# Dry winter hands **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 28, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928 "2012-01-28T00:22:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/21 "2012-01-29T11:42:58Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Have you tried making a point of using the moisturizers on a regular basis immediately after washing your hands? I tend to wash my hands a lot too, and I found that doing so kept my hands from drying out. It’s best to put on moisturizer while the skin is still a tad damp. Moisturizer doesn’t actually add any significant moisture, instead it acts as a barrier to prevent moisture loss. I like Burt’s Bees and Eucerin brands for over the counter stuff, and I have some urea cream that’s prescription. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/22 "2012-01-29T12:07:45Z")
Lanolin. And…sounds like something grandma would say, but: **baby oil & baby lotion** overnight works wonders. So does Crisco, I hear, but Johnson & Johnson products do have a better smell. 🙂 As far as lotions go, I love Gold Bond Medicated. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/23 "2012-01-29T12:23:06Z")
Anything with lanolin will do the trick for dry skin (I love the idea of getting a pet sheep. 🙂 ) I get dry skin in winter, like most people, but not red or painful. So I also wonder if it’s not a moisturising issue, but the antibacterial soap. All soap is antibacterial; maybe switch to a good basic soap, like Ivory, for a week and see if that makes a difference. ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/24 "2012-01-29T13:00:19Z")
I also sympathize, but my problem is my legs. They get so dry and itchy. I have a huge scrape on it, from where I scratched them subconsciously ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/25 "2012-01-29T17:11:26Z")
[Badger Balm™](http://www.badgerbalm.com/p-479-badger-balm.aspx) works better than anything else I’ve tried. It tends to be a bit greasy until it’s all absorbed but that’s a small price to pay for the effectiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/26 "2012-01-29T19:13:29Z")
Aquaphor (or the generic stuff, which says Petrolatum 41%) on the label. Smear it on your hands at bedtime, then pull on latex or plastic gloves and sleep that way. This is very helpful. If necessary, wear plastic gloves (or regular ones) whenever you can (without the Aquaphor) during the day. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/27 "2012-01-29T19:47:47Z")
When I tended bar and had my hands in and out of water all night long, I used Avon’s Silicon Glove lotion. It tended to last through several rounds of washing glasses before needing to be reapplied. Now, in the winter, when my hands get dry, despite the humidifier, I use cocoa butter. The stuff that I buy is not a lotion, but about the consistancy of petroleum jelly. I rub it in before bed and pull cotton socks over my hands. It works great for elbows and heels too. I usually get it in the ethnic hair and skin care section of my local discount store. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/28 "2012-01-30T19:21:43Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Have you tried making a point of using the moisturizers on a regular basis immediately after washing your hands? I tend to wash my hands a lot too, and I found that doing so kept my hands from drying out. I don’t, but I need to start. I always just figure I’ll probably be washing my hands again soon anyway, so why bother, and mostly use moisturizer right before going to sleep, but it’s not enough. > [@WhyNot](#): > > Most people do, because we equate alcohol with drying. And, honestly, dry skin \*was \*a problem with the first generation of hand sanitizers, which were essentially rubbing alcohol made into a gel form. But they’ve come up with all these great moisturizers and emollients built in now, and they’re no longer damaging to skin. > > The last hospital I worked at put signs up all over with the source information for the studies which showed hand sanitizer to be better for skin health, because so many nurses refused to believe their hands would feel better, not worse, if they used the hand sanitizer instead of soap and water! 😃 Well this is good to know! Is that even for really basic ones like the antibacterial wipes they have at the grocery store, and Purell? > [@chiroptera](#): > > Anything with lanolin will do the trick for dry skin (I love the idea of getting a pet sheep. 🙂 ) > > I get dry skin in winter, like most people, but not red or painful. So I also wonder if it’s not a moisturising issue, but the antibacterial soap. All soap is antibacterial; maybe switch to a good basic soap, like Ivory, for a week and see if that makes a difference. I like the pet sheep idea too, and it would even go with my new needle felting hobby. But no, I live in an apartment. I know I probably shouldn’t use antibacterial soap, but I just have a hard time not using it. I use the foaming kind which seems gentler than a lot of them, but it can still be pretty drying. Anyway, lots of good ideas here! I’m sure they will help. I should try a humidifier, but I’m just concerned it might make it harder to breathe because I have asthma. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/29 "2012-01-30T19:34:59Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > Well this is good to know! Is that even for really basic ones like the antibacterial wipes they have at the grocery store, and Purell? Yep, all of Purell’s current products have moisturizers and emollients. There are more of them in their Moisturizing one, but all of them are easier on your hands than soap and water. Not sure about the wipes. The ones I see online are moisturizing, I’ve never read the package in the store. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/30 "2012-01-30T19:54:27Z")
Another way to go (though I must say I am a hard-core Bag Balm user) especially if there’s a lot of unavoidable handwashing, is to use a barrier cream like [Kerodex.](http://www.amazon.com/Medtech-Products-Kerodex-Work-Cream/dp/B001ET6ZRI/ref=sr_1_2?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1327952870&sr=1-2) You apply it and it keeps your hands from drying out through hours of wet hands. It’s become a favorite at one of the places I work. Though I can’t remember if I first learned about it on a medical site or a ceramic tile site. It’s worked for me in both situations. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/31 "2012-01-31T16:58:42Z")
For my hands, I like something that contains glycerin. [CO Bigelow](http://www.bigelowchemists.com/bath-body/hand-soaps/bigelow-chapped-hands-remedy-1012.html)’s is my favorite, but a bit spendy. (You can get it in the “Buy 2 get 1 Free” sales that Bath & Body has occasionally.) Nutrogena also has a nice [Norwegian Formula](http://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Norwegian-Formula-Cream-Fragrance-Free/dp/B005CPZFWQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328029091&sr=8-1) hand cream that works well too. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928/32 "2012-01-31T21:05:56Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Eucerin works wonders for me. Also: totally agree on the advice about wearing gloves religiously when outside in the winter. [Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Hand Cream](http://www.amazon.com/Eucerin-Therapy-Intensive-Repair-Ounces/dp/B001FB5IMS/ref=sr_1_3?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1328043718&sr=8-3). $5-6 at your local store. Soaks in quick because it’s got AHA. Absolutely fantastic. Psoriasis sufferers in the family are big fans of it, especially the impatient ones (who can’t stand Aquaphor or Vaseline unless something is a _big_ problem already) When you need to clean your hands, go with [Gold Bond Ultimate Hand Sanitizer and Moisturizer](http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Bond-Sanitizer-Moisturizer-2-7-Ounce/dp/B002RAR0BS/ref=sr_1_2?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1328043781&sr=1-2), also $5-6 at your local store. The ONLY hand sanitizer and hand cream in one that I’ve found. AVOID triclosan like the plague (hee hee). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-winter-hands/610928.md?page=1)