Two little old ladies were sitting on a park bench outside the local town hall where a flower show was in progress. One leaned over and said, Life is so dang boring. We never have any fun anymore! For five dollars I'd take my clothes off and streak through that stupid flower show.
You're on! said the other old lady, holding up a $5.00 bill. The first little old lady slowly fumbled her way out of her clothes and, completely naked, streaked (as fast as an old lady can) through the front door of the flower show.
Waiting outside, her friend soon heard a huge commotion inside the hall, followed by loud applause and shrill whistling. The smiling old lady came through the exit door surrounded by a cheering crowd.
What happened? asked her waiting friend.
I won 1st prize as Best Dried Arrangement!
Many of us know that we don’t have to be pushing eighty years old to suffer from dry skin, especially in the cold, winter months. When furnaces are blasting, woodstoves are roaring and fireplaces are crackling, our skin can pay the price. Space heaters and electric blankets can also dry out the skin, and so can the excessive use of tanning beds and saunas.
Dry, flaky skin isn’t a disease, it’s a condition - brought on by a lack of moisture or water in the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin.) The epidermis is composed of tissue primarily made up of sulfur-containing fibrous proteins called keratin, the same chemical basis as hair and nails. Keratin needs water to keep it supple and pliant. When moisture evaporates more quickly, the result is dry, itchy skin.
Think of what happens when you take a fresh, soft slice of bread and put it in the toaster for two minutes. The heat removes the moisture and the bread becomes hard, dry and crumbly.
A common misconception is that the dryness is a result of a lack of oil in the skin. This is not true. It is water that the skin thirsts for and the answer is to keep that water in.
Here are eight easy home remedies for dry skin:
