I need to find something besides soap to wash a 93 year old woman with. She still takes showers and says the Dove is too dry. She is allergic to aloe vera. I also need to find out what type of lotion would be best for her skin? Thank you!!!
AVEENO body wash!!!!! Also be careful with all the soaps and body washes out there. There are so many ingredients that goes into making them that can bother the skin. Perhaps less hot water more lukewarm. Elderly skin care is so imporatant! I would make sure her skin is creamed up and moisturized as an end result!!!! Good luck and let us know what works best for her!
These products are used by hospital and hospice services for the elderly skin.. It’s called Aloe Vesta daily moisturizer n a body n hair wash. It’s so good and hypoallergenic .fragrance n dye free and a skin protectant .I even use it. Very affordable as well. You can buy it on Amazon
I use this for my mom too and I couldn’t agree more! The body cream is amazing. It comes in the jar. Also, their laundry detergent is literally the best. My mom has a lot of bathroom accidents and this is the only thing I have found that gets out the smell.
Most soaps are drying to the skin of the elderly. I always lotion my mom after her shower. Two benefits it keeps her skin healthy, It’s a good way to check out any trouble areas, bruises, dry patches. It’s soothing to have your loved one have a good foot rub. Glycerin and rose water is a great lotion (always check ingredients the first 3 items are what is the majority of the lotion.
Try something with coconut oil or any type of emolient soap. I have dry skin and only use soap on the naughty bits. I cant use it on arms & legs. Only use water and my hand to wash arms and legs. Gotta use a coconut oil lotion after. My problem is my water is wayyyy to hard. That is so unbelievably drying.
I got a water filter I installed on the shower head from amazon. I dont over tighten it, so I can change it out. It really makes a HUGE difference. I can tell when it needs changing bc my skin will itch like crazy and be very dry after a shower. My hair feels very dry and was breaking off too. Feels very soft w water filter. I write when to change filter on my phone calender. I dont want to be itchy after a shower. In winter it was terrible until I got the filter. Elderly dont need a shower but maybe 1-2 x a week. Good luck.
I used Cetaphil soap on my mom. Now that she’s in memory care I provide them with Cetaphil body wash. She’s a diabetic so her lotion is geared for diabetics. I use Cetaphil also because it’s gentle and no scent. Other unscented soaps still bothered me.
My DH was 95 when I was told to buy Oatmeal Baby Wash - it's really inexpensive at Dollar General Stores and I use their brand. It's hair & body soap. My DH loved it and we both used it for a couple of years.
Have you tried Castile soap? Dr Bonner's is typically readily available now but not the only option and you can even mix it with water at first making a body wash to see how her skin reacts and to keep it from being too slippery if that's a problem straight.
Sprouts has a good line of handmade goat milk soap. Personally I swear by Aveeno (the walmart generic is just as good.) For lotion my old boss made me this amazing one from coco butter and shae butter. My mom and I both have very dry skin and it's great for it!
Do not wash her skin everyday as it tends to dry more easily. Eucerin is a wonderful moisturizing lotion or even Jergens which is a bit less expensive. The soap is to dry or her skin gets to dry with the Dove?
If she is like me, I have showered every day for most of my life and I have made my children promise to help me keep doing it. I feel dirty and grimy if I don't. I still have Hot Flashes and mostly night sweats. Also, my hair is naturally curly and won't behave unless it is washed. I don't know where that idiotic idea came from that old people don't need to wash. We stink if we don't. Sometimes, I think old people wouldn't have that "old people" smell if people would just let them keep clean. And yes, I know what the doctor's say about it. I am an old person and I disagree with a lot of what doctors say.
Terri, I think you have received a lot of great ideas here, you might also try shampoo on her skin, that is what my red headed, sensitive skinned daughter does. I didn't know you could still get Phisoderm.
I've been using oatmeal soap for years... I buy a locally made product but I'm sure there are commercial brands. Has never dried out my skin, even in winter. Oatmeal is often used to soothe various itchy skin conditions, such as poison ivy. Soap making is a pretty common cottage industry these days, but I'm sure you can find it in stores or online (if Amazon doesn't have it, it doesn't exist lol).
