If anyone is going through life itchy and not aware of why: dry skin, probably. I spent years scratching until I bled, and I'd bite when scratching didn't do the trick.

Just take some coconut oil and rub it into the itchy bit. Doesn't matter if it's liquid ("Medium-Chain Triglyceride" or MCT oil) or solid, but I prefer liquid (I keep it in a little dropper bottle). Coconut oil sinks into the skin FAST, so it doesn't leave a thick sticky residue - that's always been my problem with moisturisers.

If you need something more heavy duty, like if your skin is cracking or flaking, Palmer's "Coconut Hydrate" moisturiser (https://palmers.com/collections/hand-body-care-products/products/coconut-oil-body-lotion) does leave a bit of a residue but it's manageable at least for me. The face lotion (https://palmers.com/collections/face-care-products/products/coconut-water-facial-moisturizer) is very light though, and I haven't noticed it leaving a residue at all. I often use the face lotion on my hands because the body lotion is too thick for my liking.

I had to learn all this after moving to a high desert. Dry skin has been a problem my whole life, but here it got too bad to ignore.

[–] yuri@pawb.social 10 points 2 days ago

bad itch in the palms and fingers can sometimes have wilder causes, like nerve damage or developing arthritis!

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Agree except I would suggest sunflower oil as it's non-comodogenic unlike coconut oil which is on the "extreme" side

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

comodogenic

ooo new word

[–] Murdoc@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

Me too. I didn't know that skin cremes could make dragons. 😲

😛

[–] Thassodar@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

I'll keep this in mind because I play pickleball a lot and the dead skin patches from my shoes rubbing against my feet are... Not pretty.

Lately I've been using cocoa butter Gold Bond lotion, and that has made a big difference.