Dry Skin Care.

If your skin is dry if it feels tight, looks dull, and perhaps is flaking-you probably already know the basics of dry skin care. Don't wash with hot water. Don't clean with soap. Use a moisturizer a couple of times a day, and be sure to use one with no artificial fragrances, which can hurt dry, sensitive skin. While those routines are good, however, they may not be enough.

Alternative skin care practitioners have a few additional ideas for accomplishing the two tasks that are musts for normalizing dry skin: adding water and adding oil."Skin is dry because there is either not enough moisture or not enough oil," says Joni Loughran, an esthetician, cosmetologist, and aroma therapist in Petaluma, California.

MISTING: Spray-On Relief
"Misting-spraying your face with a fine mist of water-may be the single best treatment for dry skin," says Loughran. For maximum benefit, you should always apply a moisturizer that contains humectants before misting. These ingredients attract and hold water, Loughran says, so if you mist while they're on your face, your dry skin will continue to receive moisture throughout the day. If you mist without applying the humectant moisturizer, the misting may actually start to dry your skin. Loughran suggests using natural products from the companies Penny Island, Abra, and Dr. Hauschka.

To mist, you need an 8-ounce bottle with a pump sprayer that emits a very fine spray that won't disturb makeup. Your choices of liquids and moisturizing elements to use include plain water, aloe juice, and an aromatherapy hydrosol (flower water), which is the water that's left over after a plant has been distilled to remove the essential oils.

You also can mix 10 drops of an essential oil or a blend of oils in water. If you do, though, shake the mixture vigorously before use and be careful not to spray it into your eyes, since the oils can irritate them. Some excellent oils to use for this are lavender, damask rose, chamomile, ylang-ylang, and rose geranium, says Loughran. You should mist at least three times a day-morning, noon, and evening-but since misting is so good for dry skin, feel free to mist as often as possible, she says.

AROMATHERAPY: A Hydrating Facial Compress

Daily use of a warm facial compress using aroma therapy essential oils will greatly benefit dry skin by hydrating the skin and stimulating the water and oil glands, Loughran says. First, thoroughly rinse a clean washcloth to remove any soap or detergent residue. Next, fill a basin with warm water and add two to three drops of one of three essential oils: lavender, rose, or neroli. "These are all very gentle, harmonizing, balancing oils for the skin," says Loughran. Finally, lean over the basin, dip the cloth in the water, and hold it to your face and neck for a few moments. Do this 10 times.

WATER: Hydrate from the Inside Out
Water is an internal moisturizer, helping to heal dry skin from the inside out, says Loughran. She recommends drinking a minimum of 64 ounces a day, and more if you drink coffee or alcohol, since they are diuretics that force water out of the body.

SUPPLEMENTS: A Program for Dry Skin
Skin-supporting nutritional supplements can also help heal dry skin from the inside, says Earl Mindell, Ph.D., a pharmacist and nutritionist in Beverly Hills. Here are his recommendations. . Black currant oil: 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams daily. This oil is a rich source of omega-6 fatty acids, which are crucial for normal skin.

• Beta-carotene: 15 milligrams a day, taking half the daily dosage with lunch and half with dinner. This nutrient is crucial for soft, smooth, disease-free skin, Dr. Mindell says. 
• Zinc: 15 milligrams daily with a meal. This nutrient is important for the repair of damaged skin tissue, he says, and a deficiency can cause dry skin.
• B-complex vitamins: 100 milligrams a day after a meal. "Deficiencies of thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, or biotin can lead to dry skin problems, especially scaliness around the mouth and nose," says Dr. Mindell.
• Vitamin C: 1,000 milligrams two or three times a day. "Vitamin C helps bolster the immune system, and a stronger immune system leads to healthier skin," he says.
• Vitamin E: 400 international units once or twice a day after meals. "This nutrient helps replace cells on the skin's outer layer," he says.

HERBS: A Tea for Healing Parched Skin
Herbalists call certain herbs mucilaginous, meaning that they have soothing and anti-inflammatory qualities-qualities that can help heal dry skin, says Brigitte Mars, an herbalist and nutritional consultant in Boulder, Colorado. Here's her formula for making a tea using four of the best mucilaginous herbs for dry skin: marshmallow root, fennel seed, plantain, and violet leaves.
Combine 1 part each of marshmallow root and fennel seed, then add a heaping teaspoon of the mixture to 1 quart of water and boil for 20 minutes. Add a heaping teaspoon each of dried plantain and violet leaves and simmer for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, then strain. Drink a quart of tea daily, sipping it warm or cold throughout the day.

Help For Chapped Hands.
Using a gentle cleansing and moisturizing routine twice a day, every day, can make chapped hands a thing of the past, says Norma Pasekoff Weinberg, an herbal educator in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. You'll need a small cucumber,1 tablespoon of cornmeal,  tablespoon of honey, some warm water, and a mild, unscented, super fatted liquid soap such as Neutrogena or Dove. Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds, then process it in a blender or juicer for a few seconds, until smooth. In a small bowl, mix the cucumber with the honey and set aside. Put the cornmeal in a separate bowl and make a paste by slowly adding the warm water and liquid soap.

Wash your hands thoroughly with the cornmeal paste, which will cleanse gently without irritating. Rinse your hands with warm water and pat dry with a clean, soft towel.
Next, apply the cucumber mixture.

Enlist someone to help you enclose your hands in plastic wrap or self sealing plastic bags. Cover the plastic with a towel and relax for 15 to 20 minutes-the longer, the better. Afterward, rinse your hands, blot them dry, and apply moisturizer. For extra protection, apply the moisturizer to your hands before bed and wear loose-fitting cotton gloves overnight.