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About five years ago, while interviewing the chief of dermatology at a well-known hospital for Vogue, I acquired a truly genius skin secret: In her opinion, the absolute best solution for dry, flaky, irritated elbows, knees, and legs was the $14 drugstore staple known as Lac-Hydrin—a thick, fragrance-free body cream that, in its over-the-counter form, contains a buffered, 5 percent concentration of lactic acid to dissolve rough patches and eradicate itching.
This seemed somewhat counterintuitive at first—wouldn’t itchy skin be aggravated by something like an acid? Not necessarily. In many cases, she explained, the exfoliating action would get rid of the dead-skin buildup, so that the moisturizing ingredients in the cream could actually penetrate the dry, cracked areas where they were most needed.
An urgent mission to the nearest CVS pharmacy, where I tracked down the last unassuming green-and-white bottle of Lac-Hydrin, followed suit. And while it wasn’t exactly what you’d call pleasing to the eye, I am here to report that the results were, in a word, life-changing. After nearly a decade spent scratching myself into oblivion every winter, my itching stopped, my skin was insanely soft, my legs looked smooth and uniform. It even took care of the little bumps that formed on the back of my arms, a common skin condition known as keratosis pilaris that’s worse when it’s cold outside.
Hence began my love affair with cheap, hard-working, brilliantly effective body lotions, including, but not limited to, AmLactin (a 12 percent lactic acid–based counterpart to Lac-Hydrin)—and, as of this fall, Curél’s new Rough Skin Rescue Smoothing Lotion. Spiked with a potent mix of glycerin, petrolatum, mineral oil, olive oil, and, yes, lactic acid, the latter formula is thick and hydrating but absorbs quickly, and works on dry heels and cuticles when applied before bed too, making it an instant favorite.
Last, but not least, there’s Vanicream. Arriving in a clinical-looking tub that, in the case of an unexpected overnight guest, you are definitely going to want to hide, the name does not exactly roll off the tongue. But you’d better get used to saying it—Vanicream!—because it is the kind of body cream you cannot live without in the dead of winter. Unlike the aforementioned lactic acid–based formulas, it doesn’t exfoliate but acts as a straightforward powerhouse moisturizer for extremely sensitive skin, meaning it doesn’t contain any of the following: lanolin, parabens, gluten, sulfur, phosphates, dyes, or any known irritating preservatives. In all honesty, I’m not entirely sure what is in it. I just know that it’s thick and white and greasy-in-a-good-way and feels like heaven and that, alternated with any one of those lactic acid lotions on a daily basis, means you will never, ever—mark my words, it’s the truth—have flaky white knees or elbows again.