My skin, man, it used to be a real disaster zone. We’re talking dry, like, Sahara desert dry. Especially my legs and elbows. It felt like I was wearing a skin suit two sizes too small. Super uncomfortable, always itchy. I remember one winter, things got so bad, my knuckles started cracking and bleeding. Not fun, let me tell you. I was working a job back then that had me washing my hands like a surgeon, dozens of times a day. That, plus the cold, just wrecked them.
So, what did I do? Lotions, of course. Gallons of them. The fancy ones, the cheap ones, the ones that promised miracles. They’d feel okay for maybe ten minutes, then poof! Gone. My skin would be back to feeling like sandpaper. It was a joke. I was getting pretty fed up, spending all this money on stuff that barely did anything.
Then, I think my grandma, bless her heart, mentioned something about using oil. Just plain oil. I was like, “Oil? Seriously? Like the stuff you cook with?” Seemed a bit old-fashioned, a bit… greasy. I had visions of walking around smelling like a chip shop. But honestly, I was at the point where I’d try anything. My skin was making me miserable.
So, I gave it a shot. My first experiment was with some baby oil I found in the back of the bathroom cabinet. It was… alright. Definitely better than the lotions in terms of lasting power. But it still felt a bit, I don’t know, artificial? And the smell got to me after a while. Plus, I’m not a baby, you know?
Next up, I jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon. Everyone was raving about it. So, I got a big tub of the organic, virgin stuff. First thing, it’s solid! Had to scoop it out and melt it in my hands. Smelled pretty good, like a holiday. And yeah, it made my skin soft. Really soft. But boy, was it heavy. If I used a tiny bit too much, I was a walking grease slick. And my face? Forget about it. That was a one-way ticket to Pimple City for me. So, coconut oil was good for my body sometimes, but not an everyday thing, and definitely not for my face.
I was getting a bit disheartened, thinking maybe this oil thing wasn’t for me either. But I’m stubborn. I figured there had to be some oil that worked. I remember reading something online, just a little comment somewhere, about olive oil. Yeah, the extra virgin stuff from the kitchen. I thought, well, people in the Mediterranean have been using it for centuries, right? Must be something to it.
So, very carefully, after a shower, while my skin was still a bit damp – that seemed to be key – I tried a tiny bit of olive oil. Warmed it up in my hands, smoothed it on. And you know what? It wasn’t half bad. It soaked in way better than I expected. My skin didn’t feel greasy, just… comfortable. The itchiness started to go away. This was a game-changer.
I stuck with olive oil for a long time. Just a little bit after every shower. My skin totally transformed. No more cracking, no more flaking. My elbows stopped feeling like they belonged to a rhino. I did have one mishap though – one morning I was in a rush, used a bit too much on my legs, and then tried to wrestle into skinny jeans. Let’s just say it was a very slippery and slightly awkward start to the day. Lesson learned: a little goes a long way!
After a while, I got curious and tried a few other oils. I picked up some jojoba oil. That stuff is amazing, actually. It feels really light, almost like my skin’s own natural oil. And almond oil is nice too, especially for my hands. I kind of rotate them now, or use whatever I have on hand. Sometimes I’ll even mix a drop or two into my regular unscented body lotion if I want something lighter.
So yeah, that’s my story with oils. It wasn’t some magic bullet. It took a bit of trial and error, a few greasy moments, and listening to some old-school advice. But for my chronically dry skin, ditching most of the fancy, expensive stuff and just going back to basics with simple oils has made a huge difference. My skin’s healthier, I’m not constantly scratching, and I’m not spending a fortune. It’s not for everyone, I guess, but it sure worked for me. I just wish I’d figured it out sooner, would have saved me a lot of grief, especially during those hand-washing-mania days at my old job.
