My hands are as dried out as if it were the dead of winter.

[milestogo]

Last edited Tue Mar 17, 2020, 12:53 AM - Edit history (1)

The really cold air dries your skin out, but so does all the handwashing.

[mcar]

1. Hand lotion after

Also, don't use that antibacterial soap. It'll tear your skin off.

[milestogo]

2. Yeah, I usually don't need hand lotion except in winter

but this year's going to be a lot different.

[mcar]

3. Yep

[2naSalit]

5. Try oils instead for a while.

After washing your hands, put lotion on but then some kind of oil based something, even few drops of olive oil. I make my own winter skin shield, I call it, that is olive oil base with some beeswax to make it less liquid. The idea is that lotion will moisturize while a sheen of oil will protect your skin from the dry cold. I use it before I go outside in winter, all over my face, neck and hands. Lotions are usually water based which can freeze in your pores and promote damage to your skin. Oil, even w/o lotion under, for really cold temps, will help keep your skin from getting windburn and all the awful stuff cold air does. A friend of mine, an elder from eastern Europe, said when she was poor, she would use the wrappers from sticks of butter. She stored a bag of them in the freezer. I like the olive oil better but you could use almost anything, almost, that you would also eat.

[Blue_true]

7. Buy some Pumpkin Seed Oil and Vegetable Glycerin.

Mix a table spoon of each together and then spread on your hands and wrist, back and front. Don't worry if you don't see them on your skin after around 40 minutes, they would have been absorbed and will be working to keep your upper skin layer lubricated.

[Ms. Toad]

4. make sure it's oil- or wax-based, not water based.

All water-based lotions do is dry my skin out more.

Cocoa butter, vaseline, etc. Wear gloves (or a sock) overnight.

[Blue_true]

9. Check the ingredients label on your lotions.

They may contain medium chained alcohols, the shorter medium chained alcohols can dry your skin, the better ones contain 12-18 Carbon Atoms with no cyclic rings in the chain. Most lotions that are made of water and oil(s) will normally contain Cetyl Alcohol (16 Carbons) and a second, more efficient emulsifier. Some people are sensitive to Cetyl Alcohol, but there are not a lot of reports of drying action by it, you could be an exception. Check the second emulsifier carefully because some of those do irritate and dry some people's skin. You may want to look for lotions that have Cetearyl Alcohol or Stearyl Alcohol as the primary agent that blends water and oils. If you have a good healthfood store nearby, go there and ask for a person that orders their soaps and lotions, a lot of those people are pretty good at helping people find what works for them. Expect the products to be costlier than standard grocery store or drug store products, which tend to have a lot of problematic ingredients because that keeps the price down.

[Ms. Toad]

14. Good point as to alcohols.

But for me it's the water that is the issue. Just like licking my lips makes them chapped or washing my hands with water makes them chapped, so does using a water based lotion.

The oil or wax trap the water in, especially when i can leave it on for several hours by trapping it with a sock or glove.

[Blue_true]

18. Sounds like you have the problem that I had as a child, water tortured my skin,

wrinkling and all types of tiny skin breaks after a bath or getting caught in a rainstorm. It is only slightly irritating now, causing my nose to run a tad when I bathe, get caught in rain, walk in moist air, or drink liquids or eat soup. So, it sounds like you are in a tough spot with lotions, all oil based lotions tend to feel heavy on the skin and if the oils in them are not formulated properly, they leave a person feeling greasy.

Other than the nightly lotion that you do with the sock, have you tried formulating your own 100% oil based lotion for daily use when you are going to work, shopping, ect? There is a lot of information on line, but you won't find much from professional formulators, because those people sell their formulations, but some of the DYO (do your own) tutorials online are pretty decent. Two key things that you need to pay attention to is the skin absorption rate of the oil and it's comedigenic rating (if you can find that for the oil of your choice, if you can't find that info for an oil, you can run your own skin patch test). One of the things that most DYO formulators get wrong is the oil absorption rate (the duration for the skin to absorb 90% of the oil). Popular oils like Jojoba, Argan, and Pomegranate have horrible absorption rates, sitting on the skin for hours. There are some oils that I use in commercial formulations that absorb ten times faster than the oils that I listed and are non-comedigenic (don't cause the skin to bump), I won't list those, but some good alternatives that you may try are Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Sunflower Oil and Red Raspberry Seed oil - they absorb 5 to 20 times faster than Jojoba, Argan and Pomegranate and have comedigenic ratings of 2 or less (stay away from oils with ratings of 3 or higher, such as Hemp, Flaxseed, Coconut oils). You may want to use wax and a small amount of Cetyl or Stearyl Alcohol, the wax gives the formulation body and the long-chain alcohol improves spreadability on the skin. Since your formulation would be a home-mix one instead of a commercial one, you can avoid using a broad spectrum anti-bacteria agent such as Phenyl Alcohol, though you can and may want to use 3-5 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil and Cinnamon (Ceylon) Essential Oil, all three provide some low level anti-bacteria protection while providing fragrance - but since you can throw out stuff that looks a little squirrelly and remix as desired, the anti-bacteria aspect would not be an issue, as long as you don't allow water to get into the formulation.

[Ms. Toad]

19. Good information -

I'll pass it on to my daughter. She has a much more significant issues with dry skin. Mine get chapped occasionally, but it only takes a couple of days to calm it down when it is aggravated as long as I don't aggravate it with a water-based lotion.

