Dry Skin? The Spanish Supermarket Secret

So, this dry skin. It’s pretty bad. Back when I was a LOT younger I went to loads of doctors about it. Lots of words got used, and I was prescribed lots of creams and ointments. Most of them were horribly sticky messes, none really worked, and none were practical.

But on that holiday as a 14-year-old, within a week my skin was clear. Not a dry crack (no puns please!), no rough spots, nothing. I’m cured, I thought. But then, a few weeks later back in the UK, it was back to normal. I soon worked out it was the sun. And so, a lifetime of regular trips to Spain, and sunbed use in between, became the norm.

A quick note about sunbeds: Yes, I know, I’ve heard all the talk. Sunbeds kill. Yeah, so does booze, sue me! As with all things in life, moderation and control are the key. So, let's move on from the “don’t use a sunbed you’ll die” stuff!

Back to the story: Often, I got the timings right. I managed to get just enough sun time (real or fake) to manage the problem. But sure as anything, if I missed a holiday or a trip to the tanning salon, the dry skin returned. Hey, any excuse to book a holiday :-)

Roll forward to now (too many decades later!) and my dry skin is mostly a thing of the past. I get enough time in Spain to get enough sun to almost never need the sunbed. But recently things changed. No idea if it’s my skin aging, or maybe I just haven’t been in the autumn Spanish sun enough, but over the Christmas holiday period back in NI the dry skin returned with a vengeance. Since the tan shops were closed for the holiday, I had to tough it out. But once back in Spain in early Jan, I knew it was going to be made worse by the hard Spanish tap water.

So I fired up my trusty AI engine and asked for some ideas.

The advice? “You’re in Spain, so just head to the local supermarket and get some Urea lotion.”

I’d never heard of Urea before, but as instructed I headed for the local Eroski. There on the shelf was a massive display of various Urea products by a brand called Instituto Español. Sounds very grand! Like it’s some sort of Government-backed cosmetic company! I asked AI if it was any good.

“Hell yeah, that stuff is gold, get it!” was the reply. (Okay, I’m paraphrasing a bit, but that was the gist of it!)

So I bought the lot. The 10% strength shower gel, the body lotion, the repair cream tub, and the super powerful 20% strength tube. I had no real idea what any of it did, but it was so cheap (huge bottles of this lot cost less than €20 combined), I went back to my little Spanish village home to try it out.

It’s now been three days. And the dry skin? Nope. It’s gone.

Now for the science bit

Why does this stuff work? I could get all techy and jargony at this point, but to keep things as simple as possible:

Most of the creams doctors prescribe are just grease (emollients). They sit on top of your skin like cling film to stop water getting out. But if your skin is already dry and hard, you're just sealing the dryness in.

Urea is different. It does two things:

1. It’s a Humectant: This means it actually grabs moisture from the air and pulls it into your skin like a magnet, rather than just sitting on top.
2. It’s Keratolytic: This is the magic part. It dissolves the "glue" that holds dead, crusty skin cells together.

So, instead of just greasing up the dead skin, it actually dissolves it and hydrates the fresh skin underneath.

So how do you use this stuff?

The Big Bottles (Lotion & Shower Gel): This is the regular 10% Urea strength. Use away at it. The Shower Gel is the real game changer. Unlike soap, which strips your skin, this hydrates you while you wash. The Body Lotion (in the big pump bottle) is for slathering on all over after the shower.

Instituto Espanol Shower gel (10%)

Instituto Espanol Body Lotion (10%)

The Red Tub (Repair Cream): This is also 10% strength, but it's a thicker cream formula than the lotion. It’s great for localized use where you need a heavier barrier. My forearms always get it bad, so I use the tub there.

Instituto Espanol Repair Cream (10%)

The Tube (20% Ultra Hydration): This is the rocket fuel. This is for the really rough spots, think heels, elbows, knees, or calluses. Because it’s double the strength, it works harder to break down that thick, dead skin. Use this sparingly on the problem areas.

Instituto Espanol Intensive Repair (20%)

Yeah, OK, but we’re not in Spain...

This is where it gets scandalous. You can get this exact brand in the UK. It’s imported by some smaller retailers, but expect to pay 3 to 4 times the price.

You can also get UK-specific brands with different names, usually French-sounding pharmacy brands, and yep, you’re ahead of me, expect that stuff to be even more expensive.

So what’s the takeaway?

For me, this stuff works, really, really well. Far better than anything I’ve ever been prescribed by a doctor or recommended by a pharmacist. If you have suffered from dry skin all your life, it might work for you too.

But if you want to get it in the UK, it’ll cost you. So my advice? Get a cheap flight and a big suitcase. Head over to Spain for a cheap weekender, visit the local Eroski, and stock up. Your skin (and your wallet) will thank you.

Of course, if regular holidays to Spain aren't an option (sort your life out!) head to Amazon UK, they seem to carry it too. You'll pay for it, but it's often only double the price rather than triple.