Have your knees ever felt dry even after using a moisturizing soap or body wash and applying moisturizer to your body? If so, your knees require a little more tender loving care in the skincare sector.
The skin on our legs as a whole is distinct from the skin in our knees. It produces less lipids to assist the top layer of skin stay moisturized and has fewer sebaceous glands. Hormonal fluctuations, medical disorders, and inherited skin conditions like eczema can all contribute to this dryness. However, dry knees and elbows are typically brought on by unconscious practices that cause skin to get thicker as a result of friction.
Your knees’ dry skin is probably undetectable, but you might feel self-conscious if you’re wearing shorts, a skirt, or a dress. When dry skin accumulates, it might occasionally be quite noticeable that the skin on the knee is thicker. The good news is that you can fix it by making adjustments to your grooming and cosmetic routine. Here are some pointers to consider:
1. Use humectant moisturizers
Body creams that are thin and light won’t penetrate thick skin, such as the dry knees and elbows. Look for body butters and lotions that can work their magic through tough skin. Use a potent tropical butter cream when your skin is actually cracking from being so dry.
2. Apply petroleum jelly at night
You can apply petroleum jelly, a cheap and commonly accessible moisturizer, on dry and scaly skin. After having a shower in the evening, simply apply a thick coating on the knees. Since you’ll be sleeping, you won’t be troubled by the oil, and it locks in the moisture from your shower or bath.
3. Reapply lotion during the day
To keep your knees moisturized throughout the day, always keep a travel-sized bottle of heavy lotion or a tiny container of petroleum jelly in your purse or desk drawer. When you take a break, make it a habit to rub your moisturizer. You can keep it close to your computer so that you can moisten your dry areas while you’re waiting for a client’s response or while you’re writing an email in your head.
4. Buff off dead skin cells
Your skin can occasionally become dry as a result of an accumulation of surface-level dead skin cells. You must exfoliate to eliminate them so that your skin may once again become softer. While taking a hot shower, you can remove it using a loofah. When the skin is highly hydrated, in the bath or shower, is always the finest time to exfoliate. The rough side of these pair of loofas can be used to remove dead skin, while the softer side can provide a milder exfoliation in needy body areas.
If you have dry skin all over your body, not only on your knees, you should buy an excellent brush and body care kit for a thorough and individualized exfoliation procedure. It includes a body exfoliator for other areas that require more exfoliation, a pumice sphere, a gentle brush for the face, and a large brush for the body. Additionally, its energizing vibrations can facilitate skin cell turnover.
5. Exfoliate with body scrubs
Twice weekly, exfoliate your dry knees. Use a shea butter or olive oil-based hydrating body scrub. Your pores are wide open while you’re taking a shower, and dried-out pores are exposed to moisture. The ideal time to exfoliate your skin with a hydrating scrub is during this time. Your skin will become smoother when the scrub removes the dead skin. The skin will take in the moisture and hold onto it, preventing a feeling of dryness.
6. Use body wash
While bar soaps are acceptable, prolonged use can actually dry out the skin. Your knees, and your skin all around, may benefit from switching from soap to moisturizing body washes to kick-start moisture. One of the top moisturizing body washes on the market is a creamy, plant-based product.
7. Soak skin in coconut oil
Coconut oil deeply moisturizes the skin and has a high absorption rate. Apply coconut oil by circling your hands. Apply as needed, whether before or after showering, just before bed, or even during the day. Your tough knees will become smoother and remain moisturized all day and night if you use coconut oil twice a day, in the morning and the evening.
8. Add moisture to air
Help your skin by surrounding yourself with moisture when topical therapies don’t work or yield just minimal results. Using ultrasonic moisturizers to assist maintain the environment moist, so that the air doesn’t dry out your skin.
9. Avoid using alkaline soaps and surfactants
Your current products could be contributing to your dry skin. Examine the components in your existing products to discover if any include irritants that can be causing your skin to become dry. In addition, watch out for over-cleansing your skin. Over-washing your skin can dry it out and result in harsh, uneven skin.
10. Nourish your skin from the inside with proper nutrition and hydration
Rough patches may also appear if your body isn’t getting the nutrients it requires. Drink a lot of water all day long to keep your skin hydrated. Consider including fish oil, vitamin D, collagen, and other nutrients that are good for the skin in your diet.
11. Use body butter overnight
Body butters are richer compositions meant to deeply hydrate your skin as compared to lotions. Apply body butter at night so it has time to absorb into your skin because it tends to be richer than lotion. This kind of moisturizer can also be applied as a spot treatment to dry regions like your elbows.
12. Use an ultra-healing body balm
To find immediate relief from severely dry skin, particularly on the knees, opt for a body balm. Look for a body lotion that includes vitamins B5 and E. These components are renowned for enhancing the look and feel of skin while assisting in the fight against very dry skin. Try a healing hand cream to calm and nourish dry skin if you have rough, itchy knees.
13. Honey and oatmeal
Combine one egg white, four teaspoons of oats, two tablespoons of honey, and two tablespoons of glycerine. Ideally combine to create a paste. Apply this paste to the rough areas of your knees, let it sit there for ten to fifteen minutes, and then thoroughly rinse with warm water. Having a ton of antibacterial qualities, organic, raw honey is fantastic for the skin. Oatmeal and egg whites are used to eliminate dry skin and make the skin smooth. Without overly exfoliating or harming the skin, this mask also assists in skin lightening.
14. Use castor oil
Castor oil is incredibly nutrient-rich and has healing and moisturizing qualities. Take a few tablespoons of castor oil and warm it up by immersing it in a dish of hot water. You can also heat it on a gas stove or an electric hot plate. To heat the oil, avoid using a microwave. Overheating the oil will cause it to lose its nutrients.
Wrap your knees in a thin muslin cloth or soft cloth that has been dipped in heated castor oil. For ten to fifteen minutes, leave it on. To assist the oil enter deeper, keep a napkin dipped in hot water over the muslin cloth. This will open the pores. After removing the cloth, gently massage your knees in circular motions while applying the oil that is still in the cloth. Your knees will become firm and smooth as a result of this. This can be done once a day, three times a week, or at least twice.
15. Apply almond oil
Excellent moisturizers include almond oil. One of the most efficient ways to smooth rough and dry skin around the knees is to apply almond oil to them every day. Vitamins E, A, and D, which all aid to repair skin, keep skin smooth, and promote healthy cell turnover, are deeply penetrating nutrients found in almond oil. Regular application of almond oil will soften and hydrate your dry knees. Apply almond oil by circling your hands. Applying it before getting in the shower will keep your knees moisturized. Applying it just after a shower helps keep your knees moisturized all day. Applying before bedtime will smooth the rough skin on your knees while you sleep and keep them moisturized all night.
Conclusion
Because it is thicker and produces less oil than the rest of your skin, the skin on your knees is more prone to dryness. Use a body scrub to get rid of dead skin cells, then a deep-conditioning moisturizer to hydrate your skin to help soften it. Use hydrating cleansers and routinely rub lotion on your knees to avoid dry areas. Apply a body butter at night for added hydration, paying special attention to your knees.