Can’t focus on what you’re working on because that.itchy.spot! Can’t sleep because you can’t.stop.scratching! Don’t have the patience to deal with people because dry.itchy.skin!

When it hits, it’s exasperating. When it lingers, it becomes excruciating. Even when you take the dry itchy skin to the doctor, the cause is sometimes hard to identify or do anything about. Unfortunately, the go-to medical remedy is typically a steroid cream.

Try this easy DIY alternative before resorting to harsh medications. Find more oily DIY ideas here: 1) essential items to have on hand, 2) basic recipes/processes, and 3) oil properties to help you personalize your DIY recipes.

Creamy Itch Relief Lotion

INGREDIENTS 

You need three basic ingredients: 1) a carrier oil, 2) vitamin E oil, and 3) essential oil.

1. 1 cup coconut oil: I prefer this for my carrier oil in this recipe because I can whip it into a fluffy cream-like lotion. Other carrier oils you can use include almond, aloe vera, jojoba, olive, and sesame, but they will be a skin oil, not a lotion.
2. 1-2 tablespoons vitamin E oil: This is optional, but I like to include a little because vitamin E oil heals skin tissue and promotes new skin growth.
3. ~ 10 drops of essential oil: The essential oils step is where you play. Combining essential oils can be fun but if you only have lavender essential oil, go with that. See below for a list of essential oils for dryness and itchiness.

DIRECTIONS

• Place the coconut oil in a small mixing bowl, and whip with an electric hand blender or beater, using the whisk attachment. It’s best if the ambient temperature is cool as coconut oil becomes liquid around 76° or 78° F

Whipped coconut, vitamin E, and essential oils

• Add the vitamin E and essential oils as you continue to whip the carrier oil.
• Store in a clean glass jar with lid. You can keep it at room temperature, but if the room temperature is above 75° F, consider refrigerating so that the coconut oil doesn’t melt.

One heaping cup of dry itchy skin relief. But just a little dab will do the job.

NOTES

My recipes are not scientific formulas, but rather processes. See basic recipes/processes. I cull the Internet for information and recipes, then create my own concoctions based on my needs and ingredients I have on hand. I play around with amounts and ingredients until I get something that works for me. You should do the same.

These essential oils can help with dry skin:

• Cedarwood
• Chamomile
• Clary Sage
• Geranium
• Jasmine
• Lavender
• Lemon
• Myrrh
• Patchouli
• Rose
• Rosewood
• Sandalwood
• Ylang ylang

These essential oils can help with itchy skin:

• Agrimony
• Basil
• Bay leaf
• Calendula
• Chamomile
• Chickweed
• Clove
• Geranium
• Jewelweed
• Lavender
• Neem
• Nettle
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Thyme

The following are two of the online resources I used to verify the best essential oils to use for dry itchy skin. These sites have a wealth of additional DIY skin remedies.

• One Good Thing by Jillee: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/11/21-home-remedies-for-dry-itchy-skin.html
• Body Unburdened [No More Nasties]: http://bodyunburdened.com/essential-oils-for-skincare/

Copyright © 2015 by Pennie Nichols, All Rights Reserved.