Three simple habits to banish dry skin

One of my clients told me that good skin care needs to be cultivated like good oral hygiene. Just like it's automatic for us to brush our teeth so they are healthy, so should it be with skin care so our skin is nourished and glows with happiness. And just like brushing teeth, we need to start with kids when they are young so the habit becomes ingrained.

One of the most common issues I hear about is dry skin. Ranging from scaly and itchy to hard white spots particularly on young children's faces. Such problems can easily be avoided by practicing the following on a daily basis.

1. Only use warm, not hot water for showering. Hot water and soap are the best recipe to strip our skin of its protective oils, or sebum. This is the root cause of symptoms of dry skin in children. Young children who bathe on their own are notorious for taking long, hot showers. This combined with a lack of basic skin care is the best recipe for dry skin. Ask me, I have experienced it with my daughter. Convincing her to cut the heat was hard, but we used an hour glass timer to cut the time. 
2. Use a gentle soap. I recommend a pure glycerin soap like this one. And only use it on areas that really need cleansing - like underarms, genital region, and feet. Plain old water is good enough for other parts. 
3. Use a good body oil right after showering. See this post for details on the type of oil that's best for dry skin. 
4. Apply a body cream with a significant amount of humectant after the oil. Look out for ingredients like aloe vera, vegetable glycerin, and stearic acid such as this one. 
5. ​For stubborn dry spots, try the Resuscitate serum, proven to be effective and safe.​