Anything made for cows is definitely good. And Vaseline also has a line of moisturizers which work pretty well.
Everyone has already given pretty good advice, so I’d just like to add a few more suggestions:
-If you’ve got cracks in the skin, before you put on the lotion rub a bit of antibiotic ointment on the cracks - it’s better to be safe than to risk getting an infection in there, and believe me, bacteria can get into the smallest crack!
-(Burts Bees has some very good lotions, including the ointment specifically for hands. Now my daughter, who has eczema, really liked it but I found it a bit too greasy for me. I preferred the carrot moisturizing lotion, and use it when I get out of the shower.
My hands actually are in pretty decent shape right now; I’ve just got one knuckle that is swollen and cracked a bit - it’s partially arthritis, I think. 
Good luck, you’ve got quite a good number of suggestions. 
Vaseline Intensive Care Total Moisture dry skin lotion has always worked well for me. It’s non-greasy and rubs in very quickly.
I have this really nice hemp one called [url=http://www.beautydeals.net/shop/list.html?categ=158]Hempz* I picked it up at a small store in the mall. I need to move it into the bathroom for after I shower now that winter is on its way. I find my skin is a lot drier since I had my son.
Also I double the drink lots of water.
Freeking Ditto. I can’t be more than a few feet away from this stuff during the winter. It also works on dry legs, elbows, and itchy back (I hate the itchy back). This stuff is on my short list of products that actually do what they say they’ll do.
Try that again Hempz
I use Eucerin cream- it is very thick. I find the knock off brand of eucerin works just as well. I also use pure lanolin. I don’t care for petroleum jelly- too stinky. Lotions are too thin and don’t last long enough.
I have the same problems as the OP every winter. My trick is to apply Carmex to the affected areas. Yup … the lip balm Carmex. It doesn’t sting the little cuts. Infact, it helps seal the little cuts off so that other items don’t irritate them.
The downside is that Carmex doesn’t really absorb like a dedicated hand lotion does. You apply the Carmex to the dry and cracked spots … and then you just let it sit there. Through the course of the day, you wash your hands and the Carmex gets washed off over time. But it makes a big difference.
When you wash and dry your hands, pat them dry, don’t rub. This is how my knuckles get like that in the first place.
Also: Restoration Hardware (online also) makes No-Crack Super Hand Cream which isn’t greasy and water-proofs your hands, as well as softens them. It comes scented and unscented. I use it on my heels when they crack and that’s a way big owie.
I suspect it’s a lot like bag balm, only my bag balm came strongly scented, and it stung.
Same thing happens to me. In fact, I had to hunt down lotion today at work because my hands are so dry the knuckles are starting to crack and bleed. It’s a combination of things for me: sensitive skin (I currently have Hot Tub Folliculitis), extra hand-washing during flu season, and the dry heat indoors. It sucks!
I will definitely be on the look out for some of the products that have been mentioned here. Thanks for the input everyone.
My simple cure is just petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) on hands and lips before going to bed. I wake up with my skin soft and hydrated. Don’t use the Vaseline with any medication in it, though - I’ve found that it irritates my skin even more. Don’t take hot showers or baths, or bathe more often than you need to - leave your natural oil on as much as you can. I should take this advice myself, but I loves me my hot showers.
And drink lots of water.
I have to wash my hands fairly often throughout the day. They used to get dry and cracked during the winter until I started using Snap-On medicated hand cleaner. Find a Snap-On dealer and you can buy one can if he stocks it. Look around at auto repair shops to try to catch the Snap-On truck there, or ask a shop when their dealer makes his weekly stop. It can be used as a hand cream as well as a hand cleaner.
Hmm, lip balm on the cracks…I think I’ll give that a try. I went to the pharmacy and actually ended up getting Lubriderm in a shea butter formulation, which doesn’t sting. The pharmacist also suggested I put lotion on before bed and then wear cotton gloves to keep the moisture in. I think I’ll try that as well.
Thanks for the great suggestions!
Silicone-lined gloves are da bomb. Bath and Body Works sells them, although I am sure you can find them elsewhere, too. They work much better than cotton gloves, IMHO. I wear them for a half hour or so before bedtime.
That was me, signed in as Rick. The image of him wearing my baby blue gloves is pretty amusing.
I like cocoa butter. Not the lotion, the real stuff. It’s thick and doesn’t burn when you put it on.
And it smells wonderful!