There are more creams, lotions, balms and beauty regimens for dry, itchy winter skin than you and I could try out in a lifetime. I know that now.
And, I’m the first to admit, this experiment got a little out of (cracked, flaking, scaly) hand.
For instance, every time I thought my testing squad had reached an agreement on some great product or ruled out a really lousy one, one of us would come along with an opposite opinion or a suggestion for some other stuff to try.
In the end, it was probably naive to believe that four opinionated people with dry skin–me and my three co-workers–would agree on anything as personal as chapped lips or a solution for gross, callused feet.
After weeks of testing–with our feet, lips and bodies greasier than a beef from Johnnie’s–we pooled our findings. In the case of some really strong disputes, I got the final say.
In addition to the chart you see here, I’ve come up with some general guidelines for treating parched flesh.
For instance, the biggest price tag doesn’t guarantee the best product. We tried lotions and potions ranging from $6.99 to $75 and both the cheapest and the most expensive got some good and bad marks.
When the goo meets the flesh, don’t be swayed by fashion magazine hype (Kiehl’s), good marketing (L’Occitane’s shea butter) or hard-to-pronounce ingredients (N.V. Perricone’s hydroxy-tyrosol and olive oil polyphenols). We were underwhelmed by all that.
What your friends love (a taste of honey?), you might hate. What smells great to you might be a deal-breaking, salad-dressing stench for somebody else. And one man’s thick and long lasting is another’s sticky disgustingness.
One more thing. No products work miracles. Some were better than others but the trick is using them consistently.
And, if you really want to avoid dry winter skin, here’s my best advice: Spend October through April in Florida. And take me with you.
– – –
Avoiding and treating dry skin
Some expert tips from Dr. Vishakha Sharma, dermatology resident at the University of Chicago Hospital:
– Shower or bathe in warm water, not hot. “Hot showers are the worst thing” for drying out the skin.
– Apply cream to damp skin, immediately after toweling off. “Even waiting an hour is too long.”
– Vaseline and products with petrolatum are best for body, feet and lips–but not face. For the face, use “oil free” or “non-comedogenic” products with sunscreen.
– Creams moisturize better than lotions. If it pumps easily from the container, it’s probably not as hydrating as products in a jar.
– Choose fragrance-free to avoid irritation.
For best results, apply creams to hands and feet, then cover with cotton gloves and socks overnight.
– – –
BODY
Testers for this survey were At Play editors Allison Benedikt (A) and Lara Weber (L) and reporter Glenn Jeffers (G), plus Ellen.
L’Occitane, Ultra Rich Body Cream, 7 oz., $35, L’Occitane, 900 N. Michigan Ave., loccitane.com.
Comments: “Way way way way way too thick” (A). “Man, where’s some lox and bagels when you need them? This stuff looks like cream cheese . . . but it does the job” (G).
Ellen’s edict: Nothing special and at that price it should be a standout.
N.V. Perricone, M.D., Olive Oil Polyphenols Body Hydrator, 8 oz., $75, Sephora, 520 N. Michigan Ave., nvperriconemd.com
Comments: “Does smell olivey, pleasant clean olivey, not gross olivey like greasy pizza or too many martinis” (L). “I don’t want to be the person who always likes the most expensive brands best, but . . . I am. The only one that actually felt like it was permeating my skin. Lovely” (A).
Ellen’s edict: Good but the cost is a joke. Not worth it.
BEST BET
Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy, 16 oz., $12.99, Walgreens and drugstores nationwide
Comments: “My go-to salve when my skin was so scaly it would peel in my sleep” (G). “Has a tacky feeling that would feel weird to anyone who happened to want to touch my legs” (L).
Ellen’s edict: Long-lasting and well priced.
Lips
Bag Balm, 10 oz., $6.99, CVS, cvs.com
Comments: “Globs of disgusting” (A). “Just Vaseline in a cute tin. I had to scrub my hands after applying it” (L). “Greasy and smells like a barn that hasn’t been cleaned” (G).
Ellen’s edict: My 85-year-old dad, an ex-Midwest dairy farmer, swears by the stuff. It’s got ingredients (petrolatum) that dermatologists love. But it’s a grease pit.
BEST BET
Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm, $2.49, Walgreens and drug-stores nationwide
Comments: “Smooth, long-lasting and tasty. Yeah, that sounds like a line from a Barry White song, but the stuff’s good” (G). “Icky real honey beeswax smell” (L). “Blech. Hate the honey smell and taste. Plus the balm stays on the stick not on your lip” (A).
Ellen’s edict: Love it. Taste. Smell. Feel. Incidentally, chapped lips treatment is a huge and growing field. There’s even a Lip Balm of the Month Club, lipmedic.com.
Carmex, $1 on sale, Walgreens and drug-stores nationwide
Comments: “I didn’t know they turned VapoRub into a lip balm! Medicine-y smell but the stuff moisturizes” (G). “Addictive. I’ve used this stuff for years and still love it. Seems to actually keep my lips healed.” (L) “Works pretty well but I’m not a fan of the finger dip” (A). (Also comes in a tube.)
Ellen’s edict: I wish it had sunscreen in it. Several testers want to strangle me because they think this balm is best.
ChapStick, $1.79, Walgreens and drug-stores nationwide
Comments: “This stuff works” (L). “Made my lips sticky and wore off in about an hour” (G). “I’m a ChapStick devotee. My lips are consistently chapped . . . It actually feels like it’s working deep into the lips” (A).
Ellen’s edict: How retro. Brings back childhood memories–a mixed blessing. The only one in the test with a little sunscreen in it (SPF 4).
FEET
Aveda Foot Relief, 4.2oz., $18, Aveda Institute, 2828 N. Clark St., aveda.com
Comments: “It smells like a melted Peppermint Patty but it’s warm and soothing and leaves your feet really smooth. God, I used the words ‘soothing’ and ‘smooth.’ I need some Pabst and a football game” (G). “I have to reapply it several times at night. Doesn’t seem thick enough to do as much good as other more intense treatments” (L).
Ellen’s edict: Best scent of all products tested. But it doesn’t do much for my feet.
BEST BET
Heel Rescue, Superior Moisturizing Foot Cream, 16 oz., $7.99, Walgreens and drug-stores nationwide
Comments: “My fave but improve the packaging. The label is pretty gross (color photos of before and after heels). I have been known to wake up in the middle of the night to reapply lotion to my feet but Heel Rescue made it all the way through the night” (L). “Smoothed out my heel skin that was dead and callused” (G).
Ellen’s edict: The consistency is a little weird but it works and the price is right.
Kiehl’s Intensive Treatment and Moisturizer, 3.4 oz., $21, Saks Fifth Avenue, 700 N. Michigan Ave., kiehls.com
Comments: “Kind of unimpressive” (G). “Greasiest of the bunch” (L). “Nice consistency. Not too thick” (A).
Ellen’s edict: Again, not good enough to justify the cost.
———-
Skin like the Sahara? Tell me about it at chicagotribune.com/ellen
shopellen@tribune.com
