Also, apply a moisturizer or lotion to the skin immediately after bathing to help retain water. During the winter, replace your antibacterial soap with a bar soap containing moisturizer. Antibacterial soaps are fine for summer months, but during the winter, they strip essential oils from your skin that are necessary to keep the skin moist in drier air. Run a humidifier in your home to add moisture to the air. For chapped, itchy skin there are dozens, if not hundreds, of remedies.
Drug stores are full of lotions, salves, and moisturizing soaps.
Apply the lotion to drier areas of the skin several times a day. For extremely dry areas, like the joints, thicker moisturizers are needed. Basically, this is dry skin caused by low environmental humidity and the removal of oil from the skin by hot showers and harsh soaps. The dry skin in this condition doesn t have to be severe to cause considerable itching. Chapped lips are also very common.