My hands become dry and cracked in winter, plus washing my hands (which I have to do at my job several times a day, despite the fact that I have told my boss that belief in germ theory is against my religion) is causing my hands to get really dry and chapped.
I’ve heard Neutrogena norwegian formula is good. Eucarin intensive repair is supposedly a good brand too.
I don’t mind spending money on a bottle, but if I can find a 4oz bottle for $2 that works as well as a $25 bottle I’d rather get the cheap one.
I am partial to the Kiss My Face line especially the Patchouli and Chinese Botanical. Also in the travel size toiletry section get little Aveeno bottles. I wash my hands at least 15 times a day, am outside in the cold a lot of the day and have to touch a lot of cold metal.
Here’s a trick. moisturize your hands really good at night before bed. It helps.
I really like Dr. Scholl’s “For Her” overnight foot cream (I use the green bottle). My hands are starting to crack and bleed in the winter (guess I’m getting old), and it works nicely on both my knuckles and my tootsies. The tube is kinda small, but it goes a long way. I haven’t tried the other varieties, maybe someone could weigh in on those. My mom gave me a bottle of it and I liked it. Smells good, works well without being overbearing.
You can get a pair of white cotton gloves to put on at night after putting on lotion, but I can’t sleep in gloves or socks so that’s a no-go, for me. The overnight stuff isn’t goopy, it absorbs well, and in the morning my hands and feet are nice and fluffy… or whatever.
For the good stuff it’s not going to come particularly cheap, but what you get for your money is worth it. I have worked in food service all my life, and coupling that with very sensitive skin that cracks and chaps in the winter regardless of how many times I wash my hands in a day made me a very sad girl.
You probably don’t want anything greasy on your hands during the day while you’re working, no matter what your job is. One good cream that leaves minimal residue and really works is CeraVe. It comes in a big tub that really will last you ages at about a dollar an ounce unless you find it on sale. That stuff’s good for any bit of you that dries out, absorbs quickly, only takes a little, no fragrance, non greasy.
At night when it matters less about having greasy hands I slather mine up with Aquaphor or Eucerin ointment and put on clean cotton gloves. This is for when it gets really really bad, but it definitely heals and rehydrates the skin. Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream would work as well, but look for the fragrance free one for sensitive skin. The fragrance always seems to irritate the open cracks in my skin.
Another tip I would suggest is to minimize scrubbing the backs of your hands, even rubbing with soap. I know they get germy too, but if you rub vigorously with soap on your palms, then gently slather the suds over the backs of your hands and let it sit, those germs will die just the same.
Not sure what you do for a living, but avoid if possible wearing non-porous gloves. They make your hands sweat, which is taking away natural moisture, which is stinging the cracks and splits, which is irritating your skin - it just makes the problem worse.
My vet friend, who in between handwashings has her arm up a cow’s rear, swears by Corn Husker’s Lotion. It’s old timey and cheap. You might have to poke around the store, or ask someone, but a midwestern drug store should definitely have it.
Bag Balm is also good, same story.
Neutrogena norwegian formula is good but not necessarily better than those two.
ETA: when her hands get really cracked, she moisturizes at night with straight neosporin.
All the fishermen I know in SE Alaska use Corn Husker’s Lotion. It’s non greasy.
If your hands are real bad I’d suggest Bag Balm and cotton gloves overnight.
Another vote for Bag Balm. Also, in my anecdotal experience, it helps disinfect and heal small wounds more quickly. But it is grease-city, so overnight only.
Herbacin Kamille + Glycerine is as good as the Neutrogena kind and much less expensive. It comes in a green tube with a big daisy on it and I got a big tube for about $2 at my local Walgreens.
I used Udder Cream all the time when I was sandblasting and getting super dry hands, still use it when necessary. I believe it has lanolin in it but not 100% sure.
It’s important to remember that no moisturizer adds moisture to the skin- it only traps it in. So you always want to apply any lotion or cream to already-wet skin. Within 3 minutes of getting out of the shower or washing your hands.
REI, Whole Earth Provision Co. and Amazon all sell Climb On! Cream, which is quite lovely. All-natural, very healing and soothing. We also got a tub of 100% pure shea butter, which is on Amazon as well. It’s solid, but melts into your skin at body temperature. Mr. Horseshoe keeps a little tub in his pocket at work into which he mixed a few drops of scented oil.
Thanks, SmellMyWort, I’ll have to try the liquid-bandage idea. I have one particular cracked thumb corner that just. won’t. heal. up.
I use C. Booth Honey and Almond Hand Cream. It’s super cheap, $5 for 8 oz. It’s thick and rich, but not greasy. I even got my 95 year old grandfather hooked on it! I buy it locally at Ulta and occasionally I’ve found it in drugstores. Otherwise, it’s easy to find online.
Try out several things, but read the ingredients. If you end up liking Eucerin, (main ingredient: Mineral Oil) then you can get a 12 oz bottle of mineral oil for $1 and achieve the same effect.
For my hands, it’s vegetable glycerin all the way. By itself it’s a bit goopy, so I generally get the CVS knock-off of Neutrogena Night Cream. $4 for 8oz but it’s got just the right balance of glycerin and wax to soothe my cracked hands.
If the main ingredient says “White Petrolatum” or “Soft Paraffin” what you have there is petroleum jelly. Much cheaper to just buy the stuff plain.
The other thing that’s worked really well for me in the past is apricot oil. I don’t know why, but it seems to soften better than some of the “thicker” oils. Sesame oil is also good, but much more expensive.
Good luck. It stings like hell and takes a few minutes to dry, but it works for me. I actually make sure the crack is open when I put it on because if I try to use the stuff to close the crack back up it just opens back up.