Dry Hands/Fingers

Thank you Roxan! I think I've heard of this before and hope I can get it at CVS or Walgreens. What are my chances?

They have some wonderful "body butters" at The Body Shop.

Barring that, if you don't have one nearby (it's fun to test out the different flavors), I highly recommend Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula hand cream. It's thick and takes a few minutes to absorb, but it's WONDERFUL for getting and keeping your skin moist and softer. I use it all the time, even on my legs (which get really dry out here in the desert). It's also available in an un-perfumed version, though the original scent isn't unpleasant or heavy. KarenK

Udder Ointment, AKA Bag Balm. Used by dairy farmers to treat chapped udders. The cows love it -- and the farmers noticed that it keeps their hands soft and smooth. The cows love *that*, too. :-D

Wicked greasy, though, and smells of eucylptus and menthol (think Vick's Vaporub). However, if you apply it before going to bed, work it in well and wear cotton gloves, in the morning you have soft hands without the smell and the treatment lasts all day.

Alternatively, add more olive oil to your diet. Fat is necessary in the diet, but too many people have cut it out altogether, leaving them with dry, itchy skin -- and without a clue why. Olive oil is good for you.

I use Avon's Moisture Therapy hand cream occasionally, but that also has that chemical perfume smell. I also use Avon's Moisture Therapy Aloe and Chamomile body lotion on my terribly cracked feet, which smells better. (I am not in the habit of getting my feet anywhere near my nose, but I *do* have to apply the stuff with my hands, you silly thing!)

Arondelle

Cocoa Butter! Grab a tub at WalGreens, and it will last eons, I swear! Plus, you get to smell good enough to eat--I caught myslef licking my fingers clean after applying it to my pregnant belly, more than once!

On Sat, 2 Oct 2004 10:00:08 -0400, Margie wrote (in message ):

I use Neutrogena extra dry skin formula - the one that comes in a little tube. It's unscented, and you only need a dab. The biggie is that you use it all the time. I carry little tubes in my purse, have them on my nightstand, beading table and desk. Use the stuff often and the problem will go away.

Curel Fragrance free isn't half bad, either. I have big bottle of it here beside the computer, so I remember to use it.

Kathy N-V

On Sat, 2 Oct 2004 10:34:59 -0400, Arondelle wrote (in message ):

I have cracked feet as well, and found a different solution to the problem. I use Alpha-Hydrox Foot and Problem Area Cream. Again, it's unscented (I'm weird about that stuff), but more importantly, it has a great exfoliant in it. I put a dab on my feet and wear socks to bed, and the cracking goes away.

Than, because I am lazy, I stop doing it, and the cracking comes back. Repeat above procedure. I use a pumice stone on my heels too (when I can bend enough to reach them), and that's made a tremendous difference, too.

Bob laughs about the socks in bed, but he's also very happy that he doesn't get stuck warming my icy feet.

Kathy N-V

I get dry and cracked fingers from working with wire and from doing beading too, so I keep a little tube of petroleum jelly next to the bedtable and apply it to my hands before bedtime, has worked wonder for many years, no scent,and a dollar tube lasts for a long time......

Having done needlework for years, I've always used Udder Cream. Thjis is not the medicated, yellow bag balm but it does serve the same purpose. It's a white cream that doesn't leave your hands sticky or oily. Very important when stitching on linen with silk threads.

Oh! I know this one! I have two products for you. One is Hoof Alive. (yes, I know.) It's WONDERFUL...

also, my MIL and SIL who are medical professionals use this stuff from Restoration Hardware, called Unscented Day Use No-Crack Creme. WONDERFUL also...both are to be found online!

The Blessed Fiddy, Patroness Saint of the Disorganized LC in Sunny So Cal Personality Development Specialist (Full-Time Mom!)

No lotion! It has alcohol, which dries the skin. Cream takes longer to sink in, but works much better. Moisturell has no smell. That's what I use, on the advice of my dermatologist for both function and price. If cream isn't good enough you need ointment. Vaseline works well.

Tina

A good alternative to Bag Balm, without the "mentholyptus", is Badger Balm. Smells much better and works on molds for PMC, which Bag Balm does not do. Light winter mint smell.

Tina

A better alternative, but prescription only, is Lac-Hydrin by Westwood Squibb. Ammonium lactate cream. It smells like it sounds -- very faintly like sour milk. But works fast and well. Eats dead tissue, but won't harm live skin at all.

I'm not good at keeping up the regimen necessary for the less effective alpha hydroxy.

Tina

For stuff to carry around any use regularly, those little flat tins of fragrance free Neutragena ointment are great.

As you can tell from my many responses, dry skin has become an issue for me. Fairbanks is technically a desert. Winter is the worst. The air is dry enough when it's outside, but when it gets inside where it warms and expands and can hold/absorb more moisture, the relative humidity plummets. Without a humidifier, the humidity will drop to 20%. And it will drink a couple gallons to bring it up 5 or 10% in a day. Takes most of a week to bring it up to 45-50% humidity.

That, and of course Hormonal Change (capitalized, you betcha).

Tina

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream. The BEST ever. Expensive, but worth every penny. If cash is more of an issue, try Udderly Smooth hand cream, in the cow print tube - you can find it in fabric stores and also at Target. For cracks, get crack repair serum (Nexcare?) - it's like super glue that covers the crack and seals it. My thumbs crack on a regular basis, and this helps a lot. You can find it at any drug store or grocery store, in the lotion section.

Yes - Called Udderly Smooth Udder Cream. It's sold at fabric stores, Target, some feed stores. It's in a white cow print tube, and is white creamy stuff. Heaven in a tube. A lot of seamstresses swore by it when I worked in the fabric store.

Best stuff for dry sky -- get the "Everthying Balm" from Goodies Unlimited - a soap/and other stuff ...

email her at snipped-for-privacy@aol.com she's a beader (and fiber addict) Cheryl DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass

The Vermont Country Store has a number of good products including Lotil cream and Bag Balm. Another product that's good, if you can find it, is pure lanolin - smells like wet wool though! To sidestep the problems of sticky, greasy or oily residues on your hands that might be a problem working with thread and beads, get a few pairs of white cotton sleeping gloves (also available from Vermont Country Store) and slather the product on before you go to bed and wear the gloves while sleeping.

I just got a new catalog from them and I would love to have many of their offerings. Lots of old-fashioned practical stuff at reasonable prices!

I wish you luck! I have a terrible problem with cracking around my fingernails in the winter and often get splits on the sides of my index fingers when I work too much with thread. OUCH!

Mj

That's what I use for my hands, and it's great for keeping them smooth.

The kind I use isn't greasy, and doesn't have the menthol smell..it's called "Udderly Smooth", made by Redex Industries. The website for it is

I like it better than the other bag balm I used, which was really, really greasy and thick.

-Amber.