What do you use for dry, cracked and chapped hands. Looking at a co-worker’s hands, there are others worse off than moi.
I have a few cracks that should be bleeding soon, but I slap the goop on them.
Tried bag balm. Nice, but.
Bags at night worth the effort?
The ToolBear
“Never met a man who couldn’t teach me something.” Anon.
Built from locally sawn hemlock, this functional outdoor feature uses structural screws and metal connectors for fast, sturdy construction.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
This topic comes around at least once every winter. Do a search on Bag Balm and you'll find threads with lots and lots of suggestions.
Bag Balm works for me. I've used Corona in the past. Used Cornhusker's when I worked in a laundry. My dad uses Cornhusker's. My mom uses pure lanolin. I don't remember the brand. I believe there's a poster over at Cooks Talk who sells a hand treatment that people like.
Bath and Bodyworks: Whatever You Shea.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Tool,
Corn Huskers Lotion is THE BEST for working hands. Use it for a week. Apply prior to working, after lunch, and when you go home. Your hands will be baby soft, and all wrinkles and cracks will disappear. BTW, it's not scented, so it's not meant for women.
Jon
Folks,
Thanks for the input. I'll start working though the list, starting with Cornhuskers.
The point about consistency of application is well made.
My collegue uses Neutragena. I think that's the name. Spelling = ?The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
I've used that Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream, and yes it's really very good for serious cases. Easy to find in drugstores, walmart, etc..http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000052YP6/002-8595641-5744843?v=glanceI also use plain old vaseline sometimes. A little, conscientiously massaged in a couple times a day, is never too greasy, I think. A lot of people think I am gross and trashy to use something as cheap and unfeminine as plain ole vaseline, instead of a really expensive brand name. But it works. And I have things I'd rather spend the money on.The Neutrogena works about as well as vaseline. And the glycerine in it is a moisture attractor, which helps. Vaseline is pure "oil" so it seals in moisture and gives you a moisture proof barrier. I have, in the past, put the Neutrogena on, the sealed it with vaseline, after a tough week of spring gardening.Udder Cream works well for some folks. Hand quilters really recommend it. http://www.uddercream.com/products.htmlAnd I know one of the products that has gotten very favorable review here in recent years is Zim's (yes) Crack Creme. http://crackcreme.com/home.htmlAs mentioned before, is is frequcncy of application of any of the products that will ultimately make the difference for you."No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch. " ~Leo Dworken
This is one of those things where I don't think it matters so much what you use, so much as how consistently you use it.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Tried alot of stuff over the years and the best I found was WellDriller's Lotion. Menard's used to carry it, but not anymore. Don't know if it's available or not.
You have to use stuff fairly regularly for it to help. Every time you wash your hands. Are you wearing gloves religiously? Awhile back someone here turned me on to something called the Wonderglove, which I order now by the case. If you try an overnight solution, instead of bags go with latex (or "latex free if you're allergic) gloves with the ointment applied just before bed. It does help. My whole family gets cracked hands. Make sure you're drinking enough water during the day, too.
Best,
Brian
_____________________________
HomeBase
__________________________ LLC
What do guys know about this? Well, one guy had it. Neutrogena cream. Won't explain why.
Take this from a woman who has tried everything and regularly has her hands in all kinds of toxic products. Nothing else is even close and yes, I've tried them all.
ShelleyinNM
WATER -
Yes, George thinks that part of his problem is not enough water during the day. Drink lots of water. I need to drink more.
We are working in the warm SoCal sun. I mention that for those laboring away in the frozen Elsewhere, where chillblains are an issue.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
I have found two over the years that work very well for me. The first is called Mane and Tail lotion (I think), by the guys that claim their stuff makes hair grow better or something like that. I don't know about that but, it works into my skin very well , with no odor or greasy feeling. The other i ran out of. I bought it when we were on vacation and my wife was wondering (in heaven) aroung some kind of giant cosmetics store. I found a cream made for working hands that said it was developed for jockeys and horse trainers. The stuff was great- seemed to work well with just a small amount. That was a couple of winters ago and I forgot the product name. Anyone? Funny as I read this thread how different things work for different people. The Neutregena(?) stuff was awful on my hands and the bag balm worked, but the greasy mess on my hands and around the can was enough to keep me from buying it again.
