Recipe for delayed sleep

[velvetpage]

1 body's worth of dry skin (by dry, I mean scaly and itchy in a number of spots - we've been out of body lotion for four days.)
1 new bottle of brand-name body lotion for extra-dry skin, with a lovely floral scent to it.

Oops.

Usually, I can handle scented lotions. I have mildly sensitive skin, but a bit of fragrance won't have me breaking out in hives or anything. However, scented lotion on very dry skin is a bad idea. My legs have been on fire for fifteen minutes (get your minds out of the gutter! For shame!) and are just now starting to feel normal from the inside.

From the outside, they felt nice and smooth as soon as the lotion went on. If this stuff works, I'll never buy the cheap stuff again. And I can put up with the burning for a while, if it stops the itching.

I'm never quite sure which I prefer - my oily summer skin, with its breakouts that make me look seventeen again, or my dry winter skin, tight and uncomfortable but looking quite good if I use enough lotion. It's a tough call. Usually, when I'm in the middle of it, I prefer the other.

Okay, that's better. Time to get to bed.

Comments

[georgiaskydiver.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend a bath with some nice moisturizing oils. Bath beads also do the trick nicely. I indulge in a bath at least five days a week - I abhor showers and only take them on days which I can't sneak in a bath - and then add a touch of moisturizer. It does wonders for the skin and for the soul.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I take showers in the morning, because my hair is a greasy mess if I don't wash it every morning. I use a good body wash, but when the weather dips below freezing for any length of time, that isn't enough. I like baths, but I don't take them all that often. When the baby goes to bed, i either follow immediately or stay up to write and blog.

I've got a few lavendar bath salts and beads from Christmas that I haven't used yet. I love the scent of lavendar - it conjures up images of sun-baked Nice and the valley of the Drome, with lilting French conversation flowing around me. I never liked it before I went to France, but when it dominates one of the most beautiful views you've ever seen for the duration of a lovely vacation, you grow to love it.

You're right. Time to indulge. Tomorrow, though - I've just moisturized, there's no point in washing the lotion away.

[iamradar.livejournal.com]

If you're looking for a regular healthy moisturizer that doesn't have stuff in it that'll make your skin react, try plain ordinary aloe vera. It comes bottled or if you have a green thumb, you can grow your own. (It's also handy to have around for burns...both from cooking and sun exposure.)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I've tried that before, but I found it sticky and annoying. It's also really expensive for daily use. I used to have a plant around, and it was great for little burns, but I didn't like using it for anything else.

I think I have some aloe vera lotion around, in a cupboard from last summer. I avoid the sun as much as i can (I'm a fair blonde, and I never tan - I go from white to red to white again.) I may dig it out.

[iamradar.livejournal.com]

I'm a fair brunette, so I understand.

[kitestream.livejournal.com]

The more stuff in the lotion, the more it's going to burn. I get that also, sometimes, and the more natural lotions seem to be better - presumably because you're not getting chemically induced fragrance. You can get some nice fragrances with natural lavender, rosemary, etc. I buy mine at whole foods, but don't know if they have that up where you are.

And thank your lucky stars that you have separate and distinct summer and winter skin. I get both at once; having flaky, tight dry skin with eruptions of oil (and I have cystic acne, so it really is volcano-style) SUCKS!!! I have got to be one of the few people who use Retin-A for both wrinkles and acne!

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

They have several different types of natural food stores. I'll check it out. Most of the time, of course, it's not a problem. It's only when my skin is super-dry that it's an issue. This morning it was fine, with the same lotion. *shrugs*

[triatic.livejournal.com]

Owie. I sympathize - my wife once ran me a bath with a variety of fancy herbs and oils in...which apparently should not be mixed. Had to take two showers before my skin faded from its lobster-red hue.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Ouch. That sounds like me after wearing too much cheap jewelry. Not pleasant.