I have ridiculously sensitive skin(dyshidrosis) and I had dry hands to the point they would crack and get infected . A dermatologist recommended Olay or Dove, Unscented and Eucerin lotion . Have used it now for decades with no trouble since. I wonder if she isn’t rinsing well enough or drying off. Either can make you feel itchy. With past surgeries they have recommended baby shampoo( no more tears) as a shower wash and olive oil as a lotion. You just use a drop of oil and it’s also antibacterial.
I like the cetaphil answer best, I'd forgotten I bought some of that for my mom but the NH couldn't remember to use it.... I see they have several body washes and lotions.
Over all I think that many skin troubles come from too much washing, too liberal a use of soap, and water that is too hot. Less is more.
I would look in the baby aisle. Another one is rainbath, but don’t know if it’s good for sensitive skin and you have to be extremely careful with oil based products in the shower as it will be a fall hazard-very slippery
My mother was sent home from rehab with Senset cleanser, so I stuck to that. If you go to continence care websites and browse through their ranges it should give you plenty to choose from.
I continued to use Simple soap for her hand washing, rinsing and drying very thoroughly.
Where is the lotion to be used? It's a case of horses for courses - what job it has to do. Are there any particular problem areas?
Dad's skin is dry and the derm suggested the Cetaphil products: I believe they also make body wash or bar soap. I have used Phisoderm bar soap which is unscented and hard to find unless you order on line and I think there is another called Basis. My skin is not that dry and I have found a company I like called William Roam. They have mild, natural based scents. It's the first time I ever invested in a gallon of anything I like it so much.
You might try goat's milk soap. Get one with minimal other ingredients. I am using one from a company in Oregon. Very mild and lathers nicely. I don't know if I'm allowed to name a particular company's product.
DW, Luz, had a very irritating itch and nothing seemed to work until we tried sarna lotion, the CVS generic version. It worked for her on everything except the vaginal itch. Nothing we tried worked on that. for a while we used an aid twice a week to do the deep cleaning and her hair. After her bath the aid would use Phytoplex, the rest of the week I used feminine wipes and sarna until things got really bad for us in other areas of life. In her bath I would add an antibacterial hand soap. That helped some also aand gave her the bubbles she liked to play in.
I know it's not a popular opinion, but if she's showering the body doesn't really need soap to get clean. When my son was a baby he had a horrible case of cradle cap. The nurse practitioner recommended we stop using soap- because babies are not truly "dirty." She recommended we use Cetaphil lotion in the shower/bath. The lotion would provide lubrication with the water and would provide plenty of cleansing benefit while adding moisture. After bathing use the same Cetaphil lotion for moisturizing. It's hypo allergenic and fragrance free. If the thought of no soap at all makes you or her uncomfortable, you could have a soap product available for the underarm and genital area only.
Glycerin and rose water is a great lotion (always check ingredients the first 3 items are what is the majority of the lotion.
My problem is my water is wayyyy to hard. That is so unbelievably drying.
I got a water filter I installed on the shower head from amazon. I dont over tighten it, so I can change it out. It really makes a HUGE difference. I can tell when it needs changing bc my skin will itch like crazy and be very dry after a shower. My hair feels very dry and was breaking off too. Feels very soft w water filter. I write when to change filter on my phone calender. I dont want to be itchy after a shower. In winter it was terrible until I got the filter.
Elderly dont need a shower but maybe 1-2 x a week. Good luck.
Terri, I think you have received a lot of great ideas here, you might also try shampoo on her skin, that is what my red headed, sensitive skinned daughter does. I didn't know you could still get Phisoderm.
With past surgeries they have recommended baby shampoo( no more tears) as a shower wash and olive oil as a lotion. You just use a drop of oil and it’s also antibacterial.
Over all I think that many skin troubles come from too much washing, too liberal a use of soap, and water that is too hot. Less is more.
Goodness I haven't seen a bar of that for decades! I can picture the logo now :)
I continued to use Simple soap for her hand washing, rinsing and drying very thoroughly.
Where is the lotion to be used? It's a case of horses for courses - what job it has to do. Are there any particular problem areas?
for a while we used an aid twice a week to do the deep cleaning and her hair. After her bath the aid would use Phytoplex, the rest of the week I used feminine wipes and sarna until things got really bad for us in other areas of life.
In her bath I would add an antibacterial hand soap. That helped some also aand gave her the bubbles she liked to play in.