Every year I suffer from dry skin that gets so bad that my skin can actually start to split and bleed. I was convinced it was eczema but my doctor told me that it was a condition known as winter dry skin or 'winter itch' and is caused by low humidity in the air from central heating etc. Bathing in hot water and going from hot to cold environments also contribute to sucking out what moisture is in the skin. It is a painful uncomfortable condition and one that I need to keep on top of everyday to keep it in check.

Normal body lotions do absolutely nothing for me as the dryness is so bad they are immediately sucked into my skin but do nothing for the outer layers where the itchiness and scabbing occur. I have learnt over the years to make sure that I have cool baths and to immediately put on a heavy duty thick greasy cream such as an aqueous cream as soon as I get out of the bath and to reapply several times throughout the day as this is the only way to keep my skin moisturised enough so that the stinging and itchiness don't start.

I usually stick to aqueous cream as it is so cheap and really effective for me. It isn't the nicest thing to use however as it is so greasy and can end up blocking my pores on my body causing me to get some spots which is something I don't normally suffer from on my body.
My sister works in a beauty salon and brought me home a bottle of Dermalogica ultra rich body lotion that had nearly ¾ left in the bottle for me to try. They use the bottle in the salon as a tester but as someone had been a little bit too enthusiastic with the pump action dispenser and broke it the salon had replaced the bottle and said she could have the broken one.

The ultra rich body lotion comes in a large bottle containing 473ml of the lotion which is good as there is nothing worse than buying something that is designed to be used on such a large area like the body in a tiny bottle that you know is only going to last for a few days.
The lotion itself is white in colour and doesn't have a heavy smell. The lotion comes out looking more like a heavy cream than a lotion but what is so good about this is that the cream actually changes upon contact with the skin. The cream actually becomes more lotion like when you start to rub it in to the skin and it actually liquefies so that you can get a little in your hands and when you start to rub it in it will actually spread a lot better than a thick cream and do a larger area of skin at a time. For example a small amount of the lotion will do my entire chest and stomach area whereas with aqueous cream because it is so thick I spend ages rubbing it in to the same area because it doesn't spread very well.

As well as spreading really well the lotion didn't just absorb in to my skin straight away and it took a good 5 to 10 minutes before I could dress again. This has its good points and its bad points. It meant that I could make sure I had applied the cream everywhere but it also meant that I couldn't just put my clothes straight back on in case I stained them,
This lotion was like the love child of a light lotion and a heavy emollient cream. It moisturised nearly as well as an emollient but it didn't have the heavy greasy feeling that emollients have. I didn't have to spend ages rubbing it in like with an emollient to ensure that there was no white greasy residue on my skin and once it had absorbed my skin was touch dry with no greasy layer on top to stain my clothing with.

I was really impressed that a lotion could be so moisturising. Almost immediately on contact with my skin it was left feeling so much more comfortable and it took the itching away. The texture of my skin was left looking much better too and it helped take away the course almost lined texture that is a symptom of winter dry skin condition.
One of the best things about this lotion is that it offered long lasting relief from the itchiness and dryness. Usually when I have tried lotions even those that promise intense moisture they give me an immediate relief but this only lasts for an hour maximum before the dry skin symptoms come back. With this lotion I could put it on in the morning and I wouldn't have to reapply it until late afternoon/night-time again.
I did notice though that when applying it on severely dry areas such as my shoulders I did need to apply it twice as once wasn't enough for these extra dry areas.

During my time using the lotion my skin felt moisturised but it also felt and looked healthier. The texture of my skin was much improved as I mentioned but it also didn't clog my pores up and I didn't suffer from any spots on my back and chest when using it which I can only put down to the quality ingredients and its lighter non greasy consistency.
The lotion can be used by even the most sensitive skin including those who suffer from eczema. Ingredients include pure vitamin E and hydrolic acid which is responsible for its excellent moisturising properties as it is able to hold moisture in the skin up to 1000 times better. Panthenol also helps to repair skin and help it look healthier.
Because it spreads so well Dermalogica also recommend using the lotion in place of a massage oil for deeply moisturising massages.

I absolutely loved this body lotion and thought that it gave amazing results. It wasn't quite as moisturising as my aqueous cream but then again it didn't feel as heavy and uncomfortable on my skin and for a lotion it is by far the most moisturising one I have ever tried. However there is a price to pay for such a quality product and that price is £37 for a bottle. As much as I liked this and thought it was great on my skin I am not sure I can justify spending so much money on it when my aqueous cream moisturises better albeit not as nice to use for only a few pounds.