I work in kitchens and wash my hands a lot, and I find Avon's "Silicone Glove" keeps my hands good when I remember to use it :-)
At one point my hands got so bad they were like sandpaper so I used a microplane foot rasp to sand off the worst cracked bits down to good skin, then intensively Silicone Gloved my hands for a few days, and they came good very quickly.

My #1 choice was going to be Working Hands, but not if you don't like it.

I was not impressed by Udderly Smooth and Corn Huskers Lotion.

Recently I tried a tester of Outdoor Hands at Tractor Supply. I liked it but found it too pricey. Amazon sells it too--same price.

Aveeno Active Naturals Skin Relief Hand Cream is good, but for cracks, etc., I think there's nothing like Working Hands. Did you use it often enough?

Try to remember not to let your hands dry out after washing. I keep a container of Working Hands at my desk, along with Crabtree & Evelyn's Hand Therapy.

I would steer clear of the Super Glue, but there is a "liquid bandage" product that might be helpful. I've never tried it.

I use Curel. They have different formulations, Foot Therapy, Hand and Cuticle Therapy, Ultra Healing Intensive Lotion, and several others, I have also used Neutrogena Cracked Heel I have very dry skin and I have used both the Foot Therapy and Cracked Heel on my hands and been pleased.

Pure coconut oil. It is liquid if stored above 76 degrees, but solid at lower temps. Use a very small amount and rub in well.

L'Occitane is excellent.

Bag balm. I get at tractor supply.

I use O'Keefe's Working Hands and my fingertips haven't cracked for 2 winters in a row now.

I have also taken pure Vaseline and coated my hands with it, then put on latex gloves and slept with them on. Hands are soft and smooth as silk in the morning.

I like olive oil. It works better for me than lotion.

Another Curel fan here. I'm not crazy about the pump versions of it. Too much gets left in the bottle.

Udderly Smooth.....and I get it @ Dollar Tree.

Amlactin was prescribed by dermatologist and seems to work best for me. It is claimed that, covered by cotton gloves while sleeping, will rejuvenate hands. Haven't tried it this way yet but Vaseline is so greasy that I probably will!

My dermatologist suggested Eucerin Eczema Relief. (Almost all skin ailments can be called 'eczema' -- although the severity varies.) I don't know if this is strong enough for your poor hands, but it has ceramides -- something the doctor stressed was important. It is styled as a 'body cream' and comes in a tube.

This has made me recall an episode of "Little House on the Prairie" where a young child has a cold and a sore nose. The elder daughter takes pity and applies some *bear grease*. (Probably not going to find that at the drug store -- certainly not 'unscented'.)

I like True Blue Spa Look ma, new hands, from Bath & Body Works.

I cannot find this where it isn't bulk, but it's what I use at work. They probably have it for patients, but it's so good!!! Provon by the GOJO company.

Here is a link that might be useful: unscented and it's not greasy at all

I use Jergens liquid hand soap which helps a lot, I think it rinses off better than softsoap. I like Vaseline intensive care during the day and creamy Vaseline for bedtime on my hands and feet.

Everyone's skin and what'll absorb into it is so different from person to person. I had friend who could slather on Lubriderm once every waking hour and it would disappear into her skin in a trice - me, no matter how long I massaged, it left an almost wax-like coating on my skin.

I came out of the hospital with an eczema like rash (severe Rx drug reaction that still hasn't totally worked its way out of my system) on my chest. The prescribed Rx steroid cream does work, but so does Gold Bond Eczema Relief. The GB is a good product for me so perhaps the other types in the line for just very dry skin would be good too. Reasonably priced for large tube at Walmart.

I still LOVE: Camille Beckman Glycerin Hand Therapy, French Vanilla, 32 Ounce

I usually buy from Amazon, but just checked, this scent isn't available, and their overall price has gone up quite a bit.

I shall keep an eye on this, and order it when it becomes available again, as my container is getting low.

I always buy the big one, and then dip some out in to a smaller jar for every day use.

Moni

I came across very small containers of Aveeno hand cream and one by Jergens, at Target, so I'm trying the Aveeno for a few weeks to see how that works (one thing I quickly found out, no "sting"!). Then I'll try out the Jergens. I also picked up a fresh container of Working Hands, if the others don't seem to help. I like how the Aveeno feels.

Of course, it's only moderately cold, and my hand problems are really the result of very cold weather. It's not even cold enough for gloves!

A dermatologist once told me not to use any creams or lotions on my hands that are prone to crack, as it will make them worse. When they are almost to that point, I sit with Vaseline slathered on my hands in the evening while I watch tv. (I just hold them out or rub them together so they don't touch anything.) I leave it on them for 1/2 to 1 hour, then wipe off the vaseline with kleenex. Sometimes in the winter I have to do this several nights in a row. I always wear gloves when dealing with water in the kitchen and while doing laundry, when I remember.

Gloves in a bottle. By far the best. (Stitchers use it because it doesn't transfer grease to the article you're working on.)

Gold Bond Ultimate Skin Therapy Cream - healing with Aloe. Creamy lotion that soaks in quickly - no greasy feeling. This does contain alcohol.

Boy, skin must differ a lot from person to person, which I guess makes sense. I have a lot of winter damage to my hands. I start out with dry skin, and then I develop sores from Raynauds that often crack and bleed. I'm amazed that a dermatologist would advise against using skin creams for crack-prone skin. If I didn't use some serious products on my hand I'd probably have gangrene at this point. No exaggeration.

For me, nothing heals existing damage like Working Hands. Other products like the Aveeno I mentioned above might prevent cracks from starting, but I don't know that for sure.

I never heard of Gloves in a Bottle, but I just looked it up on Amazon and will probably try it. Thanks!

This post was edited by alisande on Thu, Dec 18, 14 at 16:55

Alisande, she was advising me to use ointments, (even cortisone ointment,) rather than creams. I didn't make that clear.

I use Aquaphor at night, it's greasy like Vaseline, but helps my hands.

That's interesting about cortisone. I forgot that my doctor recommended it for cracked knuckles some years ago. I didn't use it, so I don't know how well it would have worked.

I recently urged one of my close friends to stop using cortisone cream for dry skin. Her fingers aren't cracked; she just uses it like hand cream. I know breastfeeding mothers are advised not to use it because the steroid crosses the skin barrier. I pointed out to my friend that the instructions say to wash your hands after handling it. I'm sure it's not intended to be rubbed into her hands day after day.

Oooo, tell your friend to stop. My doctor (at the time,) also said to just go ahead and rub it in so I was also using waaaay too much. She failed to tell me and perhaps I didn't read all the literature, that it causes one's skin to thin. I can see that effect in my hands now and only use the cortisone when my hands are very bad but I still need to cook, etc. It's a pain to sit for half an hour with my hands slathered up in Vaseline, but it does do a good job.