sticky flaky skin when after a shower

[Sossity]

I notice when I have finished washing my body, & get out of the shower to dry off, when I rub my arms, top of my shoulders, legs etc, vigorously with my Aquis micro fiber towel, I get alot of semi greasy flakes coming off my skin, alot of it; almost like when ones skin peels after a sunburn, only I have not had any sunburns lately. I have only cold hard water avalable right now. I have recently switched to a 100% glycerine body soap bar hand milled with some vegatable oils & coco oils. Also have been using raw shea butter on my skin, after showers, switched from commercial cremes. I wanted a chemical sulphate free soap that would clean but not dry my skin out. I found I had these "flakes" upon drying when I used commercial sulphate body soap bars as well.

I have also been experimenting with ACV & baking soda for my hair. I had the skin flakes while I was using sulphate shampoos & cone conditioners. during these times, when I touch my skin it feels a little sticky. I shower about 1 or 2 times a week, for my hair & body. what is causing this? is there anything that can be done?

Sossity

[snowbear]

Exfoliation! What you're describing sounds like your dead skin shedding. I get it when I don't exfoliate. For me, I just use a washcloth.

Cheers!

[kimberlily]

I agree with snowbear. It sounds like you need to exfoliate more. I get that on the tops of my feet, which I always forget to exfoliate. Other areas aren't so bad.

[Sossity]

how would I go about exfoliating? in the shower I have just srubbed hard with my back brush to try to get the skin off, but it does not seem to help much, I cannot reach my back or back of my body easily, I find a back brush helps me get to most of my body. Are there natural or home made alternatives to commercial exfoliating products? I also just googled exfoliation, & one article reccommended skin brushing, where I gently brush my skin every morning while dry; not in the shower. Any tips or input about skin brushing? would this help me exfoliate?

Sossity

[levelek]

Are there natural or home made alternatives to commercial exfoliating products?

Lots of people swear by a brown sugar-olive oil mix.

[device]

Here's (http://chatter.thebeautybottle.com/showthread.php?t=102) a thread about dry brushing. HTH!

[kimberlily]

I use the brown sugar and olive oil combination. Just be careful not to slip!

[Sossity]

will Olive oil & brown sugar work with my cold hard water? should I mix the 2 together in an empty bottle? how do I make & use/apply this mix to my skin?

Sossity

[Abanilla_Surfer]

I used to get that too and then I got shower filter. I tried exfoliating and it didn't stop it. I think there's something in the water here my skin just doesn't like. Since I fitted the filter it's stopped completely.

[Sossity]

can one exfoliate properly in cold water only? this is all I have right now, it is also hard/alkaline. I want to use a gentle all natural soap, what would be best under my circumstances? I also notice sometimes after my showers my skin actually starts itching, why does it itch after my showers?

Sossity

[Raederle]

Hmm, you certainly can exfoliate gently with baking soda and cool water.

Your skin might itch for several different reasons. If your water is pretty hard, as mine is, it can leave deposits on your skin that are irritating. I never had good luck with soaps and my hard water, though my shower filter does make the process better.

[Sossity]

Hmm, you certainly can exfoliate gently with baking soda and cool water.

Your skin might itch for several different reasons. If your water is pretty hard, as mine is, it can leave deposits on your skin that are irritating. I never had good luck with soaps and my hard water, though my shower filter does make the process better.
have you tried baking soda to wash off with? yes I do have hard water, am in southern california, I also only have cold water at the moment as well. would it work with my cold/ hard/alkaline/ water? I have read that baking soda is alkaline, would the alkalinity of my hard water combine with the baking soda alkalinity & be too high a ph & irritating? I have read skin & hair has a more acid ph. How do I apply the baking soda? do I dilute it with some of my shower water & pur it on me? or do I make a paste? how much should I use? right now I cannot afford a shower filter or a water softener, so if there is a way to work around this it would help a great deal. Would the baking soda help with my itchyness?

Sossity

[Abanilla_Surfer]

right now I cannot afford a shower filter or a water softener, so if there is a way to work around this it would help a great deal. Would the baking soda help with my itchyness?

Sossity

Sorry I can't help about the baking soda, but I wanted to let you know that I'm only using a cheap carbon filter that screws onto the shower attachment and that's enough to help my skin. I know there are whole house systems that cost a lot more but to start it makes more sense to go with a cheaper version and see if it has an effect.

[mira-chan]

I get this too, but I have relatively soft water. I have to scrub raw to get the skin to expholiate and not be sticky while drying like that. That is just how my skin is, scalp and body. It just doesn't shed normally. On sulfates, dry, itchy icky skin, on no sulfates, just icky skin. Can't win.

Question, Sossity, do you have naturally dry skin? Because the would make exfoliation harder. Soaking for a longer time or heavily moisturizing before wash may help then.

That is my problem. Dry skin and I don't sweat much if at all so my skin doesn't self moisturize and soften. Moisturizers don't help me sadly, my skin rejects them by either not absorbing most of them, they sit on the skin and feel nasty, or worse reacts in unpleasant ways. Soaking in a bath is not an option at this time. :whyme: It's genetic, my mother had this too, now she is perimenopausal she doesn't any more.

[Abanilla_Surfer]

Hi-Jack: Mira chan your siggy is just beautiful! Was it a special occasion?

[justgreen]

Try lightly rinsing off after a shower with distilled water. It doesn't take much to rinse away those pesky minerals to attach to skin from your hard water. I do this to my hair after every wash.

[mira-chan]

Hi-Jack: Mira chan your siggy is just beautiful! Was it a special occasion?

<hijack>
Thank you! :grinhappy:
Sort of. It was for a Japanese folk dance performance during a Japanese festival.
</hijack>