Fungal skin infections can be found anywhere on your body, but most commonly found on your feet. If you’ve heard of the term “athlete’s foot” or ” Hong Kong foot”, it is basically an infection you get from wet and dirty places such as gym floors, wet shoes, showers etc. In some cases, it can be very irritating on your skin and can’t be simply washed off in the shower. It sometimes emits a foul smell as well. Fungal skin infections can be contagious and be transferred through wet towels, sweaty clothing and much more. There are a variety of causes which trigger fungal infections. These include:

fungal skin infection

- Pregnancy

- Antibiotics

- Weak immunity

- Overweight

-  Direct contact with an infected person

- Tight clothing (which doesn’t allow to skin to dry off)

- Insufficient drying after a shower or workout

- Bathroom or gym showers

The main symptoms of fungal infections depends on the specific type of fungus you have. They can cause rashes all over your body and don’t subside over time. Some of them are red or itchy and in serious cases can be scaly. Some fungal infections may even appear on your scalp and cause hair loss. If you have a rash that doesn’t seem to go away, it is best to contact a medical doctor to diagnose your condition.

The best way to avoid fungus is to keep your body as dry as possible. After each and every shower, ensure that you dry yourself properly. Avoid sharing towels , clothing with people you are unfamiliar with and always wear loose fitting clothing that promotes airflow. Wearing clean shoes or slippers in a public shower is advisable. Switching shoes from time to time will also help avoid this problem.

Cracked lips happen when your lips are excessively dry, peeled or chapped. They are easy to spot and on some occasions cause bleeding. In most cases, cracked lips are not a case for concern and usually very mild. The main causes of dry lips are dehydration, sunburn, weather, licking your lips, bad diet and a lack of nutrition.

The best remedy is to apply lip balm or use a sunscreen when going outside for long periods of time. It is also recommended to drink plenty of water to negate the effect. Personally I use vaseline. It definitely does its job especially when applied before I sleep or go to work.

Check out the video below for another way to get rid of those chapped lips:

Dandruff and dry scalp have similar results however, they are actually quite different. A lot of people often think they have dandruff when they in fact have dry scalp. So what are the main differences?

Dry scalp is usually the result of dehydration and your scalp over-shedding dead skin cells. It happens when you don’t drink enough water or when you’re using poor quality products that are sucking the moisture our of your scalp. It could also happen if you’re washing your hair too much, or with excessively hot water which may cause further irritation.

Dandruff on the other hand happens when your sebaceous glands are overactive. It is generally a result of bad hygiene, hair grease, scratching of the scalp or through sharing of hair utensils like combs or brushes. It is very common and affects almost half of the population post puberty. It is usually greasy or waxy and generally contagious. If you know someone with dandruff, be sure to take proper precautions. Continue Reading »

Cracked heels is definitely a problem for a lot of people. If you like wearing sandals or don’t really like wearing socks, you will notice that the heels becomes very dry and cracked. Usually this is a sign of bad care and a lack of zinc and omega 3. The video below shows three great natural remedies to get rid of dry skin.

1) Mashed banana 

- Mash  a banana, apply on the cracks and leave for 10minutes, then rinse

2) Coconut + Banana

- Mash a banana

- Mix it with half a crushed coconut

- Apply on heel for 30 minutes then rinse

3) Margosa Leaves with Tumeric Powder

- 3 teaspoons of tumeric powder mixed with the crushed margosa leaves

- Leave for 30 minutes

Watch until the end of the video to find out the last secret recipe! These recipes are a great and natural way on how to get rid of dry skin.

Dailyglow highlights seven surprising causes of dry skin. Some of them I have mentioned on this site, other I have not. I will be doing a general summary of what the site has to say and also offer my insights on it. As most of you know, the root cause of dry skin is usually a lack of moisture. This lack of moisture can be caused from a variety of reasons. The most obvious reasons are usually: dehydration, lack of moisturizer, skin conditions and so on. Perhaps you are getting dry skin from an unlikely culprit? Let’s find out!

Continue Reading »