What do you use for dry, split skin on your hands?

[Dargo]

Each winter I fight having my fingers and thumbs bleeding from being not only cut up and banged up, but from the skin drying out to the point it literally splits open and bleeds. I work outside and also on all sorts of vehicles in my barn. I constantly have to use tough cleaners on them to get all the grease and grime off them. I've used "Udder Balm", Cornhuskers lotion, all sorts of hand lotion, and even Vaseline. Still, my hands are sore, rough, thick with calluses, and split open. It actually seems to be far worse where I have thick calluses. You'd think that would be the tougher part, but it's not against splitting open. And, yes, I do try to use gloves most of the time. I wear out several pair each month. Any good ole home remedies, suggestions?

[PBinWA]

I put lotion inside my gloves. That way they moisturize while they protect.

My wife's a lotion junkie so there's always hand lotion around. I just put it on after washing my hands.

You can use Vaseline or some other grease type stuff. Your doctor might tell you to put grease on your hands and wear gloves to bed at night.

[DaveNay]

Are you taking a multi vitamin supplemet with Vitamin A?

[working woman]

My late husband had the same problem. He tried all kinds of lotions, creams ect. Other than a presp.He had luck with stuff called Lotil cream. It is hard to find in a store but can be ordered here. (vermont country store)
ordhttp://www.vermontcountrystore.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=7687&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=lotil+creamered at

It really did the trick for him:a1:

[Kwiens]

My wife bought coconut oil to use. It works great.

Kevin

[PBinWA]

The other thing I did was to stop using GoJo or those citrus and pumice based hand cleaners. They seem to really suck the oil out of your hands.

I use those yellow kitchen sponges with the rough blue side on them. Those sponges with regular hand soap seem to do a better job of getting stuff off without sucking the oil out of your skin.

[working woman]

Okay Dargo today is your lucky day. Here is a product that you can buy at Walgreens in the beauty dept. (close to the cosmetic dept) It is called Aquaphor. It sells for 5.79 for a 1.75 oz tube. It is an oitment
The ingredients are Petrolum, Mineral oil, and Lanolin.
It is designed for dry, cracked or irrated skin.

I just found out about it from Prevention magazine, so it comes highly recommend.


FYI- this is also good to put on your nose if it becomes raw from blowing from the good ol common cold

Hope this helps

[Dargo]

Thanks, I don't know how I would have missed that in the cosmetics department! I'll try it. Right now I have 4 fingers bandaged up and a good coating of antibiotic ointment under them. I split a few more today in the barn. Hopefully it will help. I don't intend to use it on my nose though. Shh, I've never had a cold or the flu. I don't want to start either.

PB, I've definitely used plenty of that Orange hand cleaner. It smells good and seems to clean well, but is pretty brutal in the winter months. :o

Dave, actually, I do take a multi vitamin most days.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll likely work my way through each suggestion. I'm pretty cut up with numerous splits at the finger tips right now. My thumbs are brutal looking and painful. Yeah, yeah, I know; baby. But, damn, it hurts!

[DaveNay]

Soak them in Palmolive! :yum:

[AndyM]

Zim's...

http://www.crackcreme.com/

They have interesting promo t-shirts on thier website too.

[bczoom]

Yeah, yeah, I know; baby.
Pretty much my thought :hide: (just kidding).

Sorry, other than 10w-40, I have no advise... hmmmm, unless I go synthetic?

[working woman]

. I don't intend to use it on my nose though. Shh, I've never had a cold or the flu. I don't want to start either.



Apparently I seem to be getting your share since moving back to this freakin state! Which resulted in going to Walgreens today and investing in a tube. (by the way the manger had to find it for me)
But I guess I cant complain, never had to put up with cracked fingers!

[PBinWA]

We've got tons of Aquaphor around here. I'm not sure it's any better than Vaseline. Might be fine for dainty hands but for working hands it isn't that great.

I'd go with alot of grease on the inside of your gloves and stay away from the Orange hand cleaner.

[Ice Queen]

Hey Dargo this might sound like a joke, but the best cure for dry and splitting fingers is spinning! Hand spin wool straight from the fleece and all that lovely lanalin gets in your hands and you won't get sore fingers and the end result is lots of lovely wool - better than any you can get in the shops - and you can learn to knit and crochet and make garments for yourself and I can quarantee that you will never be cold. The so called 'pure new wool' that you buy in the shops is rubbish compared to the real stuff.

