Itchy Skin

• Drink plenty of water. If you drink coffee or soda, try to cut back. They're diuretics that push water out of your body.
• Check out your diet. Skip the fast food and opt for lots of veggies, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains.
• Take a multi-vitamin. You can also supplement your diet with fish oil and/or Vitamin E capsules. Make sure if you have a multi-vitamin high in Vitamin E, you don't push yourself over the 400 IU limit with a supplement.

Don't skimp on the lotions or creams, either. Some people need to apply them daily or even twice a day to ward off itchy skin. If your skin's dried out, most likely, you're going to have itchy skin. Try Aveeno's Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion or Eucerin cream. Aveeno products tend to sink in better for daytime wear, but Eucerin can be worn while you sleep. When you apply your moisturizer, make sure to do it within three minutes of stepping out of the shower. This is the best time for locking in moisture and penetrating the skin.

Allergies

Often allergies, asthma, and itchy skin go hand-in-hand. Your solution can be as simple as popping a Benadryl. If your allergies are severe, you might want to consider taking Claritin 10 during the seasons when allergens are at their worst. If that doesn't help, consult with your doctor about a prescription allergy medication, nose spray, or allergy shots.

While an allergy test may not show that you're allergic to dogs or cats, they may be bringing in allergens from outside your home. Since it's not healthy for their skin to be bathed every day, you'll need to vacuum frequently, spray allergen-reducing Febreeze on your furniture and carpet, or clean your pets with baby wipes periodically between baths.

Detergents will make you scratch. So will dryer sheets. So if you suddenly start to itch, try to remember when you last changed the things you use on your laundry. You might need to re-wash your sheets and a few loads of clothing in your old detergent.

Fragranced lotions, creams, skin treatments, and soaps can cause itchy skin. While fragrance can cause a reaction alone, many lotions often contain alcohol to further dry out your skin.

Gonna Need Some Calamine Lotion

There's nothing worse than doing yard work in the scalding sun only to find you've stumbled upon--and rubbed your skin against--poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac. Most people will get an itchy skin rash within a day or two. Those who are incredibly allergic will see the results within four to 12 hours.

There will be other symptoms in those cases, such as eyes swelling shut or blisters cropping up on the skin. For those, this is an emergency and a trip to the hospital is in order. For others, though, the worst is just the temptation to scratch and scratch. You could go to the doctor, but a large percentage of the population skip that step and opt for over-the-counter treatment or home remedies.

Things you may already have in your medicine cabinet to treat poison ivy, oak, or sumac include calamine lotion, Noxema pads, rubbing alcohol, and Milk of Magnesia. Home remedies include baking soda pastes or mixes with oatmeal, vinegar, and even buttermilk. In addition, taking Vitamin C to boost your immune system will make you less susceptible to an allergic reaction.