)
Which totally supports your feedback but I think the info on over use of moisturizers is so eye opening as Ive put it on my entire body daily for 25 yrs!
No more, ill only use natural oils.
My question is – has anyone found if long term vasaline use (the only thing that has finally cleared up my lips after 5 consectives days of constant use) is ok long term or should I now switch to an all natural oil based lipsol (blistex never helped long term nor did shae butter based ones).
Thanks for any info on Vaseline’s usefulness in creating a skin barrier!