I used to have serious problems with cracking hands. This year has been one of my best.
Im wearing some gloves suggested by others in here, they have a latex gripping area that significantly reduces the ability of water and melted snow to penetrate. I'm currently favoring a black set make by caterpillar. I get them for 2.99 a pair at HD and they last several weeks. They do a great job of keeping my hands warm too.
I noticed in years past that if my hands get cold and I heat them up too much in the fire bucket, they dry out, so I try to minimize my "hands in the fire".
There are two other major contributors to drying and cracked hands (for me). City water contains large amounts of chlorine and it drys my skin. Also, the rain and melted snow contains high levels of acid (remember the acid rain?). Melted snow is actually the worst because it cleanses a lot of small particulate from the air as it falls. I find that if I can minimize the exposure to city water and acid rain, my hands remain soft without using lotions.
Currently I'm using Olay. Its just some stuff that I grabbed from my wife. Not too smell, not greasy...its a moisturizer.
When I do develop a small crack, I immediately put on "liquid skin". This stuff is great. The cracks don't infect or spread. The liquid skin is the best bandage I've ever used. I keep a bottle at my desk and in my truck.
Finally, if your cracks are infected and not responding, its time for surgery. I use nail clippers to snip off all the dead skin. One year I fought about ten serious cracks for a month before I started my surgery treatments. Nothing was working until then. The healing began the next day. You will get some immediate pain relief and the infections will repond to antiseptic treatment.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
I find I actually get more dehydrated in the winter than in summer... mostly b/c I don't remember to drink it unless I'm hot. Combine low water intake with dry, dry weather and you've got all sorts of potential probs. Lot of guys I know don't even realize they're dehydrated this time of year but get all the symptoms... headache, amonia in their urine, fatigue. We've started keeping 24 packs of 12oz spring water bottles on the site, and I'm forcing myself to down one every couple of hours and then drink a lot when I get home. (Yea, I drink some water there, too :)
_____________________________HomeBase__________________________ LLC
I can't remember a winter when this subject hasn't come up at least once.
Fact is in winter we do drink less and we do work harder to accomplish the same tasks as we do in the summer and we sweat just as much.
The prevention is drinking water and wearing good insulated gloves whenever possible. If you have to expose your hands a lot, switch to cotton gloves inside leather mitts.
The cure is varied as many have already pointed out. Bag balm is still at the top of the list but do remember this........it only adresses the sore and not the cause.
Even if it's minus 40 C, I never leave the house in the morning without a couple of water bottles in my coat pockets. Don't drown yourself in coffee or other potions. They only leave residue in your body that leads to other problems down the road.
Stay safe and be healthy
Gabe
Bag Balm works for me, but as others have mentioned, it is consistency of application that is crucial.
When I get bad cracks in my fingertips (and believe me, at minus 30 Celsius, I get bad cracks), I put antibiotic ointment such as Bacitracin on the crack and cover it with a fingertip bandaid from the minute I get home until I have to wash my hands to put in my contact lenses the next morning. I can't keep the bandaids on my fingers during the day because the fingers would freeze.
For general dry hands and 'thin-skin' cracking (like when you make a fist and all your knuckles crack open as the skin is stretched across them), I massage in lots of Bag Balm and wear nitrile gloves all night. A couple of nights of that usually gets my hands back to some semblance of normal except for the deep 'dead-skin' cracks which sometimes take a week or more to heal up completely with the bandaid/ointment treatment.
It's my least favourite part of winter, I must say....
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
Neurtrogena.
My hands don't crack too much, cause I'm constantly rubbing lotion into them...this is because I suffer from eczema on both my hands and arms....started a few years back. If I don't keep lotion on them daily, the arms break out into serious red blotches. Not all lotions work... Many lotions with aloe vera seem to aggravate the problem....infact for the longest time. my only option was to use a prescription steroid cream, but I hate using stuff like that.
