Here are some dry skin tips if you are experience from frequent dry skin problems.

1. Wash skin with a good toilet "soap," which is actually a "detergent," such as Dove, Lever 2000, Olay bars. Nothing works better, and clean skin is essential to healthy skin. All of these great cleansers can be bought in bulk at Costco for very little.

2. Tone skin with cotton (no substitute) and witch hazel. The smell isn't great, but it's the best astringent toner on the market. This step isn't necessary if you don't use makeup. REAL cotton actually works and costs more than the synthetic stuff. Buy a roll of cotton (about $5), and tear off what you need. 16 oz. of witch hazel retails for less than $5.

3. Exfoliate: (a) mechanically, with scrubs, or (b) chemically, with alpha hydroxy acids. Nivea's Scrub for Men is great for both genders M.D. Forte's Glycare Perfection Gel 15% is one of the best AHA. Both are simple, yet effective, products. The Nivea product is about $4; the M.D. Forte is about $15. It can be purchased on the web see our website for more details.

4. Apply a SPF 15 sunscreen, or higher SPF if very sensitive to sun, every morning, including one's ears and neck. Gels are better than lotions for men, youthful, and acne-prone skin. Apply generously. There's a company who touts large 24 oz. bottles of SPF 15 in several different forms for less than $6. It works great.

5. Moisturize according to skin type: (a) for most complexions Dove Moisturizers are about as perfect as it gets; (b) for extremely dry skin only, try Moisturel, Curel, Eucerin, or DML. If acne-prone or oily skinned, use Neutrogena Clear Pore Treatment at night, and do NOT moisturize during the day. Dove products are about $6. Ditto the Neutrogena product. The others about twice the price, but come in much larger packaging.

6. Check out our dry skin product reviews.