The additional ingredients in many of those products are often harsh chemicals that work directly against the retinol by drying the skin. Although a shielding lotion is now recommended by thousands of doctors as dry skin treatment and prevention you can wear all day, Vitamin A treatments may be substituted for retinol for that extra boost.

The skin care industry has recently hyped retinol as one of the many buzzwords connected with products that moisturize dry skin, lessen wrinkles and regenerate skin that is damaged or ageing. As with other products that make these claims, those that contain retinol can also come with a pretty high price tag. However, retinol is not a ground-breaking discovery. It is actually a common nutritional supplement, and is also in food we eat every day. In fact, it is Vitamin A.

Not surprisingly, foods high in Vitamin A are the same foods you would see on a list of foods that give you healthy skin. Fruits such as apricots, cantaloupes, mandarin oranges, mangos, honeydew melons, watermelons, nectarines and plums are high in Vitamin A, and just about any kind of greens or green vegetable also fills the bill. Carrots, peas, squash, sweet potatoes and tomatoes are also high on the list.

To substitute that expensive retinol dry skin product, try some of the following natural masques:

Tomato is a great astringent. It tones the skin, but doesn't cause dryness like other astringent products. You can slice the tomato and lay it on your face, or crush it and mix it with oatmeal.

Carrots are also very high in Vitamin A. Add honey to a grated carrot and smooth it on the face for a nice, dewy look.

If your face is very dehydrated, apply a mixture of mashed melon (just about any kind will do), cream, cottage cheese, brown sugar and oatmeal. Rinse it off with warm water after about 10 minutes. Very refreshing.

Watermelon can also just be crushed and smoothed onto the skin for a few minutes. It's a great cleanser.