How Natural Remedies Can Help Soothe Dry, Irritated Skin

Your skin naturally produces oil, called sebum, which helps protect the skin from moisture loss, but everyday actions — such as forgetting to put on moisturizer or washing your hands with a drying soap — can strip natural oils from your skin. For people without acne, which involves overproduction of sebum (and for whom extra oil would provide the opposite of the desired effect), using oils can help restore skin’s sheen and protective barrier.

There are many ways to reap the moisturizing benefits of oils, either on their own or with other ingredients, to make a DIY nourishing mask or an exfoliating rub. Lopez recommends that castor oil, lavender oil, and avocado oil may be good natural remedies for dry skin, again, so long as you do not have acne.

Coconut oil is another oil you may have in your kitchen cabinet and may also be good choice for those not prone to acne. People with a topic dermatitis — a type of eczema and an allergic skin condition characterized by dryness and itching — saw excellent results when they used virgin coconut oil on their skin.

Aloe vera, a plant with natural healing properties, can also be infused in oils and used as a natural moisturizer.