Exposed Skin Care? What exactly are we referring to? Exposed skin has most likely been ravaged by harsh, cold, dry, or hot, dusty conditions, abrasion, or even chemical action.
Let's discuss a few scenarios from my own past, one or more of which might line up with your experience with exposed skin - this way you'll have a better idea if I know what I'm talking about.
I grew up on the West Coast, in the salt water of the Pacific whenever possible, and out into the dry sand, usually sun burnt by the time I left my pals and took off for home. While young, this didn't seem to matter a whole lot - young folks have lots of moisture in their skin and tend to abuse it. Not much use for exposed skin care…usually having too much fun to give it a second thought…or a first!
About 16 years of age, I began working as a landscape laborer, and if you were 'macho', you rarely if ever got caught wearing gloves. It was considered 'cool' to have hard, scratchy, horny calluses all over the palm side of your hands; scratches and cuts on fingers were even better.
Not only that, but one of my favorite parts was getting my hands in the dirt - the feel and smell of it, especially at watering time, was always enticing.
That all sounds pretty normal…but how about this? In my early 20's I was fiber-glassing surfboards at one of the most well known surfboard companies in Orange County, California. We never wore gloves! Yep, polyester resin, and acetone to clean it off, all day long. Hey, I know, don't tell me…bad idea.
Are we getting a picture of a candidate for exposed skin care yet? Just a little bit more, and we'll get on to what I discovered that not only helped me dramatically, but 1000s of others as well…
30 years ago I moved to SW Colorado. A dream come true for the skiing, hunting, fishing, and generally rugged outdoor life. It has always felt so good to be independent…
…like cutting fire wood (in below Zero conditions - take a glove off, and , BAM! Cracked fingertip), working on your car yourself, and even working as a carpenter, remodeler, tile setter on my own house as well as professionally during and after retiring from being an Art teacher.
But, there you have it, even more abrasion, alkaline mortar inflaming skin, and the constant wet/dry cycle of cleaning up after junior artists in my 25 year teaching career. Exposed skin. Care? No where in sight.
I used to try every balm salve, cream, even automotive lubricant sticks to relieve the pain of dry, cracked skin that popped open my fingers and thumbs (and heel cracks in the Summer!) like ripe tomatoes! I eventually buckled down and spent many hours researching natural ingredients that might give me relief and give my fiery, exposed skin care that would really work!
I experimented long and hard in my own kitchen and finally came up with a thick, sticky (it stays in the cracks longest and helps healing), naturally soothing, best crack zapper ever!
I ended up using beeswax, honey, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Aloe Vera Oil, with a few extras thrown in for good measure as a base for my exposed skin care formulation. You can get a small double boiler (a pot within a pot to heat the formula with hot water rather than a too hot flame right on the other side of the flammable melting wax and oil) and do this yourself.
Those natural ingredients I researched have all kinds of moisturizers, germ zappers, skin cell friendly vitamins and anti-oxidants, plus other medicinal substances that have been used since Alexander the Great to restore exposed skin. Care of cracked dry skin is nothing new, that's for sure and for certain.
The research is there on line for your own study and discretion. Just be sure that you make your skin care remedy thick and sticky. Also look around for a convenient container that you'll be willing to take with you anywhere so you can apply the formula often for best results. I chose to put mine in a lip balm tube, which is REALLY handy, no pun intended.
Discover, formulate, experiment, and produce your own exposed skin care crack stick. You might want to put clean cotton gloves over a generous bed time application to severely exposed skin on fingers and hands.
Effect appropriate, similar treatment for cracked heels. If you have any doubt at all about the condition you are experiencing, do see a health professional or dermatologist. May your relief be quick and long lasting!
Jackson Ordean, via CrackZapIt!, offers relief for sufferers of finger cracks with exposed skin care solutions. For effective relief from painful finger cracks, visit CrackZapIt.com.
View the original article here