Well I can provide alittle input from recently seeing a dermatologist weekly---(actually ive seen 15 Dr's for a present skin condition yet un-diagnosed for the past 4 months) all of the Dr's equally said NOT to use expensive moisturizers but to use extremely small amounts of regular raw greasy Vaseline---the trick is to use a VERY small amount, most of them concur expensive lotion is a waste as the ingredient that works in most of them is petrolatum---petrolatum is Vaseline---one female dermatologist recommended Bag Balm (available at petshops/tack suppliers etc) in place of the Vaseline which I now use on a regular basis---ive used EVERY commercial expensive lotion I can get my hands on and Vaseline or Bag Balm is cheaper and seems to be the best product for moisturizing if you have a condition that wont respond to a lightweight "regular" moisturizer---Neutrogena is the best of the commercial lotions imo, drink lots of water and apply on a regular basis...
Use anything that has cocoa butter in it! I use the stuff from the body shop and it helps a lot. Also try taking sugar in the shower and rubbing it on the dry skin. This is a good exfoliater