Moving to Reno - how to cope with dry air (buy, maintenance)

[AlohaReno]

I'm moving to Reno this spring (yeh!) but am coming from a much more humid climate. I know that my skin (and nasal passages) are going to take a beating while they adjust to the lack of humidity. Any suggestions from others who went through the same thing? Lotions that help, etc.?

[misplaced1]

Oh boy you aren't kidding there!! I live just about 50ish miles across the Nevada border into California. Same high desert dry climate.

When I initially moved around here quite a few years ago it was from Oregon up north. Nice moist climate. Well my skin and lips were so dry they were cracking for a while after we moved here.

I was able to move out of here for a couple years to Missouri and have been back and my skin and nose is still bothering me. I have to use saline nasal spray often enough , lotion and keep as hydrated as I can. There can be a lot of wind around here too so the hair can get a beating too. Also fabric softener is a MUST!

I'm just not a dry climate kind of girl but a lot of people love it!

[gobagheera]

I don't know if you can really do much except to cake on the moisturizers and try some humidifiers, but they are temporary fixes. Your body gets used to the dryness to a certain point and doesn't become a bother so much. I prefer the dry climates as the extreme temperatures are less harsh and hate the soggy feeling in humid climates, but I've lived here for most of my life.

[schizrade]

Lotions dry out your skin. Don't use them.

Keep Carmex with you at all times.

Drink lots of water. If you think you have drank enough, you are likely wrong, drink more.

[ghghx]

Yeah, I moved here from the Ohio Valley in mid-summer, and it was a brutal first month.

Drink more water than you can stand. The best moisturizer comes from within, as they say. Literally keep a bottle with you and sip it all day. Bert's Bees lip balm and a good sunscreen are as important as water. You can get sunburn here before you even know it's happening.

Don't indulge in long hot showers. LOL! That was a hard one for me. Some moisturizers (espeically the scented ones) actually have alcohols in them and make things worse. I use less moisturizer here than I did back east, but sometimes you do need one. I found Aveeno, Lubraderm and Cephacol (not sure of the spelling on that one) worked well. The best trick I learned was from a massage therapist. After your shower, don't dry off completely, but rub yourself with a rich oil (like Neutragena's body oil, rose hip oil or such) and air dry. I've had no problem with itchy dry skin since I started doing that.

I bought a humidfier and the nose bleeds stopped PDQ.
You get used to the dryness after a month or two. I went back east last summer and was miserable b/c of the high humidity.

Two other things -- if you have a high maintenance hair style, find a low maintenance one. Otherwise, you'll spend half your day fighting to look presentable. And if you have wood furniture you love, think about putting humidifiers in the house. I've got two chairs cracked and seperated at the joints because of the dryness.

Oh, and learn fast to ground yourself before touching metal. LOL! Sometimes the static will snap your whole arm back.

[AlohaReno]

I slather myself with lotion here so it will be a big change to use less. And how do you not take a long hot shower when it's 35 degrees outside?! Great tips everyone. Thanks!

[garetjax]

If your lips are chapping then you are dehydrated. This is just a simple rule no matter where you live. It is easier to get dehydrated in this climate. And for some reason it is just as easy to not notice. Just make sure your urine is more clear than dark yellow. These are tips that I learned in my military survival training.

I have lived here for 30 years (born and raised). I never knew what humidity was until I joined the military and spend the next few years on the east coast in very humid areas like Georgia, Florida, South Carolina. I learned upon moving back to Reno that my skin started reacting to the dry climate. I am tired of eczema rashes, using medicated shampoos, lotioning my hands, apply creams and salves to my face. For whatever reason, my skin is rejecting this dry climate after living in a humid area for only a few years. So because of this I plan on moving to Florida.

I find that I pick my nose a great deal more here as well. Dry buggers with sharp ends are always poking my nose and blowing my nose does not get them out as well as when they are moist. I know this is all gross stuff but all of our bodies have something gross about them. It is the nature of being an animal.

[pippilada]

I lived in Phoenix and las vegas (driest places in the US!) most of my life and found this helps

Stay Hydrated, 1/2 oz of water for every pound of body weight per day, more in heat and if you are active.
Sunscreen! Sunscreen! Sunscreen!
Your skin, and hair will dry out like never before. I found lotions don't do anything for you compared to a sugar scrub or oil in the shower, when you dry off with a towel it takes off the excess oil and your skin will stay hydrated all day, supplement with lotion.
Chapstick, and I mean serious chapstick, Blistex or carmex (petrolium jelly based) you will use it all day long, so buy stock in it!
You will need shampoo and conditioner with a little more moisturuzing ability as well. Buy the kinds for dry hair.

[luvs2fish]

Anoher thing I didn't see mentioned is dry cuticles. I bought some inexpensive cuticle oil at a beauty supply store that I dip my fingers in when coming out of the bath or shower (I keep it in a shallow bowl on the bathroom sink). Works really well.

[Biggest Little Drunk]

Aloha. Here's a few tricks. Xylitol mouth spray by your bedside. Don't eat before going to bed. Drink lots of juice. Don't do too many drugs (legal and illegal). Especially avoid drugs that dry you out. Don't get a humidifier, unless you clean it every day it'll get bacteria and make you sick. Live near a patch of trees which indicates ground water and some humidity. Use liquid body soap not bar soap. Don't eat at L&L BBQ, it's a grease hole with bad food. I know, has nothing to do with dry air but seriously.