Falling For: Skintillating Moisture
When I stopped consuming meat about 3 years ago, my body went through a number of significant changes, including the adult onset of eczema. My skin is now extremely dry, sometimes developing dry dark patches—so NOT chic. Since this was diagnosed, I have been using a number of products externally on my skin to help diminish the dryness, including vitamin E oil and jojoba oil to help seal in moisture at night--as well as Eucerin products for daily daytime use.
The Eucerin dry skin original lotion was recommended by my dermatologist and it works wonders on my skin. It is fragrance and dye free, thick enough to moisturize my thirsty skin for an entire day without reapplication and helps to minimize itchiness and discomfort. However, it does have 2 minor, less than desirable side effects: it is oil based, which means it leaves behind a greasy feel that is increased in the summer when mixed with heat and humidity; and it immediately eats away at nail polish--even with top coat—making it nearly impossible to wear nail color.
During my last visit to Vitamin Shoppe, I decided to look for an alternative that would moisturize my skin as well as Eucerin does, but might be slightly less oily. Enter Shikai Borage Dry Skin Therapy.
This lotion is recommended for severe dry conditions including eczema and is also fragrance free. The cool thing about this moisturizer is that it contains an omega-6 fatty acid that helps with the formation and maintenance of healthy skin cells. What this means is that with continued use, the skin actually repairs itself in addition to retaining moisture. Upon my initial use of the product, I was underwhelmed, but over the course of the two weeks that I have been using it, I have noticed that my skin has become much softer and that the small dry patches are smoothing out as well. Borage is not as thick as Eucerin, but it moisturizes just as well once the skin begins to get used to it. And it is not greasy or oily at all—I can even use it on my face under makeup, which I could not do with Eucerin. My ability to wear nail color has been restored as well, as the instant peeling and chipping has been alleviated.
There is a price differential: while Eucerin costs approximately $11 for a 16.9 oz. bottle, the Borage product is approximately $14 for an 8 oz. bottle. While I am officially a fan of the Borage lotion, I’ll still continue to use Eucerin as well—most likely as a nighttime moisturizer, and in the winter when cold and wind tend to dry the skin out more quickly.