@UmbrellaOps The dry skin you're feeling is because kava will dehydrate you. That's just how it is. Drink lots of water while you're drinking your grog. Feel free to use some lotion on whatever parts of your body you need to.
Kalm with Kava and Kavafied are both good choices. Kavafied's Alubottle is a nifty invention to have. There are days where I was in no mood to spend time on traditional prep and thankfully you get similar potency using the Alubottle. My advice to you when it comes to using the Alubottle is to get a 2nd Aluball so you can more finely adjust your potency. If you get great effects with 1 ball, this isn't an immediate necessity, but you'll find it hard to get potent grog in the Alubottle without additional balls.
Also, no two medium grind kavas are the same. Some more finely grind their root than others. If you're using medium grind from vendors other than Kavafied, you may find a lack of potency due to large pieces of kava root that you can't for the life of you extract the good stuff out of. It's not a bad idea to use a coffee/spice grinder to grind your medium grind powder into smaller pieces before putting this powder into your Aluball(s). As grinders often produce heat when using, try to grind your root for no more than 5-10 seconds, then let it sit before you pulse again. It shouldn't take long to whittle down the larger root pieces, but avoid sustained grinding.
Besides KwK and Kavafied, I recommend giving Gourmet Hawaiian Kava and Bula Kava House a try. From GHK, I hear great things about the Mahakea. Honokane Iki is my favorite. From Bula Kava House, their CO2 extract is very good and Judd is very knowledgeable about his sources, so you have a great idea of where the kava used in the extract comes from (most extracts are made from who knows what kind of kava, so normally I don't recommend extracts). Of their kava powder, I had their Nambawan in the distant past and I sadly don't remember how that was, but I hear good things about it these days from more veteran drinkers. I also hear the Melo Melo is out of this world. I wanna give the latter a try in particular!
Whenever (not "if ever") you hear about the noble kava vs non-noble kava subject, what it means is that there are certain kava varieties that are suitable for daily drinking with minimal adverse effects from drinking it (like nausea and hangover-like symptoms) and there are varieties that WILL have adverse effects from drinking it. If you ever see the keywords "tudei" (read "two day"), "palisi" or "isa," these are some non-noble varieties. If you want to stick with noble varieties of kava, make sure vendors clearly state what varieties their kava is and where it comes from. The more information about a particular product, the less likely they're trying to hide something. Usage of non-noble kava remains controversial. If you do a lot of reading, particularly in the "In-Depth" forum, you'll learn about the different camps regarding its use.
You'll find a lot of the regulars at this forum very helpful and friendly. Just be yourself (kava is very good at enabling you to be yourself) and friendly. Like coffee and tea, kava is a social beverage. Have a shell with us!
