Dry Skin Treatment - 7-Day Moisturing Routine
From Dry, Itchy Skin to Youthful Radiance

It might be hard to believe the following dry skin treatment which took my friend's dry skin from arid to beautiful and radiant within less than a week's time. This is her story:

A Severe Dry, Itchy Skin Problem

About two weeks after going to my aunt's home outside of Atlanta for an extended visit, I took a close look at my face in the mirror. To my horror I noticed that my facial skin was extremely dry and appeared to have aged during that short period.

I pinched the skin around the sides of my mouth, and the skin hung in the pinched position after I removed my fingers. I had wrinkles around my eyes that had never been there before. The skin on my chin appeared puckered. As if that weren’t enough, my face itched. I could not remember ever having had itchy skin on my face before. I found myself actually scratching my cheeks and hearing a sandpaper-like sound.

It occurred to me that the problem was probably extremely dry skin, perhaps from the unfamiliar dry autumn climate. I’d had dry skin on my legs in the past, particularly in cold climates where I was indoors in central heating much of the day. Although I almost never bothered drinking water beyond the few sips here and there that my thirst called for, the sight of my suddenly wrinkled face stunned me enough to put some effort into it. I cajoled myself into gulping down three or perhaps four glasses of the fresh well-drawn water from my aunt's tap each day.

Started On A Dry Skin Routine

In the meantime, I scoured the internet for solutions but found a wide variety of products that all contained chemicals which I didn’t want to use. For several years I have mostly eaten an organic diet and didn’t want to put anything on my skin that I wouldn’t put in my mouth.

When tiny rash-like bumps appeared on my forehead, I went to my aunt for help. She pulled out some books on natural skin care that she’d had since the 1970's. I turned to the chapters on dry skin and obediently started a dry skin care routine of separating egg yolks from whites and putting each on my face in turn. I rubbed mayonnaise into my face and waited fifteen minutes before removing it. Each of these treatments partially revived my skin to a close, but not quite complete, version of what I was accustomed to. Moreover, the effects lasted just a few days.

After that, the dry skin re-emerged like the cracked floor of the desert after a light rain.

As I was trying different solutions, the tiny voice of intuition kept whispering -- "drink eight glasses of water a day". I’d heard that my entire life but had never actually done it. One day I realized that I’d better just do it.

My Schedule For Drinking Water

Drinking water was a solution that was natural enough to suit me, and I could continue to do it no matter where I traveled. Also, it made sense that water would moisturize my parched, dry skin and bring it back to life. I put myself on a schedule. I kept a glass of water on my bedside table and drank it when I awoke. I’d drink another before doing my bathroom routine. After that, every odd-numbered hour (nine o’clock, eleven o’clock, one o’clock, etc.) I drank a full glass of water. I ignored the fact that I was not thirsty. Although I didn’t gulp it, I made myself hold the glass until I’d finished drinking every drop. The first three days I had to stay near the bathroom. It was as if my body was trying to eject the water without absorbing any of it.

By the fifth day I began to see signs of a miracle cure.

While a few drops of natural fruit juice can be added to water to enhance the taste, no other liquids such as coffee, tea, soda or milk can be substituted if you want the effects of pure water. Of course in these times of chemically treated water coming through our faucets and dozens of brands of bottled water competing for our dollar, its hard to know which water to choose. I feel safest with water from natural springs or reverse-iodized water, which is available in refillable jugs at most local health food stores.

Miraculous Improvements

After a few days, I found that I didn’t need to stay so close to the bathroom as the water I was putting into my system began to sink in and do its work. The large intake of water appeared to be deeply repairing my dry skin from the inside out. And as I continued to follow that age-old adage about drinking 8 glasses of water each day, I saw myself de-age as my dry skin came back to life. I watched the wrinkles smooth away and my dry skin regain its elasticity. When I gave myself a mayonnaise treatment after a few weeks of drinking the water, it gave me a dewy glow.

Happily, I found that I gradually began to actually desire the amount of water I was drinking. If I missed one of my odd-hour glasses, I became genuinely thirsty. Best of all, my cheeks have never itched again.

Value of Water

There has been a great deal written about this idea of drinking a half gallon of water a day. It is recommended that we drink water at room temperature, as ice water shocks the internal system. Experts also advise not to drink water during or immediately before or after meals, since this can saturate the digestive fluids.

Experts claim most people are chronically dehydrated. Our bodies are 70% water, and every one of our organs depends on water to function properly:

• water allows the kidneys to dissolve waste,
• it promotes correct enzymatic balance in the digestive system,
• it lubricates our joints,
• it regulates our body temperature, and
• it even moistens the lungs so that we can breathe.

Our six pounds of skin, which is our bodies’ largest organ, is the only one where we can clearly see the effects of dehydration with the naked eye.

That is my friend's story, and I, myself, witnessed the before, during and after. I am a believer and have begun a similar skin care routine to benefit my skin.

About the Author

Shirley Peel is a webmaster and author. Please visit http://www.skincare-systems.com where you will find a complete information site about skin care. You can find more information about dry skin and its care there as well as sign up for a free ecourse on skin care.

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For more information about Dry Skin Treatment and Care, see:
Dry Skin Care - Caring For Dry, Itchy Skin
Winter Skin Care - Help for Dry Skin in Cold Weather
Caring For Dry Skin - Special Anti-Aging Skin Tips