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On the Quest for the Perfect Lotion

January 31st, 2008 · 16 Comments · Family Life

It is cold and dry. My skin has dried out. The BoyChild has terrible rashes, dry skin and eczema from his allergies. And David has chapped skin.

I have been on a quest for the perfect lotion.

Who knew such a simple thing was so hard?

All I need is a non-greasy, non-tacky, non-scented, moisturizing lotion.

I’ve tried the lotions from Bath and Bodyworks. They don’t fit the bill at all. They are kind of tacky when dry and they leave my hands feeling dried out after awhile. And the scent? It izzz a little overpowering.

I don’t have anything against scents. But the BoyChild? Scents often send him off the deep end and do worse things to him than high fructose corn syrup and MSG combined. So I’ve had to give up my Calvin Klein Euphoria and my scented candles and my Glade air fresheners.

The original Jergens Lotion is what I remember from my childhood. That subtle sweet cherry almond scent reminded me of my Grandmother. And it is reasonably priced! At 29 cents an ounce, Jergens is about as inexpensive as it gets. But it has that scent problem. And it goes on nicely but it feels greasy for a long time.

Eucerin has some promising products. The Original lotion didn’t do much for me. Or the BoyChild and his skin problems. It didn’t have a smell and absorbed well but it didn’t seem to moisturize well. Their Plus Intensive Repair Lotion worked better. But the BoyChild complained it stung when I put it on him the last time and flapped his arm like a chicken for awhile. Which wasn’t the result I was going for at all when I’m trying to get him to bed.

David said, in an effort to be comforting to the BoyChild, “it will only hurt for a little bit.” Which made me just look at him. Because of the BoyChild’s sensory issues, things normal people would find, oh, say, a little annoying, he finds distracting or painful to the point that he can’t focus on anything else. Hence the arm flapping.

I think it may be the urea in the lotion. Not that I’m against a little pee in my lotion. But did you know, it can be used to remove a “diseased nail?” Is that something I want to put on my baby’s skin? Or my own for that matter?

Eucerin also has a “healing ointment” or a “baby healing ointment” I don’t think I’ve tried yet. But at more than $3US an ounce, it really makes me wince to think about buying it and then not having it work. I think they sent me a sample I carried around in my purse and used for awhile. But I don’t clearly recall, so it must not have made a big impression on me.

I’ve also tried Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream, Utterly Smooth Hand Cream, Bag Balm (I don’t think I’ve ever actually tried Bag Balm on the BoyChild because it has a scent that worries me) Curel Continuous Comfort Moisturizing Lotion, Nutraplus Therapeutic Cream and Cetaphil. I’ve not been able to find one that helps the BoyChild and which I can wear on a regular basis. Hell if I could find one that would clear the BoyChild’s skin problems up, I would bathe in it.

Skin MD Natural has one I found on their web page that looks promising. But at almost $7.50 an ounce, I’d be disappointed to buy it and have it not work, or worse yet, make the BoyChild flap his arms like a chicken.

Or, in my quest for the perfect lotion, I’ve read that coconut oil (which I just happen to have because I use it to make soap) makes a nice lotion.

I wonder if theBoyChild would mind going to school smelling like a cake?

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16 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Nancy // Jan 31, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    I’ve heard that the Curel Continuous Comfort Moisturizing Lotion is excellent (Amalah recommends it highly, and I know she’s got sensitive skin and has tried a lot of lotions). Drugstore.com has it in stock, and they have a 100% money back guarantee.

  • 2 M&Co. // Jan 31, 2008 at 12:43 pm

    Nancy, I had to edit my post to add that as “one I’ve tried.” It too sits in the “basket of shame” on the back of my toilet in my bathroom. I liked it, and the GirlChild really likes it, but it doesn’t do anything for the BoyChild or David. And I think I could honestly live with my dry skin, if I could find something to help the BoyChild.

