dry dry skin

[TAlicia]

I find when I hike that I need to bring along some burts bee's for my lips and use it most of the day...so my lips survive but I am noticing the rest of me could use a once a day cream as well...esspecially my HANDS!!!

I try to be as all natural as possible out on the trail as I just don't feel making me smell like babypowder, coconut or fruity something is going to keep a nosey bear or porcupine out of my personal space:-)


BUT I am finding that I need something at least once a day..last weekends hike had my hands soooo dry they hurt..

so what kinds of cream do you use at camp??



FYI I hike in Alberta, BC, Yukon of Canada

[mweinstone]

welcome chapasaurus. heres what we know. the epidermis is the largest organ. its mechanism for feeling pain is about as efficient as thirst is for telling of dehydration. in other words, a little hurt on your skin feels not so bad but impacts your energy leval and calm tremendously. so hydrated skin is important like bacon is. now. start with truth. no dry skin was ever caused by a lack of skin creams and lotions and waxes and oils and biomechanicalized foo foos. it is caused by diet, behavior and heretity. sorry, im matthewski. i cant spell or keep good women. back to our story.
diet means lowering caffien and booze and ciggs and adding oils and whole foods. behavior means rest and primping and cleaning. heretity means knowing ones weaknesses and compensating. like im a jew who is hairy all over from a cold climate origanaly and so need less outerware in winter and lighter things in summer than a germanic blond with nothing but peachfuzz maby needs. for men , haveing any face hair as opposed to clean shaven means never ever haveing chapped lips. for women, lips need to be coated o so spareingly and rarely as opposed to constantly witch causes problems for both men and women due to both ingredients such as the blistex addictive type withch lessens its effects unless used all the time and the wax baswed ones that can seal in wetness when put on any but the dryest of lips. keeping ones skin healthy on a hike is no joke. no joke at all. but carrying any form of total body lotion is out for many reasons.

[mister krabs]

Two key things to avoiding dry skin are to stay extremely well hydrated and bathe less, seriously. Your skin produces oil, it is the "right" oil, leave it on instead of washing it off. Use very mild soap less often than you think you should, try using moisturizing shampoo to wash with instead of soap. If your skin is tight when you finishing washing, it's removed the oil and is "too clean." If you've got a shower fetish like most of us in the US, only use soap on the parts that are actually dirty. Don't put cream on dry skin, it won't be very effective at providing moisture. Apply it to already moist skin to seal the moisture in.

[Cassie]

I always carry EVOO in a little screw-top plastic container. It has a million uses: cooking, fire-starting, dry lips/skin/hair, chafing, squeaky gear/shoes...

[modiyooch]

fish oil vitamins may work. lubricate from the inside out. That's what I do at home. Like matt said, the skin is an organ.

[BarFight]

Badger Balm-use the foot stuff and hands and feet.

[Lilred]

Try Skin so Soft by Avon. It helps in mosquito repelling as well. Dual purpose.

[WhiteBearDog]

I use Surgeon's Skin. You can get it at QVC. Comes in large tubes as well as "chap stick" size, nice for the trail. I use it on my lips, hands and feet. Just put on overnight and like new skin by morning. May want to take it easy on the heels unless you want to soften them up, may make too soft over a period of time.

Ingredients are... Beeswax, light mineral oil and lanolin.

Made by Jamark Laboratories, Inc.

jamarklabs.com or qvc.com

[WhiteBearDog]

I use Surgeon's Skin. You can get it at QVC. Comes in large tubes as well as "chap stick" size, nice for the trail. I use it on my lips, hands and feet. Just put on overnight and like new skin by morning. May want to take it easy on the heels unless you want to soften them up, may make too soft over a period of time.

Ingredients are... Beeswax, light mineral oil and lanolin.

Made by Jamark Laboratories, Inc.

jamarklabs.com or qvc.com

Also meant to say that a little goes a long way... No... Really. I've been using these two large tubes 2.5 oz and the one little "chap stick" size for nearly two years and STILL have plenty! So don't buy a huge box unless your giving it as a gift. Lol!

[ianjoe59]

(Using husband's account)
I use ammonium lactate type of lotion (many different brands available), it can be found in most any pharmacy. It is usually behind the counter and a little expensive.

For my heels and hands I use Heel Balm from Walmart. It works great.

On my thru I found that my natural oils seemed to help and used much less lotion while hiking then during "regular life". I only had to apply lotion after a shower in town, rather than 1+ times a day.

[Deadeye]

if you can find it... Lotil

[singing wind]

Last summer I carried aloe (for sunburn, wound healing + moisturizer), Badger Balm lip balm for the feet (for blister prevention and stream crossing/wet trail recovery), and regular lip balm - which also went on the feet in a pinch. Sunscreen sometimes doubled as moisturizer... It's what I had on hand and it worked pretty good - would like to try bag balm as well.