If you find your skin is itchy from November to April, you are not alone. Itchy winter skin is extremely common. In the winter when the humidity is low there is a lack of moisture in the air. The skin holds water within the cells and gets drawn out from the dry air through osmosis. Dry air literally steals water from your skin!
This can leave your skin dry, itchy and more prone to environmental irritation.
Other culprits including windy weather, harsh soaps and detergents, body washes with SLS, hot showers and baths can all contribute to dry itchy skin.
To make matters worse, sometimes the skin will compensate by producing more oil which can leave you with oily and dry itchy skin at the same time!
Before we get to these 5 supplements that can help combat dry itchy skin, let's talk about the importance of moisturizing regularly. I've been taking a course on integrative dermatology and the one point my dermatology instructors continue to hammer home is the simple habit of moisturizing your skin. If you have dry itchy skin, it is imperative that you moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
In fact, moisturizing 3 times per day, for 3 weeks is one of the most effective ways to treat dry itchy skin.
Our ultra-moisturizing Body Butter is a natural and effective way to help relieve itch and moisturize the skin while protecting the skin barrier from any environmental irritants.
Once you've made sure your skin is well moisturized, you want to take an inside-out approach and get to the root cause of your dry itchy skin. Luckily, there are some amazing supplements that can help support soft, supple skin from the inside out. While I don't recommend you take every single one of these supplements together, I do encourage you to research each of them and see which one might be the best for you.
If you're feeling unsure, it's best to speak with a healthcare practitioner who has knowledge in natural health supplements to advise you on dosage and brand recommendations. Please note that although there are food sources of each of these supplements, if you are suffering from dry itchy skin or rosacea or eczema, a therapeutic dose found only in supplement form may be more effective than simply eating a food source.
Quercetin is a phytonutrient, a naturally occurring plant chemical that gives plant foods their colour, and it has been found in studies to reduce itch. One of the reasons why this occurs is that quercitin inhibits the release of histamine. Itchy skin can also be caused by histamine intolerance.
Side note: histamine intolerance was one of the factors contributing to my rosacea. To this day, I still take quercitin for prevention. Quercetin is a great choice not only for itchy skin, but for allergies in general as it is well tolerated and very safe.
GLA: Gamma Linolenic Acid
While fish oils and eating cold-water fatty fish are wonderful, GLA is often over-looked for healthy skin, particularly for dry skin. When the skin is tight and dry, it easily becomes itchy. Moisturizing from the inside out supports the skin barrier function and when the barrier is better moisturized, itch is reduced.
GLA nourishes skin from within by providing essential fatty acids that improve skin moisture and elasticity, which are key to reduce itch. GLA is an excellent choice to supplement with not only for dry itchy skin, but also for rosacea and eczema. GLA helps to reduce redness, irritation and inflammation of the skin.
The most profound impact of a high quality fish supplement is the ability to dampen inflammation. When skin is dry and itchy that is a sure sign that it is inflamed. The skin barrier function is compromised and the more you itch, the more you compromise the skin barrier.
Animal studies on omega 3 fatty acids have shown 30% increased hydration of the skin and elimination of itch-related scratching induced by dry skin. Long term supplementation with omega 3 fatty acids restores cutaneous integrity and function of the skin barrier.
- Food Sources: Sardines, salmon, spirulina, cold-water fatty fish like salmon, walnuts, chia seeds
- Supplement: New Chapter Fish Oil
Interestingly, the topical application of NAC has been found in research to better hydrate the skin, thus reducing itchiness and supporting skin barrier function. However, I don't know of any cream that contains NAC. You'd probably need to make it yourself and you could mix it with some Body Butter.
Taking NAC orally has been shown to modulate behaviour. A theory is that if you can modulate behaviour with other conditions, than it may be a treatment for itchy skin. More research is needed on NAC but it has many other benefits and supports liver health, including damage to the liver from taking Tylenol regularly. Side note: I get headaches and sometimes migraines from time to time. If I have to take a pain reliever like Tylenol, I always take Tylenol with NAC and this is why.
- Food sources: Since NAC is made by the liver by altering amino acids you get from food, eating a diet rich in healthy protein sources is key: meat, fish, seafood, chicken, turkey and eggs.
- Supplement: Can Prev or AOR
The most troublesome and aggravating symptom of eczema is the itchiness that comes with it. Vitamin D regulates many physiological processes in the skin including skin barrier function. A healthy skin barrier is essential to ward off allergies, pollution and irritants which can otherwise inflame and irritate the skin potentially promoting itch.
A deficiency of vitamin D has been shown in both eczema and psoriasis and is an effective therapeutic for many skin diseases. Vitamin D is made in the skin when the UVB rays come into contact with skin cells.
I truly hope this information helps you make informed decisions about your health and relieve itchy skin.
Joy
This information is SO helpful! Going to try several of these for my rosacea. Thank you :)
ReplyOh good! I would recommend checking out my other posts on rosacea. https://www.joyoushealth.com/27518-blog-rosacea-natural-health-supplements