Your mileage will vary depending on your skin profile and activity. However, some important mechanical things to remember that I learned many years ago from an L.A. Times article: - Mineral-based lotions such as minerals oils, petrolatum, glycerin or lanolin don't moisturize the skin, instead, they work by sealing moisture IN, by the same token, they don't allow new moisture in. If you use these products, use them on moistened skin for best effect. - Vegetable-based lotions actually help moisturize skin cells (note that dead cells are dead and no helping them, but you're still moisturizing hard, cracked skin so it can slough off and new skin cells can replace it). You know what these are, vegetable/nut oils, butters, etc. You'll find these lotions/butters work easily into the skin and aren't greasy. Personally, like Melissa, I'm at the point where I just like to use things I can mostly eat and I know what they are when I read the label. YMMV. I got on a tangent a couple of months ago after some comments on our mountain community forum regarding lip balm. You can make your own very easily and inexpensively by Googling "lip balm" but I found another link for Badger Lip Balm. I got the cocoa butter line that come in the large tube and really like them (Mocha, Creamy Cocoa, Mint...) Ingredients are all edible: olive oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, etc. I think they are yummy, so far my mom is the only one that doesn't (not a surprise ;-) That "drugstore online place" mentioned above was cheapest when I bought some. Any lip balm that has phenol, formaldehyde, salicylic acid, camphor will dry the top layer of skin and make your lips peal. That's why if you are a Carmex lover like I was, you keep having to put it on all the time. For skin, almond oil is great (Neutrogena makes a nice one) as is olive oil, tho' I haven't used the latter straight. You can make your own inexpensive lotions/butters with shea butter, olive oil, jojoba etc. The Body Works advertises butters like this but haven't been by yet to try - I think I'd like to try a couple different ingredients before I make my own. If you should want to make your own with shea butter, you should read this website first (yes, I DID get on a tangent ;-) because many sources don't sell either the correct product or it is inferior: http://www.sheainstitute.com/ If you look at reviews of different vendors on Amazon, you will see quality can depend on lot number even among the same vendors. Seeing as how I don't think I'll use it a lot, when I get around to it, I was going to order this one from Amazon as it's the only certified product I could find in the U.S. (you can find literally tons not certified, but then you never know about extraneous ingredients). Unfiltered is supposed to be superior as filtering takes out some of the good stuff. http://www.amazon.com/AAA-Shea-Butter-Premium-Unrefined/dp/B000GREPOY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357863683&sr=8-1&keywords=aaa+shea+butter If you have sore joints, you can add Arnica, my friend swears this helps his arthritic hands and started to make his own. Two other ingredients I've actually been using are argon oil and seabuckthorn (seed) oil. If any of you has rosacea, seabuckthorn (seed) oil sounds like it's very, very helpful, read it on this Amazon review: http://www.amazon.com/review/RT9NTG9VWSTDC/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003IU9HI0&nodeID=3760911&store=beauty I wonder if it would work for other dermatitis as well. Tangentially yours, Kerin ;-)

I know this is a really old thread, but for those of you who were using Dionne Udder Balm and can no longer find it, I think it is no longer being made. The Original Udder Balm and Fiebing's Udder Balm both supposedly have the same formula as Dionne. I recently bought some Fiebing's and if it's not identical, it's certainly very similar to Dionne. I think Fiebing's sells a medicated (menthol) version, but I don't think Original Udder does (yet). I don't mind the smell at all. I think it's a light citrus smell. I bought one container of the medicated and didn't like it. For those of you with eczema, lotions with 10% urea may be helpful. Two that I know are Uremol, which seems to be available only from Canadian sources, and Nutraplus, which I've found at drugstore.com. I've also bought crystallized urea and added it to the Dionne (now Fiebing's) udder balm.

I've used straight olive oil on my skin for years. It's the only thing I've ever used that really kills the winter itch. I have psoriasis, which really complicates things. A couple of years ago my doctor commented that my skin was looking at lot better and I told him about the olive oil. He was a little amused until I made my case -- all natural, full of fatty acids and esters that the skin just loves, penetrates into the skin, doesn't just lay on top of it, and the proof of all of this was, well, my skin. He now recommends that all of his patients with dry skin use olive oil.

I have awful old lady hands too. Thin skin, prominent veins and loss of volume. Nurses love my veins because it's so easy to find one! I had some brown spots, but my derm froze them off, and for the most part they haven't reappeared. I really wish that I had used sunscreen on them when I was younger, as I have always done on my face. A couple of years ago I had a filler injected (Restalyne). It did help, but it's not permanent. I'm thinking about doing it again. I'll probably have to do it every year or two for maintenance. What I don't understand is why it's so hard to find hand cream with sunscreen in it! I just bought Jergens new BB hand cream, which has SPF 20 in it, and I keep a small tube of sunscreen in my car and apply that when I think of it. For a recent Roaring 20's theme even I went to I wore long above the elbow fingerless gloves. It was so great to have most of my hands covered!