My Legs Are Dry and Scaly – What Should I Do?

Dry, scaly and flaky legs? Don’t worry, we got you!

Skincare isn’t only for the face, and with shorts season coming in quickly your legs deserve a little TLC. If you want soft, moisturized, velvety soft legs, read on!

1. Shower or Bathe in Warm Water

The feeling of hot water on skin feels so relaxing and rejuvenating – I too love a hot shower. However, hot showers or baths can be doing more harm than good to your skin.  The high temperature of the water can strip your skin of its natural oils! Hot showers can also make your skin more prone to irritation and inflammation by increasing its sensitivity. Dial the temperature back and try a warm shower instead – no more than 110 °F or around 43°C.

2. Avoid Irritating Ingredients & Products

Body washes that are too strong may be too effective at stripping your skin’s natural oils. Watch for ingredients like sodium lauryl sulphate, which at high concentrations, may dry out the skin too much. Look for body washes containing milder ingredients that help preserve your skin's natural oils better. Some of my favorite cleansing ingredients are decyl glucoside and coco glucoside, which are both plant derived.

Denatured alcohols are another common culprit for dry skin! After using hand sanitizers for the past year, you may have noticed your hands becoming drier and drier. Don’t mistake these for fatty alcohols like cetyl alcohol and cetearyl alcohol, which are moisturizing for dry skin!

3. Scrub, Scrub, Scrub!

Exfoliating your skin can help speed up its renewal cycle! By scrubbing away at the outer layer of dead skin cells, you will reveal baby soft, glowing skin from beneath. Try Velvette’s Exfoliating Mitt for Body, which biodegradable and made of plant based cellulose fibers! This mittis knitted in a way that painlessly sloughs off dead skin (you can actually see the skin rolling off)! The experience is so satisfying and unlike any other!

4. Moisturize

Notice how right after you shower, your legs are soft and hydrated, but once you let your legs dry off it goes back to being scaly? That’s because the water has evaporated! To keep your skin supple, lock in the moisture in with a body oil like Velvette’s Essential Body Oil. Made with a blend of six organic oils, Velvette’s Essential Body Oil is non-greasy and will keep your skin glowing throughout the day! 

5. SPF

Believe it or not, the sun adds to drying out the skin. Sun damage can compromise your skin barrier, which leads to skin dryness (and other issues like pigmentation, loss of elasticity and more)! If your legs are going to be exposed to the sun, make sure to wear sunscreen!

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*If your legs are cracking, bleeding, or developing rashes we recommend you consult a dermatologist first as medical treatment may be required.

**The legs in the before after picture were transformed with Velvette Exfoliating Mitt + Velvette Essential Body Oil!