[Abby]

When I was younger I would have that problem. It was my grandmother that taught me to use Vaseline. At bedtime, slather your hands really well with Vaseline and then put socks on your hands. It remoisturizes over night and doesn't cost a lot.

[Melensdad]

Brent,

If this stuff is strong enough to deal with large cracks, it should be good enough for your cracked fingers :whistle:

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[elsmitro]

I always suggest that the ladies try some of Dr. Smitty’s crack cream! Dr. Smitty makes a huge assortment of feminine creams, lotions, and sprays, and they are the best $ can buy! And this thread smells like the feminine products isle at a chinese Wal-Mart.
:yum:

[Jen's Jeep]

It is hard to find in a store but can be ordered here. (vermont country store)
ordhttp://www.vermontcountrystore.com/




Hey...cool place!! They have the cool old school toys we/I had as a kid. Check out that big wheel...they dont make them like that anymore!

[daedong]

Lanolin and cod liver oil

[Ray]

udder butter

[willie]

The best thing I have found if bag balm in the green tin isn't cutting it is to go and buy a tube of A & D ointment for diaper rash. It works like no other. Hands are smooth as a baby's butt in a couple days. No cracks (except where they're supposed to be :moon: )

[Snowcat Operations]

Dargo,
I never EVER had problems with dry hand until one day about 2 years ago I was cleaning a carburator and used the stuff you put the carb in the tray and dunk it for a few hours. Anway a bolt dropped in so I reached in with a gloved hand and found the bolt. But when I pulled my hand out I discovered the glove had a big hole in it and the glove was full of that chemical. EVER since then that hand dries out and cracks! I use vasoline and rub my hand down at night when it starts to get dry. During the day I avoid all chemical contact with my hands. The chemical actually damaged the cells of my skin someway and they now just dry out in winetr time and or any time its really dry out. Lube up with ANY good lotion as often as possible. To do that have several tubes around the house and shop. Mix up the brands a bit and always use a good antibiotic oitment on the cracks. Good luck.

[Bobcat]

Please, please, please, please don't anyone ask Sushi!!!:smileywac :4_11_9:

[Big Dog]

Cocoa Butter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_butter)

[rico304]

My wife is a hair stylist. Hands in and out of water all day! Her hands start to crack and become very painful. She has done many of the above things to help prevent as well. Always wears gloves when in water. When they get painful, I put "Nu Skin" on the crack. Antibiotic, so it will hurt. It seals it up and really does the trick.It creates a layer over the crack that prevents anything from getting into it and making it worse.
It probably makes it so cream won't help anymore either though.:cry:
She has to go back to work that day and can't keep cream on it, so this makes sense.

That is more of a "Boy that crack in my hand hurts!" thing than a cure. Food for thought though.

[alanejackson]

Vasoline, and try not to wash as much in the winter, and use less or no soap. I try to take less showers in the winter too. I think it happens in the winter because I sweat less, and when we sweat the skin gets oil or something it needs. Get in the habit of washing/cleaning with an oil instead of soap and water.

[Cowboyjg]

Please, please, please, please don't anyone ask Sushi!!!:smileywac :4_11_9:


:yum: :yum: :yum: :yum: :yum:

[Cowboyjg]

I had to separate this post from the other, I was laughing too hard and it just wasn't right.


Bag Balm...there's some other stuff I have for use on cow udders (ok go ahead) it's made here locally and I haven't ever asked the lady what's in it but it works great.

[urednecku]

Vaseline is what seems as good as it get for me. I had a great aunt that was a waitress for years..always had trouble with dry hands. She found Vaseline worked best for her.

[pirate_girl]

I use something called Eucerin Aquaphor.
My hands get terrible this time of year with washing them so much and wearing gloves-plus these sub-zero cold temps haven't helped the situation.