Soo FWIW, any eczema sufferers out there...try GARVINS ISP
This is a blended lotion consisiting of iodine, sulfur, and petrolatum. The stuff is reddish brown in color, goes on a bit greasy, but quickly rubs in to the skin...and usually with one or 2 applications, my flare-ups are gone. I spread a little on my arms every day as a "maintenance" dose to keep my skin from flare-ups. When I forget to do this..within a few days my arms break out again...so regularity is definately key to healthy skin.
You can order this product by calling 304-624-4730. The product is manufactured in Salem, WV. An 8 oz jar is approx. $20 but it does a good job and lasts a long time. ( one jar can easily last 2 to 3 months). There is a slight sulfur smell to this product when you apply it, but it pretty much fades away.
I know this product may not sound good ( it smells, its greasy, etc etc.) but it really beats the steroids I had to use and stops any kind of rash or dry skin "in its tracks" in just 1 or 2 days. Doesn't matter if you have problems with your hands, arms or feet, this stuff works.
Just my 2 cents.
Davo
Edited 2/6/2005 2:42 am ET by Davo
I got a tube of Cowboy Magic for Christmas. It seems to work very well. I can actually touch those Victoria's Secret frilly things without getting stuck.
http://www.cowboymagic.com
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Hi,
At the beginning, when I've neglected and my hands are bad off, I use bag balm at night, and wear plastic gloves...a few nights and I'm back on track...it's a little weird, but it works..then be consistent about it.
lp
I am plagued with cracked skin -- especially on the end of my thumbs. 3M has a whole line of products for various skin problems, through their Nexcare product line. Here is one they call "Skin Crack Care"http://tinyurl.com/3ngojIt comes in a small bottle with a brush (like finger nail polish), and you just paint it on the crack. I have been using it all winter, and it is absolutely the best thing I have found. Instantly seals the crack ( thus removing the pain).One of the guys in my local tool outlet noticed my thumbs, and asked if I had tried it (which they sold).As far as gloves are concerned, I have tried Wondergloves (and their clones). But a fellow worked turned me on to "Cabretta Plainsman" gloves, sold by Sam's Club, at the link below:http://tinyurl.com/3lu2tThese are very thin goatskin gloves (about $10 a pair), and if you buy a smaller size than you might normally wear, they cling comfortably to your hands like a second skin -- and allow you to feel through them -- useful for instance, when you reach in your tool belt pouch for a single nail. For me, these work way better than the Wonderglove style of glove. However, they are not very good if you are working in wet conditions.
Edited 2/6/2005 11:58 am ET by nikkiwood
Tnx for the tip. Went to the site. Found that they also had a .pdf on dry skin that is well worth reading.
Example: It may not be lack of water but lack of good quality fat in body. Humm. Most Americans I see do not appear to be lacking sufficient fat. Perhaps it bad fat.
Less moisture in skin of smokers.
Etc.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Maybe the hydration thing has something to do with it, but I think the generally drier air -- and maybe the fat thing -- are greater factors. The Nexcare "skin crack creme" is worth checking into for anyone that has this problem. It instantly seals the crack; the price I paid was about $9 for a small bottle, but it goes a long way.However, if I wear those gloves I mentioned in my last post, I don't have any cracking problems at all.
My mom just asked me this same question the other night. I found Vaseline advanced healing to work very well. It's probably the best imho. I was told everybodys body makeup is diffferent so different things work for different people.
Porter's Liniment Salve works for me.
Working Hands
http://www.workinghandscreme.com/index.html
Never underestimate your ability to overestimate your ability
I posted a message on this subject in August. I followed this advice.
Apply aquaphor to hands while they're still wet after every washing.
Works great!
good luck
I've just been going through the same thing again so here's the cure that always works. I use the sticky only part of the band aid, cut the center out. Wrap it tight on the crack/split. Then you say its good for like 15 minutes- but now go to the duct tape if its going to be a working hands day. Usally gets me through the day but if it lets lose I'll just replace it. It does get a little fuzzy so keep it out of your nose. (Ha Ha)
The bandaids are the super glue type so they stick really good. Yesterday I saw in the drug store they also have that super stick bandage tape in rolls. With in a day or 2 and it's gone. Then at night all the goo and stuff but if you do get them nice and soft you also get the best collection of splinters/metal chips rips and tears.