Chapped, Dry & Cracked hands/fingers in the winter - What do YOU do about it?

[MossflowerWoods]

My family we are really good at washing our hands. We tend to get REALLY dirty first, and we wash up regularly and often.

So every winter, both my older daughters get REALLY red chapped hands, and my hands, mostly the finger tips, joints, and heel of my hands get VERY rough, and crack. Mostly in the corners of my fingernails and on my finger tips I am getting recurring cracks that bleed and take the dickens to heal.

I wear leather gloves for heavy/dirty work most of the time. I keep my nails fairly short & clean, at "work" I'm a suit, at "home/ranch" I'm not.

My wife discovered some gold bond extreme healing hand cream and it is helping, but for example right now I've got this almost quarter inch long crack on the side of my right pointer finger and it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to get it healed. I've been glueing it shut with liguid bandaid, neosporin and bandaids at night, etc. But I'm right handed, and I NEED my finger tip.

Right now both thumbs and pointer fingers have cracks around the nails, and the right pointer and left middle have cracks on the finger tips. I also have cracks on 2 right knuckles, and right at the base of my right pinky on the heel of my hand.

Part of the porblem is I've been a computer geek type most of my life, and I used to have soft and smooth hands like somebody who did not work for a living, and they are transitioning into farmer/rancher hands.

I could use some good advice on how to manage this transition to worker hands...

And my daughters will benefit from it also.

Thanks in advance,
David

 

[tcartwri]

Stop washing your hands so much.

 

[Bob77064]

Corn Huskers Lotion works pretty well and it is not greasy.

 

[robbridgland]

Hi

Use Glycerine every night and you hands will heal. Also Neutrogena Norwegian formula cream.

My Dad and I had this problem and both worked. Hope I spelt Neutrogena right. Your pharmacist will know the stuff

Rob

 

[Egon]

If you can find Lanolin give it a try. May not be politically correct but probably the best product going??:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Do some research.

Supposedly sheep shearers have very soft hands.

 

[brin]

David...I have heard that Bag Balm works great...It is made for dairy cows utters..but is used by humans on their hands ...I have not tried it but I sure have heard folks swear by it...My thumbs crack at the bend on the first joint, on the outside of each thumb and because I am always bending them and washing my hands all the time, it is hard to get them to heal...

 

[Mace Canute]

David...I have heard that Bag Balm works great......

Years ago back in the 70s a radio program had a segment going where the audience was asked the meaning of certain words/phrases and "Bag Balm" was one of them. One listener called in and said "Bag Balm? Isn't that what Penny's car is?" (Penny being one of the announcers of course) You could almost feel the daggers in her voice after that!

 

[CurlyDave]

There is a lotion called "Amlactin" which is very good. Pretty pricey too, but worth it if it works.

Recently I have been using Bag Balm which also works well.

 

[oldnslo]

David...I have heard that Bag Balm works great...It is made for dairy cows utters..but is used by humans on their hands ...I have not tried it but I sure have heard folks swear by it...My thumbs crack at the bend on the first joint, on the outside of each thumb and because I am always bending them and washing my hands all the time, it is hard to get them to heal...

Yup, another vote for bag balm or udder salve. Used on the cows and my hands both. Best luck I had was rub on the bag balm and them wear gloves for awhile to allow it soak in. It is some thick pasty stuff that takes awhile to absorb.

Usually much less expensive than lanolin or corn huskers both which also worked just not as well for me.

 

[srossman]

I like 'okeeffe's working hands' brand lotion. It comes in a green container and I've started seeing it at lowes and other home improvement stores.