my cats love olive oil the lick it off the back of my hands the itchy scally skin on a cat can be food allergies a lot of commercia brands are packed with fillers and additives. Petey used to have almost bleeding scabby skin till I switched him to an all organic and curiously cheaper food after 5 years of trips to different vets and all kinds of salve ointments and steroids he's got normal skin. Flax seed oil added to the food could also help.

Dry skin, as you probably all know, is dry because it doesn't have enough water in it. The creams and oils work to keep the water from evaporating, but they rub off. The water in skin? It comes from within--it's pulled up from deeper layers. Drink more water--visit the bathroom more, because the kidneys don't care if your skin is dry. On the other hand, take a warm bath with a cup of salt dissolved in it--any old salt, cheapest rock salt you can find--and the salt solution penetrates the dry layers with the water. That water may evaporate when lotions and cream get rubbed off, but the extra salt can't evaporate. It remains in the upper layers of skin. It will pull extra water up from deeper layers by the osmotic gradient. This fixed my 74 year old mom's maddening dry skin that used to keep her awake even, despite lotions or creams. She hated it at first, because her soap wouldn't lather up good, but it brought her complete relief and soft winter skin for the first time in years. It saves her a fair amount of money, too. She still uses a good quality lotion (she happens to use Lubriderm) but the salt baths are what made the difference. I guess it's like a combination approach.

I use the generic form of Renova Cream, which is the emollient form of Retin-A. It's not nearly as drying as Retin-A gel. I use it nightly without any flaking. The tube I have is Tretinoin Cream Emollient 0.05%, 60 grams. Insurance doesn't cover it. My pharmacist found a coupon to bring the cost down to $160. I know, that seems outrageous, but I've had this tube since 9/15/15 & it's still 1/3 full. A tube typically lasts me 8 - 9 months. There are many OTC anti-aging serums that are more expensive. I've been using it for years. I 've never used it on my neck but I might give it a try. It may be too late for my neck as Tretinoin helps "fine wrinkles & spotty discoloration & rough feeling skin."

Funky: I can commiserate. I have very dry skin and really have an issue once the temperature drops in the winter. I have used the more expensive brands, but go back to OTC Neutrogena moisturizers. I like the one called "Healthy Skin Face Lotion" and also the "Oil-Free Moisture". The Healthy Skin claims to reveal new skin 4 times faster than other moisturizers. They are also rated SPF15. Sometimes I wear under foundation or dry makeup and sometimes alone. My dermatologist recommended ROC (brand) sensitive night cream which has Retinol and is also OTC. I really like it and use it most nights. We do have a humidifier on our furnace, but I still have to cover my hands and feet in vaseline once or twice a week and sleep in socks. I don't have as much of an issue with my hair, but when I do I have used some homemade deep conditioners that have worked well.