I realize this does not seem like a nursing-related question, but our personal hygiene routines before and after work/school can have repercussions for us professionally.
My skin has the tendency to be dry and itchy due to longstanding hypothyroidism, and the problem is heightened in the winter. So, I strictly use liquid body wash four months out of the year from early November until early March. St. Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter body wash soothes and moisturizes my itchy, dry skin.
From March through late October I switch mostly to bar soaps because my skin is not as dry and itchy during warmer weather. However, I still use liquid body wash on occasion. I use Tone Bath Bars with cocoa butter for the moisturizing properties. I also like Caress Daily Silkening body wash (white peach & silky orange blossom scent).
I absolutely DO NOT use antibacterial soaps when at home. I strictly use plain bar soaps and body washes to minimize the potential of resistance to microbes.
I also have hypothyroidism. I use Dove, Olay or Caress. I prefer bars over body wash because I love the texture of a nice beauty bar! I also apply pure coconut oil to my skin after my bath or shower, which is awesome. A (very) wee dollop of the coconut oil to the hair also helps with the dry brittleness.
Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
I work for an allergy and asthma immunology specialist. He recommends the dove white bar unscented for dry skin or eczema. Moisturizers iinclude eucerin cream & calming lotion, Aveeno, mineral oil, petroleum jelly & even Crisco makes the list but that's usually for kids with eczema.I will take a picture of the lists of the different cleansers and moisturizers that he recommends, and try to post it here I don't work till Wednesday though.
Specializes in family practice and school nursing.
I have very dry skin. Usually use Olay body wash. For a lotion I use Lac-hydrin, but is a prescription. The very best hand cream I've found is "O'Keefe's Working hands." That prevents my hands from cracking better than anything else I've tried in over 30 years of nursing
I use Olay products on my face - cream cleanser and pore-refining scrub. I plan to hoard a lifetime supply of products with exfoliating beads before the ban goes into effect.
I use Dove exfoliating soap on delicate body parts, and Caress Evenly Gorgeous body wash (burnt sugar) on my arms and legs.
I echo the concern about anti-microbial soaps - but I do keep liquid anti-microbial soap in the kitchen to wash hands after food prep and after gardening.
Thank you for your post. I like Caress soap or Dove soap for several reasons. The soap is a creamy soap which leaves my skin moist and helps it to feel soft. Another reason why I love the soap so much is because it makes me feel clean and it does not give my skin a red rash. Some of the previous soaps that I had used before left me with a horrible rash. Therefore, I had to use an oatmeal gel or bath gel that would soothe the skin and make my skin less itchy. Caress or Dove are soaps that my skin enjoy. Marcy CNA
I use clinique oily skin bar soap for my face, struggled with acne when I was younger, better now. A really nice splurge is a glycolic chemical peel. It also helps exfoliate and treat acne if you can afford it. Check out the hospital medispa's sometimes they are cheaper than a dermatology or plastic surgery office. A lot of places push laser treatments to help pay for the cost of the lasers. Laser treatments are more expensive than chemical peels. I get my occasional peel from a competing medispa that charges less than my hospital systems. If you have melasma, a TCA peel can really get rid of it once and for all instead of lotions that take months and are only temporary!
I have used Dove for decades on my face and body, I even use it for shaving my legs. I love scented washes too and my ongoing favorite is Crabtree & Evelyn's "Nantucket Briar". It's spicy and herbal. I also get whatever smells good when bodywashes are on sale. Sometimes I use my husband's Old Spice body wash....love that spice!!!
Is it weird that this post pulled me out of lurking mode?
I use a bar soap from Lush. It's a pink one with a bubble gum smell to it. I love it! It's not too sweet or strong and it doesn't have harsh chemicals in it.
joanna73, BSN, RN
4,767 Posts
I use St Ives body wash and Pears soap on my face. I don't use antibacterial soap.
Vaseline cocoa butter body lotion smells great and keeps my skin from drying out. I live in an extremely dry climate.