[Passingtime2]

Each winter I fight having my fingers and thumbs bleeding from being not only cut up and banged up, but from the skin drying out to the point it literally splits open and bleeds. I work outside and also on all sorts of vehicles in my barn. I constantly have to use tough cleaners on them to get all the grease and grime off them. I've used "Udder Balm", Cornhuskers lotion, all sorts of hand lotion, and even Vaseline. Still, my hands are sore, rough, thick with calluses, and split open. It actually seems to be far worse where I have thick calluses. You'd think that would be the tougher part, but it's not against splitting open. And, yes, I do try to use gloves most of the time. I wear out several pair each month. Any good ole home remedies, suggestions?
I used to have the same problem and tried many things to heal the cuts and split skin. I dropped my elect shaver one day and went back to a blade. My hands totally healed in about 10-14 days. It was the pre-electric shave I was using! I've not had the problem now that I quit using it. Now been about 15 yrs.

[Ray]

Udder budder or corn shuckers lotion

[nobull1]

This could give you something to think about. I won't get into all the details, as this could be another thread.

About 10 years ago I started taking Lipitor/Crestor for slightly high cholesterol. After seeing Doctors/Dermatologist I found out "myself" I had contact dermatitis that was caused by the Lipitor/Crestor. This made a mess out of my hands and around my eyes...blood everywhere(between my fingers as well as cracks, and the back of my hands. The symptoms were quite similar to simple dry hands. For years I was on three types of steroid creams as well as prescription protect ants. I had to use nitrile gloves for the work I did as it involved grease and oil and washing my hands half a dozen times a day. After quiting the Lipitor it has taken 6 years, so far, to get back to 80% normal skin. I used to use 1-2 tubes a month of cream to control my problem. Now I use about 1 tube a year of the mildest cream. This isn't a solution but it might be a contributing problem. I could be the poster boy for anti cholesterol drugs. In the end I probably had 20 side effects of which contact dermatitis was one.

[pirate_girl]

I've also worn cotton gloves to bed with Vick's on them.
Works well temporarily.

[RedRocker]

Neosporin works to heal the cuts, preventing them is another deal.

[Ice Queen]

I keep telling you - go stroke a sheep, you can't beat lanolin. Ain't you folks got any sheep?

[working woman]

Just read an blurb in a health magazine. Said people who suffer from this in the winter are missing a vitamin the body. It said to take a fish oil, which comes in a gel capsule.

[Dargo]

I keep telling you - go stroke a sheep,...

I have a neighbor who does that, but I honestly can't say that I've ever noticed his hands nor touched them...:pat:

[Ice Queen]

Perhaps you ought to try it and then we can start ugly rumours about you?

[Dargo]

Perhaps you ought to try it and then we can start ugly rumours about you?

Um, you think I jest about this neighbor?! No rumors here.

[Erik]

ever tried badger balm or burt's bees hand salve?
might also try wal-mart vitamin E cream - or one of the dimethicone enhanced "crack formula" lotions. (like Dr Scholl's heel crack formula)

other thing to do is make sure there's not an ingredient in the lotions you've been using that you're allergic to.
Contact dermatitis is not fun - and once you've sensitized your skin it's REAL hard to get it to heal. (my wife found out this winter the lip balm she was using for "the worst case of chapped lips she'd ever had" contained lanolin - which she's allergic to and was making her lips more chapped so she'd put more on...)

also try to avoid mineral oil, paint thinner, gojo, etc.... because all of them strip your natural skin oils.

good luck!

[rback33]

Bump.

You ever get your problem cleared up Brent? I have a buddy whose hands get the same way. Mine start to get that way, but I just slather lotion to them when it happens. My right hand was soaking in gasoline for like 30 minutes the a few weeks ago. It was burning like hell when I was done. They got washed real good in dish soap, a shower and liberal slathering of lotion. Seems funny to say I was liberal about something....:bonk:

[Durwood]

I've had the same problem for years and using Aloa Vera has really helped me.

[Dargo]

What's funny is that I just came in from working on the barn and was actually biting the split thick skin off the edges of my fingers. My desk job and my 'country dude' job just seem to be opposites for my hands. I still haven't found anything that really helps. Yeah, I know, waaa...

[urednecku]

What's funny is that I just came in from working on the barn and was actually biting the split thick skin off the edges of my fingers. My desk job and my 'country dude' job just seem to be opposites for my hands. I still haven't found anything that really helps. Yeah, I know, waaa...

Need some cheese?:poke: