HI there,

I see you are in PA.. I'll bet when the weather warms up and the humidity sets in- you won't have that problem anymore !

I find the only thing that seems to work for my hands is good old OIL. get some oliveoil or veggie oil on your hands and rub it in.. Nails too :)

Lotions never seem to do a thing for me anyway! try olive oil and then sleepign with them covered at night..? maybe? i dont have real problems liek that but i hitnk that's what i'd try.
Ps- I bought somethign from QVC called "surgeon's secret" for my father in law once- he has bad psoriasis.. it didnt heal him-but he said it was the most help anythign ever gavehim at least!

I've liked Udder Balm or some of the salves in the Burt's Bees line, but this year my hands haven't dried out much. During the gardening season, digging in dirt and constant hand washing can take its toll too - I use exam room gloves for some protection from having to almost scrub the skin off to get clean. I have a couple of boxes on hand and make real good use of them.

It really depends whether you have a medical condition which may be causing the dry, cracking and hurting - in which case you should see a doctor about it - or we are simply talking about wear and tear from normal gardening. If the latter is the case, prevention is the best method - wear gloves while gardening. I know most people don't like to do it (me included), but I have to admit that nothing protects the hands more than wearing gloves... I can't stand the surgical kind (rubber), so I wear light cotton ones. They wear out pretty fast, but they are also inexpensive and easily replaceable. I'm making an effort myself to wear them all the time while I'm in the garden.

For after care something that works well is to rub sweet almond oil in your hands and then sleep with cotton gloves on so as to make sure the skin absorbes the oil and you do not get it all over your sheets...

Hope this helps
Eduarda

Corn Huskers lotion is good also. I have used Heel Balm for dry cracked feet. I suppose it would work on hands also. Both available at Wal-Mart.

I agree that prevention is the first step, and would lilke to suggest something that I like (but don't always use as I get out in the garden to "just look around" and end up weeding and digging before I know it! :))
I am not sure that they sell it anymore as it has been a couple of years since I have had to buy it (I had a supply of it), but their product called 'silicone glove' really does help if you put it on before you start to work. I try to also use gloves but as eduarda says, they do wear out pretty fast and I usually have a few holes in them so the dirt is all over my hands anyway. I just like to wear them because I can pick up worms without feeling their little bodies....that gives me the willies!! LOL
gg

The "silicone Glove" is by Avon, I have used it before. I bought something similar called Elastin at a beauty supply store. It works great for protection.

Between the gardening, washing dishes, spring cleaning, before, during and after food prep....my hands are beyond rough. I put 2 coats of vaseline and a coating of special "stuff" from MaryKay cosmetics last night. My hands feel better but now I've got the peelies! lol

I'll go shopping today for Corn Huskers lotion and Udder/Bag Balm today! I have been using the garden gloves for the most part...I can stand worms or spiders! lol

Thanks for the advice!! LC Grace

A great "home-made" remedy I use that is inexpensive and works wonders...mix petroleum jelly (I use a cheap off-brand) with brown sugar, massage into hands for a couple minutes, rinse with warm water. Follow with a lotion or cream. Helps hands feel softer and exfoliates. Should help get rid of those "peelies" too!

I find mine are awful during the winter months, mostly because of the dry air. I have a paraffin wax machine that I use. I also put lotion on at night with a pair of gloves or mittens to help lock it in. Always make sure you dry your hands thoroughly after washing, then apply some lotion. I find that helps, too.

Tracy

Gads I know what you mean about the hands. I used to live in PA and worked as a groomer. Always had to deal with the dry cracked hands because of weather and water. First off get your self some home made soap. Store bought has detergent in it and will dry you out alot more. Also make it to one of the spring garden plant sales that happen locally. You will find vendors that sell home made products like soap and lotion that will work great. I bought a lotion made with emu oil that was a godsend for my hands. In store bought I used Lubriderm advance therapy for extra dry skin. It worked great and was cheap at walmart. You can get in in the big 16oz bottle. My hubby still uses this for his feet.

Tamara

I'm another glove-wearer so my hands aren't often dry. But when they are, I give my soapstone counters a rub down with a beeswax/mineral oil mixture, which in turn leaves my hands as soft as a baby's bum. : )

The Udder Balm works great, too. I used to use it when I did a lot of hand quilting.

Diana

I like Bag Balm. It is a petroleum product similar to Vaseline, but it also has some sort of antibiotic property. It was made for use on cow's udders, to keep the skin from cracking and bleeding. Farmers found that applying it to udders improved the condition of their work roughened hands. It can be purchased at drug stores and Walmart. It comes in a green tin, and is inexpensive as a little goes a long way.

It is true that gloves are the best solution. I try to remember to use gloves, but somehow I am always taking them off for various reasons and forgetting to put them back on.

Lorna

I heartily agree with the Bag Balm. It is the best. I use it on my hands. I talk on the phone all day, so use it their on my lips. I use it for cracks in my feet - it is all around wonderful stuff. If you can't find it locally, I included a link where you can order it below. That 10 oz. tin goes a long way!!!

Nancy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Valley

Our Walmart had Corn Husker's lotion....feels great on the hands! They also had "Udder smooth". I couldn't find the Bag Balm. I know our drugstore has it though!

I used to be a hair stylist back in the days when everyone needed to have a perm. Those products worked great then but I thought there would be new things on the market. It just goes to show that the older products work the best!!

All the suggestions are wonderful, and I agree about being selective in the choice of soaps you are using to cleanse your skin. I found that I was defeating the purpose of the lotions by using soaps that were irritating and drying to my skin.

I use Ivory liquid soap for the kitchen and Dove for baths. And I also use the disposable vinyl gloves when gardening. I stuff several into my pockets when I'm in the garden because I always tear them.

Sam's Club in my area carries something called 'Gene's Vitamin E Creme." It's the best hand cream I've ever used.

When I do remember to put gloves on, I put hand cream on first. Then when I get tired of the gloves and peel them off, I'm that much ahead.

Another trick is to fill up your fingernails with soap before you go outside. Helps keep the dirt out and makes cleaning up easier.

I love Neutrogena hand cream. It doesn't sting chapped or wounded hands. The package says to use a little, but I use A LOT before bed I go to bed, letting it soak in.

I get those stinging hands, and my cuticles all dry out and get DISGUSTING and the clay makes my nails brittle and break off to the quick. I have horrible hands right now.
Then once the skin gets chapped, the dirt will get in and not come out.
However I use salt scrub with oil and it will come out. A friend made it for me once, and now I just get it at Trader Joe's. All natural, and it has the oils mentioned above to seal in the moisture. No moisturizer I have found works 100% when you can't get to scrub the hands. However, I use an all natural moisturizer (like Panagea) and then put oil on that to seal it in. That helps!
In the spring/summer/fall my hands get chapped from gardening and in the winter, now since I'll work hardware in the store, my hands get PARCHED and horrible from the powdered coatings they put on metal items we stock.

GGG

I use Avon's Intensive hand cream. It's real thick, like Vaseline, but better. I put it on at night before I go to bed and put on white cotton gloves to keep it on my hands. In the morning, my hands are nice and soft. Also the Silicone Glove does work well to keep dirt from becoming embedded in your skin. Just be sure to use it before you go out to work in the garden.

I agree 100% with what Eduarda said about wearing gloves.
Prevention is the best solution to the problem.

I have also found that if I wash my hands often and use a soft nail brush, cleaning my fingers and hands to remove all dirt (and bacteria) that my fingers don't crack and get sore. Really!

The best cream for hands & feet is Crisco shortening. Just a dab is all that you need.

The best oil for healthy, glowing skin, especially when you're out in the sun all day, is Pure Virgin Olive Oil.

I used olive oil on my babies years ago. No diaper rashes or skin problems of any kind.
I also use it to "set" my nail polish. And as a bonus, I get smooth fingers and hands. The odor dissipates quickly. I rather like the smell myself, however.
I use Olive oil to clean pet's ears. It doesn't burn and really smothers out ear mites, too.
I put a dropper of olive oil on ears of corn to get rid of corn worms with beautiful results.

Good stuff, Maynard!

Try it! You might like it! :)

Now make me use it! I forget half the time and then, boy am I sorry!!! :(

~ sweetannie4u

Sweetannie, how do you apply the dropper of olive oil to corn ears, and at what stage of development? I am a firm believer in consuming (eating) a minimum of a teaspoon of raw olive oil (uncooked) daily for preventing dry skin. I use olive oil at table, putting a dollop on top of stew, soup, chili, whatever. This practice also helps lubricate one's joints, and reduces undesirable cholesterol.

Lorna

Apply about 7 drops to corn ears as soon as it tassels and then once every week or two thereafter and after heavy rains. It's a bit of work, some might say, but the results are worth it and so is my family.
You can use mineral oil, but I prefer using my olive oil.

The moths that lay their eggs on the young ears of corn that hatch out inside the ears and become hornworms (cornworms) will not like the smell of that olive oil and less likely want to lay their eggs there.

Also, grow corn that has tight rows of smaller corn kernels as these are less likely to be a good habitat for cornworms. No room! I grow Silver Queen and get excellent results.

BTW, I understand that eating olive oil also helps reduce the risk of cancers. I do not use any other kind of oil for cooking or salads.

~ sweetannie4u

My hands have always been prone to drying and cracking even with garden gloves. My solution is to wear latex "exam" gloves underneath my garden gloves. They come in a box of a couple of hundred, I think, and they last quite a long time since the garden gloves take the brunt of the abuse.I get mine in a package of three boxes at Sam's Club.
Pam

Thanks for the tip, Sweetannie, much appreciated. I shall try it.

Lorna