DS crazily dry skin - miracle creams please

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He's always had dry skin (so have I) - and when he was younger I used to be a bit (not hugely ) better at putting diprobase or similar on his face, arms and legs. He's now 11 and its really bad at the moment. I think we need to have a concerted attempt to address it.
But what cream really really works? Thanks!

I have also been using Cetraben (recommended above) on prescription for about ten years for menopause related dry skin. It does the job although my back is still a little itchy on occasions. I'm going to give the pure coconut oil a try following the recommendations above.

It's not cheap but I love La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume. One of my daughters gets sore, red patches behind her knees and a couple of applications of this and they are gone

I reckon you go one way or the other

Hardcore drugs muther way : a weak steroid and a tub of double base should last a couple of days at most.

earth orientated karma way : almond oil (£1.50 from chemist) and coconut oil (£10 off amazon).

Ime, the traditional drug based approach works quicker but has a pay off (steroid use and the artificial crap in commercial creams), the natural feels better and has no side effects whatsoever but doesnt pack the punch a steroid does.

Wow, thanks for all the replies. Will draw up a list!

50/50 white soft paraffin in liquid paraffin, ask any chemist or boots do a huge pot for £5. It's like gloopy Vaseline so bit messy. You cover DS in it when he's still wet from a shower or bath and it will trap moisture in the skin. Suggested by our paediatric derm as my DS has eczema.

Try Epaderm- available in cream and ointment form, can buy it over the counter from most pharmacies. Was recommended by a GP who specialises in dermatology, for my son who has had bad eczema since he was a baby. Epaderm has been a life-saver, now I use it too!

Coconut oil is amazing stuff for very dry skin and has other useful properties too - like being naturally antibacterial.

Avoid all anti-bac soaps. God knows what they put in those things, but they are like skin strippers.

Can you try and increase natural fats in his diet - avocado, mackerel, salmon, olive oil, natural butter rather than margarines? I find diet makes a huge difference to the state of my skin.

Double base does a shower gel now too.

Epaderm works really well on my DS and DD dry eczema prone skin and applying it regularly actually prevents flair ups .