Renee Harris, owner of MadeOn Skin Care, struggled with dry, cracked skin and found the answer in 3 ingredients.  In her research, she has discovered what has caused more havoc than help in skincare ingredients (surprise! Water is the culprit.)  She also found that if she had to narrow it down to just ONE ingredient, she would choose shea butter. 

** Are you here to find out what else you can do with just a few ingredients?

Scroll down for the answer!

Watch the video or read on to find out how YOU can take control of your family's skin health.

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SKIN PROBLEMS OUR FAMILY DEALT WITH

It's been over 10 years since I've been able to figure out how to fix my super dry, cracked skin AND various skin issues like mild seasonal eczema and diaper rashes in my family. Personally, I've dealt with cracks and splits in my fingers and feet from both walking barefoot, and from doing the day-to-day work around the house like washing dishes and changing diapers. Add to that, living in a dry climate, and... I'm pretty sure... genetics.

THE ONE INGREDIENT CONTAINED IN SKINCARE PRODUCTS THAT SLOWS DOWN THE HEALING PROCESS

That ingredient is water.

• if water is the main ingredient, you're paying for something that isn't going to do much for your skin. It will evaporate and that's a waste of money.
• Secondly, if there's water along with oil in the ingredient list of your favorite skincare product, you'll need something added to get those to combine well and not separate. This is called an emulsifier. 
  

THE PROBLEM WITH EMULSIFIERS
Emulsifiers can cause transepidermal water loss, which means more water is passing through your skin, causing it to dry out. 

Next, some emulsifiers actually worsen your skin condition. This is because they may not interact well with the other ingredients in the product and so there's a higher likelihood of sensitive skin breaking out, or reacting badly to the product. So, water needs an emulsifier if there are butters and oils involved (which there should be!), but the emulsifier can cause issues with the skin.

THE PROBLEM WITH PRESERVATIVES
Third, the inclusion of water in a skincare product means the product needs a preservative. Otherwise, mold can develop and that's a big problem. Common preservatives are parabens, which are controversial because most are synthetic and they're showing up as a contributor to hormone disrupters and DNA damage. So, to preserve the product that has water in it, you need a preservative - you definitely don't want mold or bacteria - but the preservative itself may work drastically against you and cause more problems than it fixes. 

So, check your skincare product ingredient list to see if 'water' is there. And be aware of the side effects of using that product. 

By the way, "aqua" might be listed. That's water. 

WHICH ONE INGREDIENT IS ALL YOU NEED IF YOU  WERE STRANDED ON A DESERTED ISLAND?

If we take water out of the picture, and out of the skincare products that you use, what should you use instead? Let me make it super simple and tell you which ONE ingredient can fix a host of issues: If I were stranded on a deserted island and could only have one skincare ingredient, I would choose shea butter.

BENEFITS OF SHEA BUTTER:

Shea butter has amazing qualities. First of all, shea butter is the "fat" extracted from a shea nut, mostly grown in Africa. It's even used in cooking.   

• Shea butter is rich in fatty acids, as well as Vitamins E and A. 
• Shea butter has extensive anti-inflammatory properties. Use it to calm any redness you might have on your face. We found it to work exceptionally well on eczema.
• Shea butter has soothing and anti-aging properties that may make your skin appear smoother and reduce aging.
• It's long-lasting. Shea butter can soak into your skin, creating a smooth and soft barrier that seals in moisture. You rarely need to re-apply often, like you have to with pump lotions.
• It's great for sun care. Apply it on sunburns for soothing relief.
• It boosts collagen production and promotes new cell generation, so shea butter may help reduce what researchers call photoaging — the wrinkles and fine lines that environmental stress and aging can create on skin.
• It doesn't clog pores and it's safe for all skin types.
• It's thought to help minimize the appearance of stretch marks.
• Even though it comes from a nut tree, studies show that it rarely causes an allergic reaction for those with nut allergies. That said, make sure to double-check this with an allergist if you have an allergic reaction to nuts.

So there you go - stranded on a desert island? Use shea butter... you might even find a shea nut tree... or a kukui tree... or a coconut tree... those are some other options for butters and oils I would choose for my skincare!

LET'S ADD 2 MORE INGREDIENTS TO MAKE IT THE BEST PRODUCT FOR DRY, CRACKED SKIN!

Back when I was desperately trying to find the answer to fix my dry, cracked skin, I found the answer in just 3 ingredients. Now, this was after trying sticky balms, overnight gloves, Bandaids, pump lotion, lanolin...

The answer? You melt equal amounts of shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax. Mix and pour it into a mold. Cool to set. And then rub the bar in your hands. Your dry, cracked skin is fixed.  

Shea butter: we already know it's ideal for skin issues

Coconut oil: combined with shea butter, coconut oil makes it easy to absorb into the skin since it has a melting point similar to the skin's body temperature.

Beeswax: helps blend the other two together to stay in the skin long after you apply it.

THE PERFECT PRODUCT?  BEESILK LOTION BAR

We don't stop there. We found that our baby's rash cream could be replaced with a 3 ingredient homemade rash cream (we call it Simply Soothing). Lipstick can be made with 4 ingredients. Scroll down to find out what else we're up to!