Product Review: Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion

Oh hello there! How are you? Do you have a fork handy? If so, you need to please stick it in me...


... because I am DONE! This thesis business is OVER! I feel I should muster up more enthusiasm for the occasion, but mostly I am just so very grateful that I'm finished. Because the time spent in your office should not be measured in magnitudes of consecutive days, you know?



It's odd... while I was in my Insane Thesis Fury Mode, I noticed that my skin was really dry. Really really dry. Like flaking-off dry. At first, I thought maybe I had literally become allergic to work. But, as it turns out, other people (who evidently spend a lot more time at work than I do) experienced this too -- our building ventilation just seems to suck every last drop of moisture (and, I'd argue, our souls) out of us. So it's a really good thing that I had a bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion on hand. My parched-feeling, incessantly-typing, pitiful hand.



Skin MD Natural claims to be different from traditional moisturizers. According to their website, whereas traditional lotions and creams merely lubricate the surface of the skin, this shielding lotion bonds with the skin's outer layer, enhancing the skin's own protective abilities. There is a lot of information on that site, with various testimonials from both regular folks and doctors. There's even a study on there demonstrating Skin MD Natural's effectiveness at creating a moisture barrier.* I'm not qualified (read: not smart enough) to be able to assess the technical claims, but I CAN share with you how this stuff worked for me.

Alright, I'm going to be candid. Did this lotion change my life? Did choirs of angels beam down upon me lovingly, gently fanning me with their cherubian wings? Did I suddently speak in tongues upon application? No.

Did my skin feel softer and more hydrated? YES!

Roomie, Cowgirl Warrior (who lives near the bone-dry Rocky Mountains), and I have all tried Skin MD Natural, and incredibly, we all had the same reaction when we first rubbed the lotion into our hands:


"Woah...". (It's even more fun if you imagine it in a Keanu Reeves circa Bill & Ted days voice)


Skin MD Natural made all our hands feel super silky and smooth. But best of all, it did so without a heavy or greasy feeling. The lotion is light and fluid -- go easy when squeezing it out of the bottle, or you'll end up with way too much, like I did. You'll only need a little bit. It also sinks in fast, which means that keyboards, pens, and siginficant others don't get all lotion-y. This also means that your "Hand Lotion Breaks" at work (the miniature equivalent of a Mental Health Day) can be much shorter, but no one else needs to know that.

As I said, I'm not sure about all that "bonding" science speak, but I did notice that this lotion seems to settle INTO the skin, as opposed to sitting on top of it. I find this especially helpful for the flakey type of dry skin... thicker moisturizers like Cocoa Butter will sort of glaze the skin, while this stuff feels like it's putting moisture in between the flakes, if that makes any sense.

The lotion is listed as unscented, but for some reason, I detect a very light, pleasant almond scent to it. The smell is fleeting anyway. I am fortunate that I don't struggle with eczema or psoriasis or even sensitive skin, but with aloe as a main ingredient, this lotion shoul be soothing to any problem areas. (If you're interested, they have a complete list of ingredients and explanations of their functions on the website -- how many companies will do that?!?!)

A light, non-greasy, moisturizer that leaves skin feeling like silk? I'd say this one's a winner. But don't take my word for it, try it out for yourself! With their 100% moneyback guarantee (it even includes shipping costs!), you really have nothing to lose. Except for that scaley winter skin, that is!



[UPDATE: Another friend tried this today... Her exact words were: "Wow, that is some hand lotion!" Couldn't have said it better myself!]



* Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they compared the lotion to some other lotion -- they just used untreated skin as a baseline. I can't say for sure, as there's only a summary of results posted.