The real deal: products I actually use

After years and years of testing, I'm bound to have some insights of my own, right?

Well I do. And here they are in front of you.
Please note I am not paid by any of these products/companies to endorse them.

Moisture Creams

My baseline, the best of all and most used by far, the one off of which all else is tested is the one and only Vanicream. This is your all-purpose moisturizer. I use jars of it. I use it twice a day for my entire body and carry it with me at all times (in a much smaller container, though). It basically has practically nothing to irritate your skin - the label says: "Free of dyes, Fragrance, ..." and so on. I use it because it's the best. In years of testing I've never found anything better than Vanicream for pure moisturizer. The only one that I've ever substituted for this is Eucerin, specifically Rambam's hospital-brewed version with extra olive oil.

Now, for some variety I use A-Derma's Exomega emollient cream ("for face and body"). It's good for flaky skin, as it seems to expedite new skin growth. I don't use it at all times but keep it in my closet for those flaky skin patches that tend to show up every once in a while.

Another moisturizer I recently discovered is Neutrogena's "Norwegian Formula: Moisture Wrap Body Lotion". This one helped me out of a tight spot, or rather, a red spot. I had a redness that wouldn't go away, and this one helped it disappear. This came at a cost, though - the skin was flaky when I finished, so take note.

Type-Specific Creams

I always keep a couple of prescription steroidal creams handy. These are good for rashes, scratches, and any nasties of that type.

Another type of cream I like to have is something containing Calendula, and I use it for rapid-healing of scratches or open wounds. It's amazing how fast these work. Right now I use Weleda Calendula Baby Cream, but pretty much any Caledula product will do the trick.

Finally, I keep an antibiotic cream handy for the folliculitis, or other infections that tend to cling to the skin.

Bath Products

I use a combination of two products for my bath: Balneum Hermal and Emol. Emol has a small bit of soap in it which helps keep infections away. I use a mix of 1:2 - 1 measuring cup of Balneum for every 2 cups of Emol. However, while Balneum is available from Canada, Emol is not to be found. I'll let you know what I find throughout my new tests...