  • 3 gawdess // Jan 31, 2008 at 1:29 pm

    I love MadGabs skin balms, they are made in Maine they are more an oil and beeswax based balm – I also swear by glaxel base, you should be able to get it from your local pharmacy.
    It is the base that medicine is put into when you get medicated cream in a prescription.
    It takes a little while to dry but then isn’t tacky.

  • 4 M&Co. // Jan 31, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    Is this the MadGabs, Gawdess? It looks nice, except for those pesky scents. I wonder if they do an unscented version?

    When I made a lot of soap, I dabbled in making balms using some of my soaping oils. Maybe I should break out the sweet almond oils and bees wax and give it a go again!

  • 5 cce // Jan 31, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    I use Hydrolatum, which is available here at the pharmacy if you ask for it. It’s specifically made for people with eczema, etc. And it’s very, very greasy so can’t be used during the day. It’s a night time kind of salve. But it really helps.

  • 6 M&Co. // Jan 31, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    It has been ordered, CCE! Thanks.

  • 7 Dani // Jan 31, 2008 at 4:21 pm

    I have incredibly dry skin in the winter, and I use this

    http://www.aveeno.com/productDetail.do?prodid=1579

    Its not the hand cream, and it doesn’t stay oily, doesn’t smell like anything, and moisturizes.

    I also use, Burts Bees, Cocunut Oil Foot Repair, which is fantastic but takes a second or two to soak in.

    Hope any of this might help

  • 8 M&Co. // Jan 31, 2008 at 4:29 pm

    I’ll check that one when I get home, Dani. The Aveeno products haven’t really made a dent in the BoyChild’s dry skin problems. I think it goes beyond dry skin and is really an allergic reaction.

  • 9 Heather // Jan 31, 2008 at 6:55 pm

    I have one more suggestion for you that I have been using for Hayden and myself. L’Occitane sells a product called “Mom and Baby Balm” and it is 100% natural ingredients. There is no scent to it at all and nothing nasty in it. It is stupidly expensive, but the good news is that it does not take much. It is slightly greasy, but soaks in quickly. Here is the Skin Deep link for more info: http://cosmeticdatabase.com/product.php?prod_id=57663

    Good luck!

  • 10 Rayne of Terror // Jan 31, 2008 at 9:31 pm

    I’m currently using herbalind professional Glycerin hand cream. $7.49 for 2.5 oz. It smells faintly of honey. It really lasts and keeps my shins from getting cracks in the winter. It says it has Alpha Hydroxy Acids, so that might not work for Boychild. I think it’s German. I love love love it.

  • 11 M&Co. // Jan 31, 2008 at 10:02 pm

    Is this it Rayne?

    Thanks for the suggestion. I’m not sure how alpha hydroxy acids would effect him.

  • 12 M&Co. // Jan 31, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    Wowee Heather! That stuff is expensive. I may run by Sephora this weekend and see if they have any we can try.

  • 13 Rayne of Terror // Feb 1, 2008 at 9:20 am

    That’s the one. My sister brings it down from Chicago for me. When she worked in food services it was the only lotion that kept her hands from cracking.

    I was wondering if you have considered homeopathy for Boychild. I was listening to a radio program about it yesterday and it seems like a good homeopathy practitioner could help. Dana Ullman was the person being interviewed on Oprah XM radio.

  • 14 Talina // Feb 1, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    My suggestion is not lotion but could help with the dry skin… I have noticed that natural soaps keep the skin from drying out and also, using generic baby oil when you get out of the shower moisturizes ALL day and is really good for the skin- just don’t use too much or you will be slick and oily.. Good luck!

  • 15 I didn’t even get a chance to write about them before we took them from him again. // Feb 4, 2008 at 4:38 pm

    […] On the Quest for the Perfect Lotion […]

  • 16 Nick // Jun 24, 2010 at 4:23 pm

    Try St. Ives’ Oatmeal & Shea Butter moisturizer, it’s the best thing I’ve ever tried. It absorbs super quickly and I feel soooo soft all day long after using it. It’s also really good for after shaving. Also it was the cheapest thing on the whole isle.

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