Dry skin ailments such as psoriasis and dermatitis require proper medication to avoid complications. It is always a wise option to consult a physician before using any medication for the ailment since most of these ailments have no permanent cure and are genetically inherited.

Although medications can reduce itching, provide small-term cure, and provide some relief, these might not provide a long-term solution.

Dry skin that is not inherited but rather formed due to other causes such as the weather or an improper diet can be treated to some extent using lotions.

People with overly dry skin must avoid having oily, fried dry food. These people can add some butter or olive oil in the foods being consumed to provide the necessary amount of oil to the body. Lots of juice is to be consumed to retain enough liquid in the body always. Good diet, lots of water, and enough sleep can work wonders on people with dry skin.

One product that gently nourishes and moisturizes is aloe vera. It can be applied as a gel directly to remove dead cells or on other affected areas. Two medications, calendula and comfrey, can be used for excessive dry skin since they soften the skin. These are mostly used during a facial sauna to produce a soothing effect. Facial saunas using herbs such as peppermint, chamomile, and lavender also produces skin-softening effect.

Lavender oil and oat meal extract provides a lot of relief to dehydrated bodies. Tea tree oil can be added to bath water as it provides a lot of moisturizing. After the bath, it is important to moisturize the body with aloe vera cream since it helps to recover natural oils and retain suppleness in the skin.

A weekly facial sauna using the herbs chamomile, lavender, geranium, patchouli, ylang-ylang, rose, hyssop, sandalwood and peppermint is good for dry skin.

For excessive dry skin, oil based lotions or cream can be applied soon after bath. The two most popular oil based creams are Vaseline and LacHydrin. Oil based Vaseline cream can be applied on wet skin to enable them to trap the moisture and thus not allowing the skin to dry. The cream LacHydrin is to be applied on dry skin soon after bath to hold in the moisture in the skin.