Troops- Have you tried plain ole baby oil? Works wonders, I've found. Cheap and has a cozy scent, too. I always keep a bottle in the shower. Other than that I keep a bottle of smelly girly stuff from Bath and Body Works, but that's more for appearances. (Scentpearances?) Why is it I see 2 seconds of It's a Wonderful Life and I can't look away? I've owned 2 copies of the movie. Watched it just last weekend. Probably seen it close to 100 times. But every time it's on TV I have to watch it. And every time George has seen Mary and he runs to the bridge... It's probably an allergic reaction. Something in the air. Yeah, that's the most logical explanation.

If you are allergic to lanolin (as many, many people are) Aveno moisturizers which contain oatmeal are excellent. Also, I used to work with someone who's hands got so dry that the skin on his palms would peel. He found Kiehl's (also with oatmeal) stopped that. Try Aveno first -- it's a lot cheaper. The Daily Moisturizing Cream is their classic (and my favorite) - it's at the bottom of page 1, but some of the others are also great.

Yikes. Baby oil should do the trick. The Aveeno is good, too. (Maybe even an oatmeal bath to kill the initial itchiness?) Although for that matter, cocoa butter will work, although IMO, shea butter absorbs a little better. My favorite option? If you can get to the Lush shop in Myeong-dong (there are others but that's the one I've visited), they have a killer cream called Dream Cream that has cocoa butter, oat milk and other soothing stuff. Smells kinda herby, but it's not bad. (I also have a flaky leg mask recipe somewhere, but I don't know if they'd have the ingredients commonly available there. I'll check in the morning.) Maybe the dryness is a seasonal thing, cuz when I was there, I looked like a poodle some days, my hair was so frizzy from the humidity.

Thank you all for your suggestions, I appreciate all fo them. I hadn't even thought of a oatmeal bath, but I think I know what I will be doing tonight :) Vita- It is a seasonal thing, the spring and summers are stupid humid, the fall and winter are very dry. Everytime I touch sometihing I have managed to shock myself. You know it is dry when even Koreans will tell you it is dry :P

Another thing too Troops is how hydrated are you staying from the inside? Most people, especially Americans, do not drink enough liquids. Two things you can do is boil water in your home when you are there and drink non-caffeinated tea or other non-caffeinated beverages (the caffeine will dry you out). You can still drink the caffeine, just in moderation. And the moisturizers above are good ideas. Good luck Troops!

Troop, My suggestion: Eucerin's Aquaphor. I lived in the midwest for a while, and my skin was so dry it would literally crack and bleed. My legs were a mass of scabs from itching and no lotion in the world seemed to fix it. I think I was single handedly keeping Bath and Body afloat some times. All those lovely smelling lotions were wonderful for my nose, but hard on the pocket book and really did not help much. I tried baby lotion, but it left a greasy ring around the tub and stained my sheets. Pure petroleum jelly clogged my pores, but then a friend suggested Aquaphore and I looked it up on line to see what peopel thought. Most people raved about how great it was... so I bought a jar and gave it a try and have never gone back to anything else! It really works... I use it all over, even under my eyes and it does not clog my pores like PJ. I use it on my feet before putting on bed socks and it softens my skin. It leaves my skin much softer and less dry and it is not overly expensive and a little goes a long way. Look it up online and see what others say, and if you decide it is right for you grab a jar. It shouldn't be too hard to find. Good luck, Lag

Troop, are you eating a very low fat diet? That will cause these kinds of dry skin problems, or at least exacerbate them. My husband follows the super low-fat Pritikin diet and has a terrible time with his skin every winter. I used to have dry skin in the winter but have no problems since I changed my diet. I won't say more for fear of starting nutrition wars here but adding some good fats in your diet might alleviate the skin problem. Oh, and FWIW, my hubby uses the Aveeno and it helps.

Another thing with lotions is that usually the ones with extra colors and scents will just make things worse. When I do the nursing assistant stuff, or if I'm in a nursing clinical where I'm washing my hands every few minutes, I use Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Healing lotion. And it works really well. And I agree with some of the better fats in the diet as well, and just a balanced diet in general. And vitamins. Skin breakdown in the elderly often occurs due to a health reason that is usually diet-based.

This thread's been slow of late. Let's fix that... In the news, a 40something man in Georgia was arrested for posing neighborhood christmas reindeer decorations in compromising positions.

You're such a demanding mistress! It's not my fault the link lacked evidence.

But still, the title says it all. If he had done it on his own, or the teens had done it on their own, the charges wouldn't be as severe. But since he convinced the teens to help him, well, that adds a whole new depth to the story. It really makes you wonder why Rudolph's nose was so red.

Seriously. It's a good story, but just not as awesome as it would be without pictures. At some point, I'm waiting for the Christmas panic to hit our household, when it finally sinks in that hardly any presents are wrapped and there is no tree. Or we could skip the panic, and just watch Christmas in Handcuffs again. My suggestion: Eucerin's Aquaphor. Man, I don't know how I forgot that. My cousins, who have legendary dry skin, all use that. (Seriously. One of them once got an eye infection from dry skin flaking off her eyelashes and eyebrows and falling into her eyes.) Here's the leg mask recipe: 1 avocado, pitted and peeled 1 tablespoon plain yogurt 1 tablespoon shea butter 1 teaspoon baking soda Puree in a blender, and apply thickly to legs in the bathtub. Leave on for five minutes, then rinse off. (I'm not sure if you could get shea butter easily.)

Troops, I swear by Kiehls. I try various and sundry things when the winter dryness hits. One thing that has stood me in good stead over the years is dry brushing. Anyhow, you use a dry body brush (usually something with natural bristles) and give yourself a good brushing from top to toe everyday before you shower. Yes, it takes getting used to (brush gently!) but the results are pretty amazing. I have mad soft skin now with only a couple of scaly patches that I have to battle with. One is my left elbow. Only the left one. Go figure. It's good for exfoliating and apparently promotes lymphatic drainage. Here's an article with more info and if you Google "Dry Brushing Skin" you'll find a whole bunch more. http://www.alive.com/1270a4a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=76 ETA: This has an article with a picture of what my brush looks like: http://www.epicureantable.com/articles/adrybrush.htm

interesting, I will have to try the brushing. It makes sense after all it is a less invasive version of the scratching I'm already doing. So, I was reading these answers at work and my boss asks what I am doing. I tell him and his answer is a skin creme that they sell in the ethnic hair care section which is basically olive oil and something else in a bottle. I would recognize it if I saw it at the store.