My daughter's hands are often pretty bad in the winter - much more so now (she just took a job at Starbuck, and they have implemented a mandatory 30-minute hand washing routine).

[Blue_true]

21. Sounds like your daughter is going to have issues with her skin regardless.

Hopefully, Starbucks has put some time into selecting the hand wash products, some are very good for a person's skin, others are horrible.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. I am going through a whole lot of hand lotion

now that I am basically the bastard offspring of Howard Hughes and Lady Macbeth.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

8. One word: CeraVe.....

lotion, exfoliating or non-exfoliating and two or three other versions.

See: https://www.cerave.com/skincare

Recommended by our dermatologist and we love it. A little expensive but goes a long way.

Helps to control eczema, too.......

[Dem_4_Life]

20. Yes this is the best lotion and the best tip is to apply lotion before fully drying your hands

This helps slow down transepidermal water loss.

This is the best CereVe cream and you can use it all over your body including it makes a fabulous lip ointment: https://www.cerave.com/skincare/moisturizers/moisturizing-cream

I've learned some of the best skin tips from this dermatologist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnxmUrGMtpQT844Yd_l7Zyg

She is a current dematologist in Houston and she has really great common sense advice on her videos.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

22. Thanks so much.

I've been wanting to find a reputable dermatologist on the Tube. I love doctors that promote common sense rather than product sales and unnecessary tests.

Thanks too for that reminder about drying. I had a lady friend that really knew skin care tell me years ago to never scrub my skin when getting out of the shower but instead just pat-dry, especially with our face.

KY........

[Dem_4_Life]

24. You are very welcome!

Yes it is hard on YouTube to find reputable sources. I do love some of her shopping at drug store videos and her comments about some of the products are hilarious.

[GoCubsGo]

10. Two products that will get your hands back in shape almost immediately:

Hemp Hand Protector from The Body Shop:
https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-us/body/hand-cream-and-moisturizers/hemp-hand-protector/p/p000461

A little goes a long way. Sometimes you can find it at TJ Maxx or Tuesday Morning. I had no luck at either the last time I looked, but TJs did have another product I decided to give a try. Gardener's Hand Repair:

https://www.earththerapeutics.com/products/gardeners-hand-repair-6-oz

Also available at CVS and Walmart, apparently, and Amazon. Probably other places, too. I'd check TJ Maxx first. It's half the price there--if they have any.

Both do a great job of moisturizing. If you have problems with splitting fingernails, both products will remedy that, as well. Mine were splitting down to the nubs. That stopped within a couple of days of using the stuff.

[safeinOhio]

11. I use to work outside in the winter.

Every one I worked with had cracked dry hands. They use to coat their hands with vaseline and then put on gloves and still suffered. I was taking six fish oil pills a day and never had the problem. I would get the ones that filtered out the mercury to be safe. I'd bet Flax oil pills would work too.

[cwydro]

12. I've always been a frequent hand washer.

Can’t believe the concept of keeping one’s hands clean is so new to so many.

[Ms. Toad]

16. I think it's the added sanitizer that is making it slightly worse for me

I wash my hands frequently enough to avoid nearly all seasonal illnesses, but I've added several sanitizer rounds between washes. And my hands are only slightly drier than usual,so don't assume posting here means a lack of good hygiene before now.

That said, if you're surprised, you must not have spent much time hanging out in bathrooms . . .

[cwydro]

17. Lol, i sure don't hang out in bathrooms. I can't stand public bathrooms.

I have never used sanitizer either, I’m sure that stuff dries out skin.

[Dem2theMax]

13. Neutrogena hand cream. I have been swearing by it since I was 16 years old.

I used to work for my dad, in his service station. The stuff you had to use to get the grease off your hands, pretty harsh stuff. My hands would crack and bleed. Finally, someone at the pharmacy told me about Neutrogena hand cream. I put it on when I go to bed at night. I've been using it forever and it's never let me down.

And I'm one of those who washes her hands really well all of the time. I actually knew how to do the proper wash because I took hospice training some years ago. Never knew I was actually going to be using it for something like this.

[boston bean]

15. Bag balm is a life save for dry skin

[KY_EnviroGuy]

23. Corn Husker's Lotion is popular, too......

especially with construction workers......

[blogslut]

25. Find a cream or lotion containing both emollients and humectants

Emollients = lanolin, castor oil, coco butter, wheat germ oil, etc.

Humectants = glycerine, honey, aloe vera, etc.

Make sure to put some on your hands before you go to bed.

[guillaumeb]

26. I must go out and buy up all the moisturizer in my area.

And sell it at a huge markup.

[applegrove]

27. Talk to MDs and nurses about hand washing and dry hands. nt

[Warpy]

28. The gold standard treatment is Vaseline

Wash your hands before you go to bed and grease 'em up. Wear cotton gloves (light gardening gloves will do) over it so you won't get goo all over the place while you sleep.

I was a nurse and allergic to the hand cream the hospital supplied, so this is what I had to do. Surgical soap really does a number on skin.

[Laffy Kat]

29. One good thing about dry hands...germs can't stick to them as well as moist hands.

[marlakay]

30. I ordered Berts Bees hand care cream

Same thing was happening to me.

[MineralMan]

31. My hands are all wrinkled - like I was a man in his 70s...

Oh, wait...uh, never mind...

[Lunabell]

32. Welcome to my world.

I'm a nurse.