Do you have a tried and true remedy for dry, split hands?

I have tried several different creams but the best stuff I have found is Udder Balm. You can also get different brands. I find the thicker the better, The thin stuff that you can buy in the supermarket or drug store is not much better than regular hand cream IMO.

We use it when we are rafting and your hands and feet split from constant contact with the wet.

I’m currently using Avalon Organics Hand & Body lotion once every two days or so, and my hands are okay.

I’ve found that just about any moisturizer containing a substantial amount of aloe works for me.

@chyna

Do you moisturize after every time you wash your hands?

@Brian1946 I do. I wash my hands several times a day because I work in a hospital.

Before bedtime:

1) Rub some sweet almond oil over your fingernails and around your cuticles
2) Smear some L’Occitane Hand Cream (it contains shea butter and comes in a silver “toothpaste” tube) into all surfaces of your hands and fingers
3) Put on a pair of light cotton gloves and wear them while you sleep.
4) Take comfort in knowing that the pitchers and catchers have already reported to Spring Training, and that better weather must follow soon

Winter is surely brutal on hands.

When my hands get cracky (usually simply from neglect) I find that it is less about the exact product I use, and more about the method. A quality, thick lotion or body butter heavily applied at bedtime, then gloves, is the best remedy.
Good luck!

@chyna A good treatment to hydrate the skin on your hands is to lather up with a moisturizing balm and put on cotton gloves for overnight. You will be surprised at the difference this will make. I just see this mentioned above also. “Aquaphor” is one good moisturizer.

Where do I find cotton gloves?

^^^ If you’re in the U.S. and have access to (the ubiquitous) CVS: http://www.cvs.com/shop/health-medicine/first-aid/sterile-gloves-masks/cvs-100-cotton-gloves-dermatological-medium-prodid-265992

The cotton gloves are a great idea. If you can’t find some you could try what some people do on the river and use cotton socks. When you are sleeping you don’t need the dexterity gloves provide. We will take a couple of pairs just for night and use them repeatedly over several nights. They get a good infusion of the cream if you do so.

I highly recommend making sure your hands are well moisturized overnight. No matter what you put on your hands during the day, every time you wash them you basically remove the product. Not that you should stop using lotion during the day, I’m just making a point.

Clarins makes a very good hand cream, but it’s a little pricey. Eucerine and Curel are often recommended by dermatologists for dryness if you want something you can buy in the drug store.

I personally highly recommend Vaseline around your nails where it is the worst. You can where gloves to protect your sheets when you sleep, but I’m not a fan of the gloves. Even if you put on Vaseline in the evening after dinner, and keep it on until bed time, I think you will see a huge improvement. In one day Vaseline can significantly heal very dry areas. Just enough that it is on affected areas, it doesn’t have to be very thick. Just a few hours if you don’t want it on over night will help in my experience.

I’ve heard that Bag Balm works well.

@chyna I think you can find cotton gloves various places. Cosmetics stores. eBay. I just checked, on eBay there are many listing for cotton gloves by the half dozen and by the dozen and very inexpensive.

We use this product for our patients and it’s pretty awesome: http://www.bsnmedical.com/products/wound-care-vascular/category-product-search/acute-wound-care/medical-skin-care/cutimedr-acute-cream-mousse.html

I’ve had best results with Cetaphil cream. Get the kind that comes in a small tub. Costco has them.

I remembered this morning that I also use A and D ointment on my nails and cuticles to fix then prevent cuticle and nail damage.
Vitamin E oil works well for repair, too.

A&D is good too, but I think it works mostly because of the petroleum base. Similar to Neosporin reducing scars, but actually any petroleum ointment will reduce the scarring.

I only mention it because regular old petroleum jelly is cheaper and you might have it in your medicine cabinet.

Thanks @JLeslie. I did use my petroleum jelly before I went to bed and the split isn’t hurting this morning.

Great! I’m glad it helped.

Yes, what many others have said, Udder Balm is good, Burts Bees also makes some really effective hand salves, cuticle creams, etc.
I too get the extremely dry cuticles and the sore peeling edges in the winter. Be sure to always apply a liberal amount of whatever cream or salve you are using at BEDTIME and….this really, really, helps. rub an antibiotic ointment on as well like Neosporin.

A lot of the pain of dry, cracked hands/fingertips, cuticles, also comes from low grade infection/inflammation. I have noticed if I have a sore cuticle or edge of my finger where the skin is dry and peeling that applying an antibiotic ointment brings pain relief and near healing, literally, overnight!

I disagree with using antibiotic ointment. Save that for when you have a specific fear of infection. We already overuse antibiotics in America. If the skin is actually open then it’s justified, but if it’s just dry I would refrain.

@JLeslie A dab of anti-bacterial neosporin is so infantismal in the range of antibiotics and it is needed to decrease the minor infection that often results from cracked skin. The fissures are a well for bacterial absorbtion but, each to his own.

Actually, @JLeslie, I had much better and faster results with A&D than I did with Vaseline. I know the difference.

@canidmajor Yes, A&D ointment is great too. I also use a 3 way antibiotic/microbial medicated ointment for dogs and horses. Bonus fly barrier. lol

And it’s really great for tattoo healing! :-)

^ Oooh, great idea, I don’t remember what I used when I got my 2 tattoos years ago now.

@canidmajor I said A&D is good too. If it works better than Vaseline for you then great. I don’t think you originally compared it to Vaseline, I must have missed that in your answer. I didn’t know you had tried both.

@Coloma I said if the skin is cracked it makes sense to use antimicrobrial ointment. I think we are agreeing.

Meanwhile, the Vaseline helped the OP, I guess she had that at home. She certainly can try the A&D and neosporin also, and see what works best.

I use to use Dr.Scholls over night foot cream, It worked great on my very dry cracked heels and I would often finish up with using on my hands. With in a day or two my hands would be baby smooth but my heals would take longer. In a few days my cracked heels were almost entirely gone, so I imagine for cracked hands it may work faster.
For now I only use lavender oil on my hands at night and it leaves my hands pretty smooth but I can’t say if lavender oil would work on cracked hands.
Anything with a waxy texture should help, but be sure to apply when your hands are damp. You want to lock in the moisture and use rubber gloves when dealing with washing.

@Pandora Oh…yes! How could I forget that I too often use foot cream on my hands. Good call there!

Here’s a real good remedy: ATF. Automatic transmission fluid. Makes your hands SO soft!

Seriously?

Seriously! I used to repair and rebuild automatic transmissions and my hands became so soft that if I just barely brushed against something sharp I would cut myself.

Ok, I’ll look into this. Thanks!